From its inception in East London back in 2013
(and with fond memories of that for VCG and the Colourbolt),
Spin London returned last weekend in a new venue - The Sorting Office in Holborn. The Urban Cycling Show took over the whole building for its biggest event ever. With the intention of hosting much more of the ever growing cycling scene, they certainly didn’t disappoint with the line up. There was a vast array of exhibitors including returning faces and new brands upstairs, and live talks over the weekend. Downstairs, the Sorting Room basement had been converted into a test track with some amazing looking bicycles being ridden around.
As I had the weekend off, I ventured over to Holborn Friday and Saturday as there was so much to see! I met some fantastic designers, frame builders, artists and new brands along the way... armed with my GoPro to capture the event, these were my highlights of the show...
Of course I popped over to see
'The Family' and have a look at the ace stand that we'd created... SS15 range was looking marvellous, with framed photos from our Palma shoot on display, along with Nick's custom built Vulpine Feather Bicycle...
Elegant bike storage solutions came in the form of a new brand to VCG:
Cactus Tongue. British made, functional and beautiful, their stainless steel and leather hooks caught my eye. Look out for a review of this on the blog soon...
Serious glove-love occurred over at
Vel-oh when I saw these! Founders Zulfi and Greta are possibly one of
the coolest couples on the cycling bag scene... they were showcasing their new range on their stand, and then I spotted these babies. Soft kid leather, with a stunning floral and bird themed pattern - need these in my life!
You've probably seen these bike stickers around London at some point. I was lucky enough to bag a few reflective ones AND one of these trippy limited 100 edition run of "Bicycle Day"comic by the brilliant
Pol Sifter.
The graphic design and illustration game was strong at Spin LDN with The Art Hub, showcasing bicycle related art. Featuring Pol, Eliza Southwood and David Walker, there was this ace UV Tunnel Vision gallery, and illustration workshops for everyone to get involved with...
Bringing the rainbow and injecting some cycle style into your ride,
Bobbin Bicycles had a glorious stand at the show. New colours
(including matte finished frames), waxed bags and helmets were on display. My silver Bobbin might just need the bronze one as a cycle mate...
Being an East London based company,
Goodordering Bags has a special place in my cyclestyle radar, so it was great to see and finally meet founder Jacqui Ma at Spin LDN! Inspired by Japanese school bags and 80s retro travel bags, the Goodordering range is simple, sleek and stylish. And on a side note, I'm also bowled over by Ma's personal style... those amazing patterns and glasses!
How about caps AND hats?
Route Clothing had both going on with their wonderful cycling caps and bobble hats. All handmade in Scotland, there was tweed, florals and camo to drool over. These guys are defo one to keep on radar... and that floral number on the bottom left is calling me!
It was a wonderful to see
Eroica Britannia at Spin LDN: along with their
exclusive John Smedley Jerseys, and artwork / vintage cycling newspapers on display, that caravan you can see was a cheeky retro photobooth
(I need to share the pics I took in there!) which will also be at the festival. A pleasure as always to see the dapper Gian Bohan again in London who is always up for a laugh! I look forward to being back in Bakewell with The Boy in June to get dressed up, party & ride it once again...
VCG finally crossed paths with the man behind some of the coolest urban cycling ponchos on the market -
Otto London. Waterproof, with cycling specific details, these ponchos remain stylish whilst being practical. I loved this heavier winter one for the next season, with its colourful paisley lining...
A welcome return to Spin LDN this year was
Shinola, who debuted their new Detroit Arrow bicycle, as well as showing off their fancy embossing skills on their stylish leather journals. Bike Design and framebuilding legend
(and a woman in the cycling industry I'm incredibly honoured to call a friend) Sky Yaeger hosted a Q&A session in the Makers Lounge at Spin, along with a ride and brunch with the
London Cycling Campaign.
Team Spin LDN certainly upped their game this year with the show, and if the updated bio in their Twitter account is something to go by, May 2020 could see them in more than one location for their return. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for that!
