A veteran of both the fixed-gear scene and the Trans-Continental Race, Tim Pulleyn was very nearly disillusioned by bikes in general until a rebuild and repaint of his beloved Woodrup All-Rounder reignited the passion.
The reverberations of the fixed-gear phenomenon that swept the cycling world back in the early 2010s can still be felt today. It taught a lot of new cyclists the value of good cadence and, well, brakes — and a lot of them are still riding bikes today.
In 2014, Tim was riding the enviable combination of a LOW// with Death Spray Custom forks, racing around with the Leeds Fixed Gear crew producing a whole bunch of content which ended up on his blog The North Race, like The Halleycat.
To label David Gwyther, AKA Death Spray Custom, an ‘artist’ is somewhat of a misnomer. David applies his philosophy towards speed and danger to objects using automotive paint and techniques with an iconoclastic and mesmerising style.
In 2015, Tim was inspired to try his hand at the Trans-Continental Race and visited the legendary Woodrup Cycles in Leeds, requesting a custom frame that could carry him across the savage 4,200km course from Belgium to Turkey.
Woodrup was located ten minutes away from Tim’s house and the project also involved local luggage makers Restrap. The original paintwork, as well as the brazed-on TCR and Columbus logos, were designed by Tim’s mate Samuel Hodgson of The Lift Agency.
Before the race, Tim was living and breathing the bike culture, but the 2015 event was exceptionally brutal and inflicted upon him the crazy condition know as Shermer’s Neck. Not wanting to joyously jump back on his bike after it was understandable.
Fast forward to 2019 and Tim’s old fire had been relit, so the frame was taken back to the Woodrup workshop in Leeds to have the rear stays replaced, so it could accommodate Shimano’s GRX groupset — and a new lick of paint.
There are also two pairs of forks which Tim swaps out depending on the bike’s duties for the day: The original Woodrup-built steel forks pictured above are used for commuting, while the Whisky No7 gravel forks are installed for the rough stuff.
This time around, the paintwork was executed by one of the UK’s top frame painters, Jack Kingston in Hull, who also applied the paint to the Whisky forks — a spellbinding iridescent combination of brown, purple and green, completed with touches of gold leaf.
It’s safe to say that Tim Pulleyn is back in the saddle, ready for new adventures across the North York Moors and beyond. Keep an eye on his travels via his website — The Broken Line — and Instagram.
Woodrup Cycles Website | Facebook | Instagram
Big thanks to Szymon Nieborak for the photography.