‘That, Helen Pidd, is the most beautiful bike I have ever seen,” said one of my colleagues, stroking the gleaming steed propped up by my desk as if it were a thoroughbred. (Newspaper people have a bad habit of referring to each other by their full bylines; grooming inanimate objects is a more niche perversion.) She was right: the Bobbin Brownie is a beaut. Mine was St Ives Green, a spearmint hue that managed to stand out while complementing pretty much every dress I own. It’s not a bicycle for hi-vis lovers or Lycra junkies. It’s for cyclists who value the ability to pedal in a full skirt over the ability to pedal full gas: exactly me on my two-mile commute into Manchester city centre.
Bobbin is a British bike brand run by a husband-and-wife team who get their Dutch-style bikes made in Asia. They used to have a delightful shop in London, which they dubbed the world’s first bicycle boutique, but are online only these days. I would never normally recommend buying online. Not only could you get a donkey, but you will probably have to assemble the ass yourself: this, beware, is how brakes rub, gears stick and forks get put on the wrong way round.
Bobbin knows its customers are unlikely to know which way the forks go, and has hooked up with very.co.uk (formerly Littlewoods), which offers a free mechanic with every purchase. NB: this service adds £50 to the price of the same bike from Evans. I didn’t think I’d need the mechanic but, after watching him huff and puff for at least an hour, was glad I hadn’t sent him packing. It’s not a beginner’s job. The front brake needs attaching, plus the mudguard, as well as the usual saddle, pedals and handlebars. He indexed the gears too: something I’ve never got the hang of.
The resulting package is lighter than it looks. Sometimes these girly sit-up-and-beggers weigh more than a walrus and ride about as well as one. It was pleasingly sturdy, too. If it weren’t illegal, I’d tell you about how good it is for giving drunk mates post-pub backies. But instead I’ll rave about the mouse-trap style spring flap on the rack, which is very useful when you nip to the shop to buy your weekend Guardian.
It is not perfect. The chain guard clattered like bin lids over bumps and the brakes got baggy unusually quickly. The sizing is weird, too: at 5ft 4in, I take a 51cm frame, yet the 46cm fitted me perfectly. But if looking the biz is your priority, the Bobbin is a pretty good bet. A very pretty good bet.
Bobbin Brownie: in numbers
Price £399.99
Gears 7 speed Shimano Tourney
Brakes Tektro side pull
Tyres Cream Kenda 24 x 1 ⅜
Extras Full mudguards and pannier rack with enclosed chain guard
