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The O’Briens use fine leather and their handicraft skills to make new handlebar grips and saddles for old bicycles. -
The O’Briens use fine leather and their handicraft skills to make new handlebar grips and saddles for old bicycles. -
Single-speed and fixed-gear bicycles are Whippet’s specialisation. -
Single-speed and fixed-gear bicycles are Whippet’s specialisation. -
Woodstock Cycleworks owner Nils Hansen. -
The wall art at Woodstock Cycleworks was done by street artist Ricky Lee Gordon, aka Freddy Sam, who collaborated with Bicycle Portraits photographer Stan Engelbrecht.
PHOTOS Shavan Rahim WORDS Bibi Slippers
If you haven’t discovered the sheer joy of cycling yet, it’s best you get going. Not just any bike and kit will do, of course. We chatted to a few people who can get you on the road in no time.
14 Searle Street, Woodstock, Cape Town
Since opening in Cape Town in 2011, the Woodstock Cycleworks (WCW) shop on Main Street has shown such phenomenal growth that it recently outgrew its original premises. After an extensive search, owner Nils Hansen moved the shop into a former warehouse on Searle Street, where he could house all his stock, his shop and his workshop under one roof.
Inside, Paul Edmunds made a colourful installation using bicycle forks, and WCW team member Rolf Niemeyer created an intricate entrance inspired by Japanese aesthetic. Designer and avid cyclist Nic Grobler, who has his office in the warehouse, helped Nils suspend some prize pieces from his bicycle collection from the roof structure. Nils is hoping to commission fellow cyclist and artist Justin Fiske to create one of his trademark mobile sculptures for the shop, and is planning a coffee hatch that will open onto Searle Street.
Now that the big move is done and dusted, it’s business as usual for WCW. Visit the shop for a service or repairs on your existing bike, shop around for a new or vintage bike, or get Nils to build you a custom ride to your specifications. Nils has a range of South African-built frames in store and is eager to see more cyclists take to the streets on these beauties.
Corner of Commissioner and Albrecht streets, in Maboneng Precinct, Johannesburg
The Whippet Cycling Co. operates from a modified container in the Maboneng Precinct that doubles as a shop and workspace. Owner Emile Kruger builds custom bikes from a combination of old and new parts, and sells imported parts and apparel from well-known brands such as Brick Lane Bikes, H Plus Son, Nitto and YNOT.
Whippet recently acquired the old stock from the defunct South African bicycle factory Sancini, which was located in Jeppestown, and now builds custom bikes using a combination of the vintage South African-built steel frames and modern components. According to Emile, locally built vintage frames date from a period when South Africa was able to cheaply import high-end materials and components predominately from Italy. “As a result the build quality of these frames is excellent, as are the raw materials used.”
14 Searle Street, Woodstock, Cape Town
The O’Brien brothers Gareth and Gavin are the team behind Velobrien, creators of bespoke hand-made leather bicycle accessories. They’ve recently moved into the Woodstock Cycleworks premises in Woodstock.
Gareth and Gavin started out by making saddles for their own custom-built bikes, which were so impressive that others soon began asking for similar ones. Their craftsmanship and attention to detail set Velobrien custom-made saddles and handlebar grips apart. A variety of their work are displayed on their website, where they forget to mention how affordable their creations are. Get in touch – your butt will love you for it.
