Best of the Year - just a little selection of some of my favourite builds and photos from 2024. Some old bikes with new life, some sexy new ones.
Apologies for the lack of attributions - but a big shout out to any and all of you who've put together a Singular this year - your love for the bikes makes this all possible.
Looking forward to a big and bright 2025 - my love and best wishes to you all!
Sam
It's been a loooong time coming - but the Swift Mk5 framesets are available for pre-order now! Link in profile.
Now with tapered headtube, thru axles and dropper post capability, they still retain the amazing ride and handling the Swift is known for. Rigid, suspended, singlespeed or geared, the Swift is supremely versatile for bikepacking epics or just a blast around the woods.
Wonderful pics courtesy of @adventuresbycycle
Ti Gryphon - I'm taking orders now for our last batch of custom Ti frames for the year. Ready for delivery in spring! Link in profile for details.
📷 with thanks to @adventuresbycycle
Staff bike up on the build gallery!
Joes Singular Kite Ti is a comfortable rocketship! 🚀
We met Joe as a customer when we built him a Ti Singular Gryphon, before he worked at The Woods.
He casually ticked off the 160 mile Rat Run on that bike on his day off, 19 hours total time!! I asked him, what did you get up to yesterday, he said ‘I did the rat run’ I was like, say what Joe,, what do you mean you did the Rat Run? ✨
He wanted something to contrast the Gryphon for smoother stuff, so built up this Kite! It’s up on the staff bikes page!
Joe has written a bit about the two bikes for our journal too, link in stories!
For more info on the Kite or to order, hit the product link!
#builtbythewoods
#singularcycles #singularkite
The Pterodactyl broke cover at the Bespoked show a couple of weeks ago - and is now available for pre-order on the website. This drop-barred, mega-wheeled monster gravel bike is blowing my mind. It's the culmination of 20 years of designing bikes for drop handlebars and big, fat wheels.
As with our other 32" model, the Albatross, these are coming as a 'rolling chassis' to make it as simple as possible to get on board the big wheels. Frame, fork, headset, wheels and tyres are all supplied so that you can just add some finishing kit and a groupset of your choice. For those who would like a complete bike we can certainly help you out there as well, just drop me a line.
But how do they ride? I've been spending a lot of time on this bike the past couple of weeks - and it continues to blow my mind. The big wheels are definitely at their best when they are up to speed and being asked to cover some chunky ground - which pairs perfectly with a drop-handlebar set up. The geometry of this bike is tweaked to keep the handling sharp, even with the big wheels. Sure, it may not whip around a switchback as easily as a smaller wheeled bike, but if covering big ground at pace is your thing then this bike is hard to beat. I wouldn't say I'll never ride another bike, but for most of my riding this is going to be the first one I reach for.
@johnprolly and Cari are at the 2026 @bespoked.cc UK show in London and have a few sneak peeks for you this Friday morning before the show officially kicks off this weekend.
Next up is the @singularcycles Pterodactyl, a drop-bar 32er.
This lovely looking stock Kite (with a few upgrades) is headed off to Alistair in Lancashire - set up to exactly achieve his required fit. He sent his fit numbers and I created a @bikecad drawing mocking up his position on a size medium frame. With a setback post and 90mm Laing Ti stem it's bang on his position - so from his first ride it should fit like a glove. This is all part of the service when ordering a complete bike from us. We also give you a choice of bar width, crank length etc.
Alistair decided on the new @hopetech smoke colour for hubs, headset and seat clamp - as well as opting to upgrade the brake calipers to Hope's awesome RX 4 pots. The @simworks x @honjomudguards /fenders will keep the spray at bay from the @brooksengland Cambium saddle and tape in their mud green. Rolling on the excellent Vittoria Terreno tyres - Al opting for the T30 in 50mm - keeping it fast rolling on the tarmac but still surprisingly capable on direct.
The May build sheet in the workshop is filling up fast, so if you fancy one don't wait too long!
Today we're rolling it back to 2021 to the first (and so far only) edition of the 'Peregrination' when @fomtaz of @thewoodscyclery took me and a few friends off for a little New Forest based overnighter. The weather was not at all kind but we had a fun time nonetheless.
These bike portraits which Tom shot perfectly capture the versatility of the Peregrine. From stripped-back single-speed explorers and front-rack haulers to full-fendered, bikepacking rigs loaded for the long way home. No two Singulars ever look quite the same.
#singularcycles #peregrine #singularperegrine #bikepacking #singlespeed
There was a time when I glazed over a pair of wheelset at @houseoftherisingsun.jkt display window during my overspent hanging around back at the 2021-2024 period.
It's made of @chriskingbuzz R45D silver hubs laced with 24 Sapim Blade CX-Pro spokes into @hedwheels Belgium+ Disc rim. Such an exceptional ingredient to build a long-lasting, performance-oriented hoop that’ll be ready to face every task it's given to.
And it takes almost two and a half years after my favorite bike shop ever built closed that I get a chance to continue again its legacy. When beautiful things have to be appreciated by fulfilling its functions: to be ridden whether under the ever-scorching tropical sun, or cruising above wet, slippery roads during and after the rain.
Consider my proper use of carbon hoops previously on this lovely @singularcycles Peregrine Mark 3, the friendly, right-back-at-home ride feel about the quality of well-built alloy rims is comparable in their response to get different nuances when they rolled. Using a similar rubber setup of 700x45c @panaracer_world Gravel King SS, I was reminiscent of the good old comfortable days of rolling effortlessly above the all-metal build rigs like this. It was smooth, vibration dampened, and quick to respond just like any other good-quality wheels ever built for its ultimate purpose: being ridden as fun and hard as it gets.
Thank you for another hooked-up @ottido ! Can't wait for HoTRS to get back again from its vacation 😛🌞
#bikeporn #baaw #steelisreal
