Mike Flanigan of ANT Bikes is a man on a mission: to make beautiful, practical bicycles that will hopefully enable more people to realize they don’t need an SUV to cart their groceries around, and to provide a more enriching touring experience. I just spent an hour engrossed in his History, and browsing his website, and I’m now more inspired than ever that bicycles will make an essential contribution towards the salvation of this planet.
One of his bikes that particularly spoke to me was this wood and copper creation, built for show, and what a showpiece it is. The Phil Wood hubs have been copper-plated, as was the bar and stem combo, lugs and forks. Mike hand cut the plates for the pedals which were then also copper-plated, engineered a spoon-style brake, and sourced wooden rims to match the main tubes. Wooden grips and a Brooks saddle with copper-plated rails are the finishing touch.
I was disappointed to discover Mike himself deemed it unrideable; subsequently it has been sold to a collector. It will remain, however, a testament to his vision and creative skill. His technical skill is revealed in his many bikes for customers that are not only highly rideable, but have given their owners an immense sense of pride and satisfaction. Head over to the ANT Bike site for more inspiration.
