Bespoked Bike Check: SmithyFrameworks Ullassa

We’d love to tempt you along to Bespoked, the Handmade Bicycle Show celebrating handmade bikes and the people that make them. To give you a taste of what you might see, we’ve got a few bike checks from builders and makers who will be at the show.

You don’t need to be in the market to buy a bike to come along. Lots of frame builders will spend long hours alone in workshops building their bikes, so the chance to have an appreciative audience to chat about their creations with is often very welcome. Look, maybe even stroke, admire, and ask questions – just by buying a ticket and showing your appreciation for their skills you’re helping to support the hand built bicycle scene.

SmithyFrameworks Ullassa

It’s a flat bar adventure bike or gravel bike or how ever you want to label it. Ideal for those who don’t want drop bars or need large off road tyres. Well suited to exploring the back lanes and tracks we have so many of in Wales.

• Builder’s Name: Chris Yeomans
• Web address: Smithyframeworks.com
• Instagram account: @smithyframeworks

Chris is based in Knighton, Wales and has been building bikes since 2017. He builds about 10 bikes a year, working in steel. He uses mainly Columbus and Reynolds tubing, with Bear Frame Supplies and Paragon Machine Works fittings His builds include hardtail enduro and bikepacking rigs, and bike which he says can best be described as flat bar gravel bikes.

• Price: £2200 for frame and fork
• Frame material: Reynolds and Columbus steel
• Construction method: Brazed
• Wheelsize & max tyre clearance: 27.5in wheels, available up to 2.3 max tyre size
• Lead time: About six months

Favourite part about the build process?:
Brazing, has to be brazing. Cleaning up, not so much!

Any lessons learnt or things you’d do differently next time?:
I think I might go slightly bigger on the head tube diameter. Maybe, we’ll see.

Feature you’re most pleased with?:
Getting everything to look well balanced. The front brake mount was fun too, I like make to them slightly differently each time, trying to find that perfect one. More speed drilling so you can go faster whilst your slowing down!!

Most challenging part of the build?:
Getting the customer to choose a colour!

More hand built bike stories…

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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