Hartley Cycles
Price from £5,000
Build time 4 weeks
Frame steel
Gears your choice
The most common response Caren Hartley gets when she tells people what she does is: “But you can buy a car for that!” She is one of the brightest stars of Britain’s new breed of bespoke bike builders. Following on from the incredible cycling boom that’s swept over the country in the past decade, it was inevitable that discerning riders were going to seek out bikes that were unique, peerless and exceptionally well crafted. As a result we now have dozens of small-scale artisan bike builders popping up in warehouses and workshops in cities across the country.
Hartley Cycles is based in a busy and cluttered unit in an old studio in Peckham, south London. Things are going well so Caren will soon be moving to bigger premises. It’s an extraordinary rise for a woman who says that when she started she was one of the only female bike builders in the country. Now she thinks there may be “one or two others – not including the great Isla Rowntree who set up Islabikes 20 years ago”. Caren, who was born and bred in south Devon, started out as a jeweller and silversmith. She then worked in a variety of metalwork disciplines including sculpture and large scale public art, before deciding to focus on bikes. “So many of the techniques are the same,” she says – from fabricating and bronze brazing to silver soldering, piercing and wax carving – “but are just applied in a different way.” She set up her eponymous brand five years ago (“My friends always used to call me Hartley Cycles, so I couldn’t really have chosen any other name.”)
She works long days and it takes about a month to complete each bike. And, as if she isn’t busy enough, she and fellow builder Matt McDonough of Talbot Frameworks, have just launched a range of production-ready bikes called Isen – the Old English word for iron. Caren says she loves the “two way conversation” of creating a bike for a customer. “It starts with them telling me what kind of riding they want to do and what they think the bike should look like,” she says. “It then evolves from there.” Most builds cost between £5,000 and £8,000, but she does have her first £10,000 model coming down the line. “The guy I’m building that bike for knows it’s crazy,” she says, “but he says it’s what he loves. He doesn’t have a car. The bike is it.” For that particular customer Caren is handbuilding everything, from the frame down to the quick-release spindles and even the valve caps. “It really is a totally bespoke bike.”
Others go to her because they are an unusual shape. “They might be short, or have long legs, or a bad back, and can’t ever find anything that fits properly.” Often they are surprised when they come to the workshop and discover the person behind Hartley Cycles is a woman. “I do get the odd comment,” Caren says, “and some riders can be a bit mansplainy. But many are just relieved to find someone who actually listens to what they want.”
Caren’s care, flair and meticulous attention to detail animates each and every one of her bikes. All her frames are listed and pictured on her website, from Camille’s Porkeur to Elle’s Purple One to David’s Head Turner. It’s as if they are all graduates from her own finishing school, sent out into the world. I’d love the next one to be Martin’s Mean Machine.
Bags of style
Henty’s bike backpack is a mobile support system. The Enduro has been designed to keep you hydrated whilst efficiently holding everything you could possibly need while riding your bike, going for a run, hiking over a mountain or carving up the slopes. This hands-free sport solution even provides lumbar protection for your back, hips and kidneys. Your items sit horizontally as close as possible to your centre of gravity, giving you freedom to move. The harness and shoulder straps stabilise the unit and the considered design ensures good ventilation, minimising sweaty back syndrome. It also acts as a tool belt for all your gear. There is a place for your water bladder and plenty of pockets and webbing for easy access to the things you need. Want to take your puncture kit, camera, snacks, sunscreen, keys, wallet, map, Swiss army knife and phone? There’s plenty of room for all of it. The Henty Enduro is the newest addition to the Henty Active range. It is made from a tough Corduar 500D nylon, making it strong but light, weighing in at only 550g. It comes in black or camo and costs £85, henty.cc
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166
