B1866 is Brooks England’s flagship store in Seven Dials, London. It’s a showroom for Brooks’ products and the culture that surrounds it — such as British industry and engineering. The best of British handmade bikes are regularly profiled and this month Andy Carr’s Spoon Customs road bike is in residence.
We’ve already featured Andy’s frame here on The Spoken, once it was freshly completed, back in October 2015. The reaction to it and London illustrator Sam Dunn‘s paintwork nearly melted our servers, and deservedly ended up as Miss February in the 2016 The Spoken Custom Bicycle Calendar.
Sam counts adidas and Vans amongst her client list, and cites classic skateboard artist Jim Phillips — he of Santa Cruz’s Screaming Hand fame, as well as deck art for Salba and Jason Jesse et al — as an inspiration for her eye-searing artwork. She painted it by hand for over thirty hours before it was clear-coated by Cole Coatings.
Tomorrow, the 9th of July 2016, London will host the Red Hook Crit, so if you’re in the capital for the race, to participate or watch, be sure to drop by B1866 and take a while to absorb the minute details of Sam’s artwork covering Andy’s frames. He’s developing his work in the French Alps these days, which we’ll look forward to seeing soon.
Follow Spoon Customs on Instagram, and you can also also email Andy. Massive thanks to Sam Dunn for the photos.