My love for cycling is pretty strong, but over the last few months colder I've found myself replacing my bike for the treadmill, or even, a warm sofa. Guilty. As my commute to work consists of descending two flights of stairs, I have less opportunity than I'd like, but my love of the two wheels was recently rekindled with a visit to the
Freddie Grubb bike store,
on Amwell Street in Islington, North London.
A contemporary bicycle company, started by a small group of friends, Freddie Grubb prides themselves the local construction of their products, a keen eye for detail, and most of all, products that they know people will fall in love with."Not just a bike shop", the team were keen to bring in a few other brands that they fit perfectly with the FG story; Scandinavian furniture, modern bicycle accessories and
those watches by
Instrmnt.
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Mat - First of all, could you explain where the idea of Freddie
Grubb came from, what was the influence behind the brand and who's
involved?
Jack Pattison, of Freddie Grubb - We love cycling and come
from a background in design. We had introduced a Japanese bicycle brand
to the market a few years ago but had long harboured a desire to design
and produce our own bicycles, it was just a matter of time before we
decided to go for it.
The London cycling market is
getting pretty saturated with relatively cheap and cheerful bicycles in
the mid price bracket (£300-£500) We were keen to produce a product that
wouldn't just look good in a showroom, something that would stand the
test of time. Our bicycles are handmade with high quality components and
as we powder coat them in London they are available in a much broader
range of colours and will change seasonally – we can also produce
bespoke colours. Although our bikes are a bit more expensive we think we
have produced a product that will genuinely appeal to customers who
want a bicycle that is a cut above the rest in terms of style and
quality.
How has the reception been so far to the brand?
We've
been thrilled with the response so far, it's great when people
understand what you're doing and why you're doing it. I think people are
enjoying being at the beginning of our journey as a brand. We've also
had some big press coverage which certainly helps when your a small
business starting out.
