Donhou Bicycles was awarded the Reynolds Best of Show prize at the inaugural Bespoked Bristol handmade bicycle show, marking a remarkable rise to prominence for founder Tom Donhou.
Tom’s ‘Pimento Stuffed’ town bike beat off stiff opposition from experience framebuilders including Condor and Enigma, little more than a year after the company was founded.
“Without doubt the Donhou bike was the show stealer, the attention to detail, unique ideas and minimalist lines set it apart from allcomers,” said judge Tim March. “A bike that just begged to be ridden as soon as I laid eyes on it, handmade and heavenly.”
Tom, a former downhill mountain bike racer, dreamt up Donhou Bicycles in 2009, while lying in a tent at the side of the road west of Beijing, during an 8000-mile cycle ride from Mongolia to Singapore, across the Gobi Desert and through China and South East Asia.
“It was a bit of a surprise as the show marked a year in the business for me and being my first show I really wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Tom, who has now built 14 bikes.
Bespoked Bristol showcased handmade bicycle and wheel manufacturers from across the UK, with Tokyo Fixed winning Best Road Bike and Feather Cycles scooping the Best Track Bike award.
Tom added: “It was a great weekend with a real sense of community felt by all and hopefully marks the start of great things for all us small builders in the UK.
“It’s good to be back in the workshop though, getting the hands dirty again. I have a real varied selection to be working on and some exciting projects at the moment with more and more orders coming in.”
