Northern Ireland based Donard Bikes will be exhibiting their custom bikes at the Bespoked Handmade Bike Show in Bristol this weekend (www.bespoked.cc). Donard bikes frames are all individually handmade in the workshop in County Down and the company recently featured as the Bespoked Framebuilder of the week on bespoked.cc.
Framebuilder Owen Byrne will be taking two high modulus carbon fibre frames to the show. Owen makes the complete carbon tubeset, which is then bonded together to the exact geometry requirements for the rider resulting in a frame that is not only a perfect fit but also has a customised layup to take into account the individual’s riding style.
Owen also paints the frames himself for a completely customised and unique bike. The paint schemes for the show bikes were designed by Victory Chimp and both feature matching painted bars, stem and handlebars.
One of the bikes for the show is Owen’s own bike, fitted with Dura-ace components, Enve forks and the new to the market Roue de Vélo carbon clincher wheels from Velo Cafe Magasin in Belfast, and the frame features the new T47 bottom bracket standard.
An alumni of Downland Cycles’ frame building school, Byrne started Donard Cycles just over two years ago when he began honing his craft with traditional steel frames but carbon was always the goal.
“With a PhD in Physics the science involved with carbon always appealed to me,” he said.
Most carbon builders buy their tubes off the shelf but Owen creates bespoke tubes to his own specification – all baked in his own composite oven, ”I’ve developed a new method to analyse superconductor materials so building a composites oven was a fairly simple process.”
You can find out more information about Donard Bespoke Bikes on their website.
