Haute couture fashion and the gritty workshop of a custom framebuilder may seem like worlds apart. But considering that both produce wearable art which is tailored and handmade, they begin to seem less disposed. This roadster, manufactured by Sven Cycles in Dorset, England, brings them even closer — it’s painted to match one of Chanel’s most in-demand shades of nail varnish: Rouge Noir.
Rouge Noir has been a popular staple of Chanel’s catalog since the 90s, although it was discontinued then re-released in the mid-2000s. It was, apparently, created to be the color of dried blood, alluding to its current title of ‘Vamp’. As well as embellishing fingernails, it also made a fine job of decorating this Reynolds roadster.
Darron Sven Coppin was taught how to braze by his father, a jeweller and vintage car enthusiast, and founded Sven Cycles in 2012. He has since been joined by Andrew ‘Mog’ Mogford, who built his first frame in 1988 (and still rides it today) at the Jeremy Torr frame building course. Mog and Darron have set about revitalising the British roadster, like the Chanel-shaded one here.
It’s built for both pace and comfort, rolling on 32mm+ 650B tyres, primarily out of Reynolds 653, with a couple in 853. Any handlebar setup is accommodated for and you can specify drum, disc or cantilever brakes. Racks, dynamo hubs, baskets and any number of internal gears are options and, with all paint applied in-house, so is the colour. Except Rouge Noir. It’s been done.
See more on the Sven Cycles website.
