The Spin Cycling Festival has always been quirky, innovative and fun, with lots of independent companies showing off the kind of stuff that you wouldn't normally see at a regular, corporate bike show. This year was no exception in their new home of Olympia. We bring you a selection of cool and sometimes whacky products that you may not have come across.
Cloud 9 Cycles
With a claim to be the only frame building workshop in Central London, Cloud 9 produce beautiful bespoke frames with an eye for detail. Check out their beautiful brass plates on their hand filed tubes. After riding in London for many years they reckon they've designed the ultimate urban bike but they also sell Yeti mountain bikes and have a fleet that you can take out for testing. Cloud 9 will help you design and create your ultimate dream bike for you.
Aceteam
Uber Urban cool, this time from Berlin's Aceteam outfit who have designed and built these very elegant e-bikes. They don't come cheap but you'll certainly turn a few heads bombing down the road astride one of these! They also stock Pike Brothers clothing and boots for that lumbersexual look you've been trying to perfect.
La Bouclée
We loved these guys from La Bouclée who'd made the ferry trip over from France to exhibit these leather bottle holders that hang off your bike frame, handlebars or pannier rack. This is an ideal accessory for anyone heading up to Eroica Britannia next month. Wish I'd had one of these for the Tweed Run too!
Raynsie
Haha! Would you wear one of these? We loved the designs. Hailing from Amsterdam Raynsie have produced an all-in-one outfit to keep you dry. Waterproof, windproof and packable the patterns are based on Dutch food: chips and ketchup and Hagelslag - chocolate and candy sprinkles that they put on their sandwiches- you'll certainly stand out from the crowd!
Rouleur's cap collection
Nice caps, Rouleur. Chapeau!
Eliza Southwood
With a few pieces of Eliza's work in our own home, we've been fans of her wonderful cycling art for some time. Elegant and harking back to a romantic era of cycling, any of her prints or original works would grace your home.
Quoc
Ride Velo's shoe obsession has been well-documented. Quoc's shoes have always been high up on our wishlist. If it's a road or an urban shoe you're after, these need some consideration. Class.
Volata
While the likes of Rouleur showcase some of the best cycling photography around, Volata celebrate some truly wonderful cycling art in their publication. Hailing from Barcelona their mag comes out just four times a year but is well worth the wait. This stunning portrait of Miguel Indurain caught our eye a couple of months ago and the original was on display at Spin. There are some big birthdays coming up in the Ride Velo household, so take note.
Cole Coatings Workshop
The Cole Coatings Workshop are custom design, paint and refinishing specialists. Refurbish that old bike at the back of the shed or get your new bespoke steed decorated just how you want it to be. Make your bike a work of art.
Cinelli
Okay, so Cinelli are nothing new and you'll see them at every other bike show you go to. However, there's just something timeless and wonderful about a Cinelli frame that gets the heart beating faster and the hairs standing up on the back of the neck. Simply lovely.