Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Feather Cycles No. 50

Feather Cycles No. 50
We’ve all asked ourselves what we’d have built if we had carte blanche for the custom frame builder of our choice. Ricky Feather has gone a long way in answering that question: his fiftieth frame coincided with the 2012 Bespoked Bristol show and is part racer, part cyclocrosser and even part light tourer.

Each of Ricky’s fifty frames have been exercises in sophisticated design — not to mention typography. This latest rendition is dripping with details that kept viewers intrigued at the Bespoked Bristol show. The aim was to create a bike that was capable of quick club rides around the hills and dales of Yorkshire, while still retaining comfort on longer journeys. The matching fenders will provide protection from the inevitable inclement weather, and if removed the frame can accommodate cyclocross tires. Both Columbus Life and Spirit tubes have been used, combined with Reynolds 853 and 725… no wonder the manufacturer’s decals haven’t been adhered. Ricky hand carved the Pacenti lugs and Richard Sachs bottom bracket shell — even Keith Anderson’s Tito dropouts weren’t spared the file.

A substantial amount of brass was used, adding the traditional gold color of the fiftieth anniversary to the royal purple shade, a perfect complement to the leather bar tape and Colt saddle by Brooks. The complete bike will age gracefully, looking as elegant and powerful as a Rolls Royce when it meets Ricky’s one hundredth frame. Head over to the Feather Cycles blog for more details. Once again, these photos of the Feather Cycles No. 50 were taken by the marvelously talented Kayti Peschke.

Feather Cycles No. 50
Feather Cycles No. 50
Feather Cycles No. 50
Feather Cycles No. 50
Feather Cycles No. 50
Feather Cycles No. 50
Feather Cycles No. 50
Feather Cycles No. 50