London-based 8ball Bikes have just launched their new Author collection of bikes. There are eight singlespeeds priced from £495 up to £599.
“The Author collection is a series of bicycles that hearken back to an age when cycling was a gentlemanly sport, enjoyed by participants clad in tweed and leather rather than the carbon and Lycra of today,” says 8ball Bikes’ James Middleton. “The frames, made from cromoly 4130 steel, are more reminiscent in geometry of a 1930’s path racer rather than a modern day road bike, with a long wheelbase and enough room for chunky tyres to soak up the worst of Britain’s urban and country roads.”
The bikes use Sturmey Archer for components like the bottom bracket, chainset and hubs, the idea being to give them a classic feel. They’re all finished with full leather trim including handlebar tape, toe straps and saddle. Those saddles are 8ball Bikes’ own, made from Australian cowhide. Each bicycle is hand assembled to order.
The Byron (above, £545), for example, is designed as a singlespeed randonneur, coming with a drop bar and Dia Compe bar end levers. It is supplied with a freewheel but you can run it fixed with the addition of a cog. The wheels comprise Black Rigida rims on Sturmey Archer hubs with chunky (35mm) Schwalbe Delta Cruiser tyres to add comfort. As well as a brown leather saddle, bar tape and toe straps, you get a leather saddlebag here.
Like the other bikes in the Author range, the Byron is available in three different sizes and three different colours: black, white and red.

The Stoker (£599) gets a moustache handlebar from California’s Soma Fabrications, along with wooden mudguards and a Soma Bullet headlight and rear light. There’s a brass Temple bell on there too. Across the range the tyres feature a reflective safety line and a Kevlar puncture-protection layer, and the bottom brackets use sealed cartridge bearings.
“We’re all about keeping maintenance to a minimum and the pleasure of riding to a maximum,” says James. “Why have style over substance when you can have both? That’s what an 8ball bike is all about: powered by humans, driven by style.
“At present the focus is on singlespeed / flipflop hubs, but I will be introducing some Sturmey Archer hub-geared models. I've also got a new batch of frames en route which are lugged and have a tighter geometry.”
For more information on the range head over to the 8ball Bikes website.
Be good if we could stop his type from breeding, I doubt he will strengthen the gene pool much.
Totally agree with you. If a driver sits behind me for a long time because it's not safe to pass or a look over my shoulder is enough to make a...
Think of a number, the list price, and double it?
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*not Lancs, obviously Lord be praised! Perhaps the message is getting through
Just because he shares a program with a dinosaur doesn't necessarily mean he's one too...
"but they call it Artex" Isn't that what people used to paint their ceilings with?
Clearly not "Europe" now anyway!
Where are the colours though? Even the other options are just mehhh. At least you wouldn't need to worry about them getting washed out.
All that is being requested of drivers is they put their phones away before operating dangerous equipment in public spaces. Yes, that means...