Yesterday I took the first step in a project that I’ve been thinking about for a year or so now, which is to custom build a bike. Although this won’t strictly be part of my PhD, I’m hoping the process will tell me a lot about the differences between bespoke design and mass customisation, with the advantage of course of ending up with a really nice (and unique) machine at the end of it.

Whilst most of the parts will be standard or mass customised components, the frame will be hand-built. It’s being made by Mercian Cycles in Derby, and yesterday I met with John Eley, who went through my requirements, measured me up, and explained the options I was unsure about (such as the difference in ride characteristics between straight and curved forks). One of the things that interests me about this project is how much I’m required to learn in order to make the right decisions - on a personal level it interests me because I love bikes and cycling, but in terms of my research I hope to find out how a consumer’s level of expertise might dictate the customisation experience they are offered.

John Eley setting up the jig

There were certain things I knew I wanted before I even began looking for a frame-builder. The first was that I’m aiming to build a fixed gear road bike - I’ve been lusting after one ever since the European Cycle Messenger Championships were held in Helsinki (this is the article I wrote about it for Pingmag). That means provision for a front brake and horizontal rear drop-outs so I can put a fixed-free flip-flop hub on the back.

Image © Mercian

Then I want the bike to be as clean as possible - no bottle cage bosses, no mudguard mount points, and lugless fillets (although I appreciate the craftsmanship involved in some custom lugs, they’re a bit too fancy for me). Finally it was important that I could have the bike supplied with no graphics, just a pure paint finish (more on this later).

Image © Mercian

Having established the features I knew I wanted, John then explained the different grades of steel that Mercian build from (Reynolds 631, 725, 853 and 853 Pro) and what these mean in terms of ride quality. Since I already have an aluminium road bike and I expect this new one to be used mainly for shorter trips, I opted for 631 tubing, which is the ‘least stiff’ option. John then measured both me and my existing bike (a Specialized Allez) which he reckoned was a pretty good fit although the frame is maybe half an inch too small. Another difference between my Specialized and the new bike is that fixed gear bikes, which before cycle couriers made them trendy were used mainly for track racing, often have a higher bottom bracket (275mm from the ground rather than 270mm) and shorter cranks (165mm rather than 170mm) so they can be ridden upright on a banked track. Although I’m probably never going to do this, it’s a touch of authenticity I want to retain and which will add to the bike’s character. With this in mind the measurements were used to set up Mercian’s jig for me to sit on and try out for comfort, the jig was then adjusted to get the fit just right.

Me sitting on the fitting jig

The frame and forks will take about 12 weeks to build and paint, during which time I’ll begin to spec the other components. But before that I need to decide on a colour scheme - I’ll be trying out some alternatives soon. There is also a possibility to include some custom graphics, either as varnish finish transfers if I can find a supplier, or vinyl stickers. If it’s the latter Mercian won’t apply them (the quality isn’t good enough) so I’ll have to put them on after the frame is delivered.