Why August Bicycles Is Not So Social (And Who Gives a Shit Anyway?)

WOAH. It's almost a year to the day since we wrote a blog post. In today's online-obsessed world that's basically a crime, right? More importantly, what is it about mid-September that inspires us to get behind the keyboard? Maybe the fact that the little one is back at school, and we have more than 30 seconds to focus on something? Hmmmmm, there must be a correlation there. 

So, what's been happening? Why don't we bother with online stuff much anymore? Have we secretly shut up shop and gotten "real jobs"? Let's find out.

We get it. Everyone's 'got' to have a social media presence these days. But we're more about actually building and riding bikes than posting the same old freshly Scotchbrited fillets to Instagram for a bunch of likes that mean–no offence–nothing in terms of getting paid and clearing the to-do list. That's not to say that Amy isn't gently (if you know her, I know you're laughing along with me here) encouraging me to post the odd image, just so people don't think I died or decided to go work for Aviva. But at the end of the day, there's more to work than letting people know you're doing it, isn't there? I'm old enough to remember the days before social media when you did a day's graft and went home afterwards to put your feet up. AND THAT WAS IT. The bills were paid, things got done, no problem.

But just in case you're curious what we've been up to, let's talk shop.

Is August Bicycles Still Making Bikes?

Are we still building custom bikes? Yes, but not a huge amount. Some of this is a choice on our part, because of constantly changing standards and the burden of mass consumerism guilt, but it's also because we don't have a queue of people waiting to place an order. Speaking to friends in the industry, we know it's not just us in this position so probably best to just be honest about it. We don't schmooze, so we never seem to catch the interest of the no-budget crew, and we prefer to stay small, or artisanal, if you want to tick off a wank-word bingo term. We can't do that if we spend all our time chasing the big spenders and churning out identical-bar-the-paint-scheme carbon forked road bikes one after another. 

In terms of custom bits and pieces, we've been enjoying the smaller things in life: stems, racks, forks etc. We've made some originals and even a few repro items for guys into retro builds and that's kept things interesting. We've also done some prototyping for upcoming components and accessories companies. Again, interesting stuff that makes the day-to-day more varied.

Bike Shop or Workshop?

Despite years of not wanting to be Google-listed, we finally did it earlier this year. We're listed as a bike shop (with lots of fabulous reviews no less) but have placed a heavy caveat on the listing that we are an appointment-only business. The result? Lots of new repair and restoration customers, which we've been chuffed as nuts about to be honest.

Really, who needs a brand-new bike when you can breathe new life into an old one? Think about it: scrapping a bike is like throwing away a piece of history. Even a crappy old beater will hold fun memories and simply chucking it because it needs some care is a waste of resources and a loss for the environment. When you repair a bike, you're not just keeping it on the road; you're also reducing your carbon footprint and supporting a more sustainable way of living, something we really all need to start doing in earnest, not just because it sounds good in a sales pitch (yes, we are still firmly on our zero waste and no new clothing journey).

While delving into the world of restos and repairs, we found something even better than 'new bike day': beloved bike day. You might think that nothing beats the feeling of seeing a customer collect their brand-new custom whip, but watching someone reuniting with their favourite bike that they assumed was doomed for the scrapheap? Fucking priceless. And some of the stories you've all been telling us about your bikes and the japes you've gotten into on them are amazing. Ultimately, it's such a privilege to be part of these ongoing relationships.

We've never been blind to the fact that commissioning a new bike is a luxury, and it's not something we've ever staked our whole business model around. We just honestly think that everyone deserves a well-maintained bike, regardless of their budget and we're putting our money (tools) where our mouths are. And yes, we really will just fix your puncture. No snobbery here.

Some of the weirder things we've repaired recently include a coffee trike, husky sleds, and 8 Freights. And speaking of Mike Burrows...

Mike Burrows: Big Shoes to Fill

Losing Mike in 2022 was a blow to multiple communities; framebuilders, innovators, engineers and more. We were honoured to inherit some of his tooling, thanks to being good friends with the executor of his estate, the venerable Andy. We wanted to make sure that it was put to good and appropriate use and without realising it, a few local bike shops have helped us with this mission.

Once upon a time, Mike was the go-to person for weird and wonderful light engineering jobs locally. Now, it seems to be me with shops including Pedal Revolution and John Borwell Cycles sending people my way. It's much appreciated. I'm not sure I'll ever get quite as eccentric or adventurous as Mike, but it feels good to be respected and trusted with some of the jobs that would have gone his way if he were still with us.

Blue Lug Bucketlist

We've wanted to get something into Japan's legendary cycling shop Blue Lug for a long time and finally, we can say that we have! We sent a big old order of our original barrel nut light brackets over to the guys and gals there and they've been very happily received. Huge thanks to Shin for sorting the logistics with us and the rad dudes at the Kamiuma location who have fitted nuts to their own bikes and "love it". 

All we have to do now is get something into The Cub House and we are done! 

What's Coming Up?

As we plough forward to the end of the year, we have a few things to pop in the shop.

The annual billet Christmas trees are already being dreamt up and will be uploaded for pre-order in good time for international December deliveries. 

We also have a digital file that we are going to pop in the shop, so if you have access to a 3D printer, keep your eyes peeled for that. And just because we aren't all about the dosh, we are whipping up a silly freebie download as well.

So, there you have it. We're still here. We are genuinely busy and remain as grateful to you all as ever. No showboating, no grandiose plans, just quiet August Bicycles, which celebrates 10 years of operation next year. The question is, what should we release to celebrate? Suggestions on a postcard...

Haven't done one of these in a while so let's go...

Rad peeps of the week

• All of our Buy Me A Coffee supporters. Some of you continue to pop a coffee in now and then and it's always a really sweet surprise and usually follows something like some free advice that we never expect anything for!

• Year 1 teachers. THANK YOU.

• Mark. 'Trousergate' had us in stitches.

• Russell and Fliss for trusting us with their stable of wheeled goodies.

• Kurt Russell (Amy's choice and no explanation necessary apparently).

See you next time!