Freddie Grubb ‘Walbrook’: bike review

A river runs through it: you can select matching leather saddle and grips from a choice of four custom leather colours for the Walbrook.

Price: £799
Frame: double-butted CroMo
Gears: Sram, i-Motion 3

For those who know their cycling history, Frederick ‘Freddie’ Henry Grubb was a champion who won two silver medals in the 1912 Olympics. He also, incredibly, rode from London to Brighton and back in 5 hours and 9 minutes. Now, a century later, his name is again being talked about in cycling circles – this time as a new brand. The shop opened in Islington, north London, last month and sells four bespoke models, two men’s and two women’s – each named after a London river. The Walbrook is a stylish town ride with retro charm. It’ll appeal to hipsters fed up with their old bikes that don’t actually work. It has a reliable twist ’n’ shift three-speed hub gear. You can choose porteur or swept handlebars, and the frame comes in one of five urbane muted colours (freddiegrubb.com).