Bespoked Bristol - no. 3 - Technology themes

Quick review of some of the technological themes in the Bespoked Bristol show last weekend.

Retro bikes - there was a good selection of straight retro roadsters directly from our childhoods (judging from the 40+ age group that made up at least half the show visitors):

Here's a beautiful Swallow bike complete with downtube shifters - direct
 from your childhood

Retro Updated - a variant on the retro theme is one where the important components are modern but the package is retro looking:

Here's a beautiful Sword bike with leather bar tape but modern drivetrain

Weird and wonderful - I was expecting lots of examples of the framebuilders "art" on display but the show was much more purposeful than that and there was relatively few unusual bikes:

Relatively few show stoppers

Drivetrain - I thought one unfortunate design that I spotted a couple of times was a wonderfully technical looking crankset which on first glance appeared to be a triple but turned out to be a double:

Is that a triple?  http://www.rotorbike.com/ 

What technological highlights did you spot?

Bespoked Bristol no. 2

Demos, talks and bike fitting all at Bespoked Bristol last weekend.

Bespoked Bristol - first look

Great day spent at Bespoked Bristol - the handmade bike show.  What particularly struck me was the amount of "purposeful" road bikes there were - some really great, simple looking speed machines - here they are:

Bike and Triathlon Show, Manchester

pinarello track bike
 

Spent today at the Manchester Bike and Triathlon Show - a much more relaxed and easy bike show than the frenetic London Show in January.  This beauty on the Pinarello stand caught my eye - I think the price tag was north of £10k...

 

 

Overall the show felt like less about bikes and kit and more about clothes and experiences, and the triathlon cross-over made for an additional perspective - much better than the Outdoor Show pairing with the London Bike Show.

Martyn Ashton - Road Bike Party

Saw this guy at the London Bike Show last Saturday using the same Pinarello - amazing stuff and a very improper way of using a road bike! 

Bike show and snow

Spent saturday at the London Bike Show - large crowds and lots of lovely bikes.  I was checking out all the single speed models - some of them pretty, some beautiful.

And then on my way home (Camden bound) I found a unique little shop - art and bikes - with a single speed "Fausto Coppi" in the window amongst various carved statues.  More single speeds inside but by then the snow was coming on again and there was no time to test ride them - another time I'll visit again.  One of those remarkable, odd shops only London has.

London Bike Show single speeds