Here’s hoping The Hack Bike Derby, organised by Somerset’s The Bicycle Academy, becomes an annual event, because it brought a fresh new angle to custom frame building — that it can be fun. Toby Gallagher of Toad Cycles patched together a ride for the event, inspired by a 1940s Schwinn.
West Berkshire’s Toby Gallagher is certainly proving himself as a versatile builder. The last bike we saw from his Toad Custom Cycles was an elaborate light tourer, exquisitely styled for this year’s Eroica Britannia. His most recent creation is this comparatively more modern road bike, a pared back racer that’s equally as refined.
Culturally, toads get a pretty bad rap compared to their often prettier cousins: frogs. Their dry, leathery skin and short legs lend them a bristly…
