Iron Bridge captured in miniature for bike maker's latest design

A tie-up between Bicycles By Design and metalworking specialist Fabweld Steel Products has seen a tiny version of the Iron Bridge which stands at just over an inch in height attached to its bespoke bikes.

Madeley-based Fabweld has produced a series of intricate copies of the famous structure as a brake bridge for hand-built frames made by Bicycles by Design at its Coalport workshop.

The tiny versions of the original structure measure 77 by 29 millimetres and are attached to the rear seat stays that lead to the wheels on the Ironbridge brand of bicycles.

FSP also produced a small scale version of the bicycle’s logo for the head badge – an image of the River Severn flowing under the Iron Bridge – that feature below the handlebars of the bikes.

Craftsmen Peter Bird and Robert Wade approached Telford-based FSP for the commission to harness its laser cutting design skills and technology.

Mr Bird said: “We are very proud of our industrial heritage, living and working in the World Heritage site of the Ironbridge Gorge as we do, and we wanted to include a reference to that on our bikes.

“All the parts of the bike are made by artisans across Britain which we then assemble and fit the brake bridge and head badge to before it is painted. It’s great that we have been able to work with a Shropshire company as part of the process to create this iconic bike.”

FSP managing director Richard Hilton said: “This was a very different commission to our usual work but the cutting edge laser technology we have allows us to engrave on many different materials from hard laminates to mild steel, brass or aluminium and in different colours.

“We are based in Madeley, not far from the Iron Bridge, and it’s a pleasure to have contributed to this excellent piece of Shropshire manufacturing.”