The Spoken is a celebration of the beauty and diversity of the bicycle. It’s an online gallery of its many forms and facets, ranging from modern and classic road bikes, MTBs, BMXs, to graveleurs, porteurs, tourers and randonneurs.

There are no prejudices here. Everyone on two wheels is a friend. We live for cycling culture and the joy of the ride, from road racing’s golden age to the spirit of off-road endurance riding and bicycle touring.

One day we’ll admire a vintage Peugeot folding bike and the next, the latest concept bike from Lotus’s wind tunnel research. We love a muddy gravel bike as much as a gold-plated Colnago and a Hutch Trick Star.

There’s a specific focus on the custom and handmade bike industry. Most of the bikes on these pages were made out of steel by real people with real tools. We here at The Spoken appreciate the manufacturing process as much as we like riding the bikes they make.

We have a deep respect for the craft and trade of the frame builder, those who carry the torch high, from Richard Sachs and JP Weigle to Tom Donhou and Caren Hartley, from the hobbyist to the master builder.

We also love good photography and enjoy a good story, and The Spoken combines it all. The first bike went live a decade ago in August 2010 and now there’s over a thousand bikes in the archives.

My name is Adam Leddin and I’m the editor of The Spoken. I’m a devoted cyclist who has been riding as long as I can remember. My teenage years during the 90s were spent riding a rigid Iron Horse MT400 in the hills around Orange, New South Wales, Australia.

After studying graphic design, I eschewed a studio career to work as a bicycle courier in Sydney for seven years before finally — and somewhat reluctantly — submitting to a role in an advertising agency. The change in direction was, however, fortuitous.

The Spoken brings together three of my passions: bikes, photography and writing. This site is dedicated to promoting the beautiful bicycle and how riding them can improve your general wellbeing and your perspective.