Jo Burt spotted it first, so we suspect him of having an eBay alert for ‘custom built bike’. Which only serves as another plus on the good character of Mr Mint Sauce. But, what is it that he has found?
It’s sort of like a Nishiki Alien met a Moulton and had a baby, and that baby got drunk in the pub with a Trimble and Geoff Apps. But, if it were a puppy, would this be a designer breed or a mongrel reject?
The listing reads ‘Custom Built Hybrid Unisex Bike with Shimano Altus Groupset and Ritchey Wheels’.
- Custom Built Hybrid Unisex Bike
- Shimano Altus A20 Groupset
- Shimano Deore XT V Brake Bracke Calipers (will need new brake pads and adjustment)
- Ritchey Wheels 57cms Diameter to outside of rim
- Michelin Tyres 35 – 559 (26 x 15)
- Specialized pedals
- Vetta Lite Gel Saddle (Small split on back right side approx 1cm sq)
- Height when measuring from ground to bottom of seat post = 75cms
- Height when measuring from centre of crossbar to ground = 80cms
- Adjustable seat post to suit varying height of riders
- Crossbar length 54cms
- Small repairable puncture in rear tyre
- Sold as seen see all pictures for details
- Collection only from London SW19
The down tube – the twin one, with all the struts, not the lower one. The Moulton-meets-Trimble one… is it a thing of beauty or a tell-tale sign of desperate retro-fitted efforts to create lateral stiffness? Or to provide somewhere to attach the rear wheel, which was forgotten in the first phase of construction? And how about that second brace, running from the seat stays to the down tube (the lower one)? Is that just for added cleaning, and something to get in the way when fitting the front mech?
Why is the headtube quite so long? And what angle is that? What angle is any of it? Is it really good at wheelies? The seat tube and saddle angle might suggest that it has been specifically designed to be sat on while descending steep hills, but that the rider should stand up for all pedalling needs. Or perhaps it’s a safety precaution, to encourage the rider to exit from the rear of the bike, instead of slamming into that top tube?
I had many questions. These included ‘Do I have room in the garage?’ and ‘Do I know anyone in SW19 who would collect it for me?’. However, for reasons of personal financial security, I do not have an eBay account. Nonetheless, thanks to my co-conspirator and enabler in bike nerding, Fahzure, I was able to contact the seller and get some other questions answered, like ‘who made it?’ and ‘why?’.
The bike was built in Milborne Port, Somerset, by the seller’s father-in-law, Philip Lock, an engineer, and a friend who is a frame builder and keen cyclist. It’s made of Reynolds 531 bicycle tubing and weighs approximately 13kg, built as seen in the photos. The design, complete with many tubes and braces, was originally conceived to test the ideas of an orthopaedic surgeon friend to reduce back strain. The handmade forks with the long steerer tube was part of the design to reduce back strain. Philip Lock worked around the tubes he had, including the flattened top tube, to arrive at the end point.
It’s a fully functioning bike, and has been regularly used in London for the last few years – apparently the handling is relatively normal.
While Philip isn’t really a bicycle builder, this is one of a few bicycle type things he’s made. There’s this recumbent trike:
And how about this? Lock describes it as “A daft idea, recumbent for the disabled and upright for the stoker. All built from old frames”.
It doesn’t seem so daft to me. If I had the skills and parts kicking around, I’d likely have a go at such things myself. You should see what I’ve made out of pallets. Anyway, I’m going to resist the urge to set up an eBay account. If you want to own something unique that’s guaranteed to draw attention, then head to eBay and get bidding.
