Cari and John have one last installment from the 2026 Bespoked UK showcase in London for you, and it’s always our favorite. While framebuilder showcases are full of eye candy, it’s always the people that make them worthwhile, and London showed up in the biggest, brightest way possible. Read on for a brief post about why this is one of the best shows on earth…
The Radavist thanks Brooks England and Schwalbe for sponsoring our 2026 Bespoked UK coverage and our independent Reportage!
London
London town! When Petor told me last year he was moving Bespoked UK from Manchester to London, I was chuffed. As a city vernacular, I love what London has to offer. Museums, coffee shops, lots of sights, sounds, and flavors from all over the globe.
The neighborhood Petor chose was Peckham, which is a vibrant area in south-east London – just south of the River Thames.
We arrived a day early to scout shooting locations and to see the Bespoked team, made up of a mix of employees and volunteers. These people feel like a family now. It’s always nice to see everyone when they’re fresh because the next 72 hours will be very taxing on us all. But there we were, fresh faced, and stoked to be there.
The immediate vicinity would prove difficult to photograph bikes outside; while it had a beautiful, collage-like aesthetic, the sidewalks and streets were also crowded with people, making shooting a lengthy task. And the closest walls that made sense for bike portraits were three blocks away from the venue.
After some trial and error, I landed on a photo setup – after a short mental breakdown – thanks to Petor’s loving team and Cari’s quick thinking.
After I shot 35 bikes, I could focus on what makes Bespoked UK so special: all the punters!
People Make the Show
From internet personalities in hot and sweaty shirtless moments, to familiar faces, cuddly dogs, and the rest of us who are aging well into this forty something bike industry family, there were countless moments to catch up and celebrate this menagerie of wild animals who live in the zoo we call framebuilders.
Cari has become a huge help in documenting these showcases. Her design background and fast-footed bike spotting has made shows like Bespoked UK a much easier lift.
The venue and event felt different from Manchester and other bike shows. BabyLdn’s swap meet brought in a whole new crowd of people looking to score at the swap. The Apocalypse Build-Off went off-site in a mutating spectacle where everyone prepared for the carnage from last year’s event but luckily no participants were physically harmed from the ensuing chaos. While we ol’ timers went to bed early, we heard the both of the parties were fun, too.
The two of us absolutely adore London and being a part of Bespoked makes me feel a sense of belonging. Seeing all your smiling faces and hearing everyone’s unique dialect truly transcends its host city and reflects the international community of bike nerds.
Contribution to a community – even a global one – has brought immense happiness to me over the years. Seeing all the clever creations people brought to the show, locked up outside the venue, is still my favorite thing about these showcases!
If you came to Bespoked, thank you. If you said hello, you made my day. If you’re thinking of going next year, do not miss out.
Rose-tinted glasses bring you into orbit with unique and mysterious people. Petor is one of the most fascinating souls I’ve met through bicycles. Rosie and the rest of the team at Bespoked are all diehard committed to the cult of the bicycle, and I’m all here for it.
Follow along in the captions in the gallery for more!
The Radavist thanks Brooks England and Schwalbe for sponsoring our 2026 Bespoked UK coverage and our independent Reportage!