Evolution of a frame builder

Duncan Moore

Malcolm Custom Bicycles: Evolution of a Frame Builder

I first met Ashley Malcolm 20 years ago. I was working on the shop floor at On Your Bike in London and he was a cycle mechanic who shared a house with the shop’s resident mechanic. Since then I’ve gone on to be a freelance writer covering cycling, motorcycles and cars, while Ashley is now building custom bicycle frames under the Malcolm Custom Bicycles brand. I figured it was high time we caught up with each other so I could find out how he made the move from spanners to brazing torch.

Ashley began his life in the cycle trade in Australia, where after starting racing as a junior, he represented his country on both the road and track. However, the desire to travel brought him the England and, in need of a job to support himself, he found his way into the workshops of various London cycle shops where he spent time wrenching, including two years honing his skills under the tuition of Monty Young at Condor Cycles.

Not a bad achievement as he’d originally only planned on staying in the UK for a couple of months… Read More >