Custom steel frame-builder Ricky Feather has announced he will be crafting just 50 more bikes before hanging up his tools, with the pressures of running a small business taking their toll.
He has run Yorkshire-based Feather Cycles single-handedly for 16 years, and although he says his hand has been forced, he is determined to go out on his own terms by building what he's calling 'The Final 50'.
He will spend the next two years or so building the final machines.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, Feather suffered a serious back issue that meant he was unable to work at the same pace as before and, on top of that, in recent years he has found more people pulling out of orders – sometimes without even a word.
"In the past year, I've had quite a few people just drop out of builds. Two of them never even told me – they just disappeared," Feather said, leaving him with a major financial hole and on occasions a frame half-built for an individual who no longer wanted it.
While Feather's bikes sit on the premium end of the market in terms of pricing, a look round the local bike shop convinced him the demand remained for high-end products.
"I was in there looking on the walls, and there was a Cervélo for instance, a Colnago for instance, at six-and-a-half, seven grand for a frameset – that's more than what I quote for a custom frame. There's definitely money knocking about," he said.
Feather is still as motivated as ever to build great bikes, but has run out of energy when it comes to dealing with the business.
"I've had some real good ups, and I've had some really bad downs," Feather told Cycling Weekly. "And through it all, I've always dug my heels in and really given it everything that I've got – which I think to be successful, that's what you've got to do.
"I think it's got to the point now where I've done that so many times – I've kept my chin up and just kept ploughing on… you almost run out of steam," he added.
He is taking orders online at Feather cycles now for what will be a half-century of premium custom machines, all costing between £11,000-£16,000 depending on spec. After that Feather is reluctantly shutting up shop – including closing his WKNDR brand, under which he produces more entry-level custom bikes.
The process will probably take a couple of years, he says, and after that he doesn't know although the prediction is that he'll do something with a better work-life balance.
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