Having returned from the Bespoked Bristol handmade bicycle show at around 2:00am last night, I’m feeling a bit tired but also really pleased we had another opportunity to attend such an amazing show and share what we do.

It’s a pretty full on experience for both of us to chat with such a variety of different people, but a great way to meet potential customers and chat ‘bike’ with like-minded individuals. Catching up with fellow builders is also fun and an important part of developing and maintaining small but flourishing industry.

We’re also chuffed that we picked up an award for Best Off-road Bicycle too. Awards are not something either of us are focused on, but it felt great to be recognized for something that we make every day for our customers. It was even more of a surprise that the award didn’t go to a mountain bike!

For anyone wondering interested in details bout the bike, it’s a semi-custom Stoater designed for off-road touring/bike packing. The frame was modified to accommodate 2.2 MTB tyres and has some retro WTB drop bars that Steven’s particularly fond of.  We’ll be making this available to order on the website over the coming weeks, but if you’re interested in placing an order, just get in touch.

We should also pay huge thanks to Phil and Tessa who make the show what it is and to everyone who came to say hi. It really was a fun weekend and hope we can return next year!

We are busy. In fact very busy indeed and are looking for a part time bike mechanic for around 20 hours a week to help with the following:

– Bike assembly
– Stock control and ordering
– Packing and dispatch

Wheel building experience would also be advantageous, but a positive can-do attitude to get stuck in about the workshop is far more important – as is a meticulous attention to detail and pride in your work.

If this role is of interest and you think you fit the bill, send us a simple CV of experience and cycling interests to info@shandcycles.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

It was a long drive but we made it! Back again for Bespoked Bristol 2013 and a weekend of the UK’s most beautiful bicycles. If you can make it along, do come say hi and we can show you what we’ve been up to.

T-shirt design number 1

T-shirt design number 2

Nearly at production stage of cycling jerseys (see post below), but in the meantime we’ve been working on some t-shirts ideas. Welcome some feedback on which one you prefer – if any!

Big thanks to Addy Pope for the beer inspired Carbon idea.

Sneak visuals of some kit we’re getting made by our friends at Endura and Rothera. Rothera are producing a very neat cotton cap and Endura will be making a short and long sleeve jersey along with a matching gilet (prices to be confirmed). We’re only having a small number produced initially to gauge demand, so if you’d like one, let us know and we’ll let you know when they’re ready – hopefully by the beginning of March.

Last month a Skinnymalinky headed west to the beautiful island of Islay and into the hands of Brian Palmer (of Washing Machine Post renoun). Brian had previously reviewed a Stoater during the summer and although not quite understanding the disc brake aspect on a drop bar bike, he liked what he saw and was keen to get his hands on a Skinny’.

Brian’s had the good fortune to have reviewed many bikes of quality over the years, so we were pleasantly surprised to receive email updates with exclamations of delight after each of his island forays on the Skinnymalinky. So does the Skinnymalinky have an ‘inner Colnago’? Read Brian’s review to find out.

Cross season is finally here and for me it kicked off last Sunday with the classic 3 Peaks Cyclocross race in Yorkshire. Now in its 50th year, it involves a circular navigation of  the peaks of Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-Y-Ghent and includes 60kms and 1,500m of ascent, frequently involving rough and steep terrain – with a bike on your back.

This year two Shand Stooshie’s were taking part ridden by myself, and Robin who’d bought a frame from us earlier this year. Robin had previously competed two years ago and was looking for a steel cross frame with disc brakes for his next race.  For my part, I’d run the 3 Peaks fell race a couple of times so knew the hills (albeit different to the cyclocross route) and had for year always wanted to give it a go with a bike in tow. I was also happy to have discs and knew the descents would be ‘entertaining’ with a mountain bike never mind a cross bike.

To add to the fun, the weather was the worst experienced over the past 50 years with heavy rain and 50mph winds on the summits making it a challenge just to stay upright. Shouldering the bike on the steeper sections was tricky with wind making it difficult to balance on rockier sections with cleated shoes.  Quite a few competitors pulled out after the miserable decent of Whernside deciding it was too cold and wet to face another summit, although after years of hill/fell running I didn’t mind the conditions too much, although would agree it was all a bit grim…

In the end both Stooshie’s (and riders) finished in one piece with Robin in an impressive position of 89 and me in a less impressive 243 out of a 700 start list. I’d originally been planning a better finish time/position so was a bit disappointed with the result, but reckon it should be achievable in better conditions next year.

Special thanks should go to all the marshals who braved the elements for hours on end out on the hills – along with Malcolm, Fraser, Christina and her parents who supported Addy and me with spares, food and motivation on what was a very grim, but most excellent day.

Picture courtesy of Edward Rollason.

We’re please to announce that as well ordering direct from our website, our frames are available from Ronde bicycle outfitters in Edinburgh. With a wide experience in road and cyclocross and a passion for classic and contemporary steel, Ronde are ideally placed to assist with sizing and speccing your full build around a Shand frame.

They’ve, also got a great café serving most excellent coffee and pâtisseries, so worth a visit at anytime if you’re in the city.

Thanks to everyone who came to visit us at Blenheim Palace last weekend. We had a blast and didn’t melt too much in the heat… Hats of to the Brompton racers too – bonkers!

This weekend, 18th/19th August we’re off to the Bike Blenheim event at Blenheim Palace.

At the event we’ll be officially launching our first production road bike, the Skinnymalinky. We’re very excited about this. The Skinny’ was intended to be the first production frame we launched but due to a number of factors too boring to go into, we launched the Stoater and Stooshie first.

The Skinnymalinky, is a lightweight steel road bike, built from Reynolds 853. Designed with the sort of unpredictable seasons we have here in the UK, the Skinny’ will easily take 28mm tyres and mudguards.

More info can be found on the Skinnymalinky page here. We’re working on getting more pictures up as soon as possible and once we’re back from this weekend we’ll update it.

The Skinny’ is available to order now and we’re working on approximately a 6 week delivery time. Let us know if you want to order and we can give you a more accurate date.

Oh yes, price is £960 for the frame and an extra £140 for the steel fork. As with all our frames, the Skinnymalinky is built by hand, to order in our workshop in central Scotland.