BikeSnob is all over the Brooks blog with photos from his recent factory tour to their Birmingham facility. Fans for the ye ole factory tour will enjoy this look at machinery and people who have been working the line for decades. Ole machinery, loads of leather, and craftsman make up this look at one of the world’s most famous saddle makers.

More detailed looks on the following page.

A solid new version of the classic B17 saddle from the Brooks England company just in time for the London Olympic games. The saddle’s leather surface features an illustration by Richard Phipps who has reimagined the work of Frank Patterson who in the 1920’s illustrated Brooks catalogs. A chrome frame and our favorite hand hammered copper rivets finish the B17 Brooks saddle perfectly. Available online.

More detailed looks on the following page.

Paul Budnitz, better known as Mr Kidrobot, has been designing bicycles since 2006 and decided to turn his hobby into a business last year. “Paul Budnitz Bicycles trademark Cantilever Frames and Half-Crown forks are stunning — and are designed to optimize each bicycle’s ride. The gentle split top-tube arc that characterizes all of our frames flexes in the right places, and is stiff in others. We make our own titanium seatposts, stems, badges, and handlebars.”

Design-wise this No.3 Honey Special is an ode to classic dutch bikes. Built for speed, the huge German made cream coloured tyres can take on pretty much any bumpy surface while the cantilever frame absorbs shock making for a more comfortable ride. Silent carbon belt-drive with a single speed or 11-speed internal transmission, this comes with a Brooks titanium saddle and matching handle-bars. Snazzy. Find it here. (Acquire)

Click for images.

A loud n’ proud cycle from Eley Kishimoto and Tokyo Fixed. Kishimoto are masters at applying their trademark prints to all manner of objects and have been rather clever in the collaboration game, producing some impressive objects with the likes of Eastpak, Incase, Globe-Trotter, Ruby Helmets and Orlebar Brown. Kitted out wtith Brooks saddle and bars, the leaf design is available in Green and Black. Hit the website for more details. Happy Cycling.

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We pity your perineum if you are a frequent cyclist who doesn’t sit on a worn Brooks saddle. Most widely known for their handmade leather bike seats, Brooks also makes fine, fine bags for your bicycling exploits. In this latter category, they introduce the Land’s End and John O’Groats Travel Bags.

The O’Groats mount on the front wheel and the larger Land’s End on the rear. Both sets of bags are made with an exclusive waterproof textile with welded seams and employ a roll-top closure to form an “impregnable barrier against water.” They are named for the “Land’s End to John O’Groats” 874-mile cycle route which crosses Great Britain between its furthermost extremities. They hold stuff.

More looks in our gallery…

Following on from our preview chat with its founders, we made our way to  Jacket Required this week, with Victoria House in Bloomsbury playing host. Part 2, The Return, The Sequel, The Arthur 2 : On the Rocks of menswear if you will, its second outing was a sizeable affair in comparison to its debut, with more brands then you can shake a King of Clubs umbrella at. We got a little snap happy so we present to you the first of two servings of Jacket Required Autumn/Winter 2012.

Featuring: London Undercover, Denim Demon, Ma.Strum, Anerkjendt, Brutus, One Nine Zero Six, Filson, Maiden Noir, Brooks, Universal Works, Mark McNairy, Mr Start and Carhartt.

Click for images

Photography: Ross Trevail/Selectism.com

Cycling fans will want to spend some time exploring this gallery. Brooks England gives us a preview of the 2012 edition to the John Boultbee collection of cycling jackets with the introduction of the Elder Street MK1. It is a beautiful mix of old and new tech.

The casual Elder Street blazer is made from Fox Brothers tweed (a Savile Row textile supplier for some time) which has been specially treated to make the fabric water repellant, but the true story lies in the small details: shaped sleeves cut for cycling, an angle storm welt back pocket, a reflective Boultbee strap on the underside, 6mm topstitching…

The John Boultbee Elder Street is meant to look incredible on and off the bicycle while being built tough to work under any environment you are able to safely cycle or walk in. Timothy Everest designed.

Photography: Selectism.com

More looks in our gallery…

One of the take homes from this past Pitti was a strong periodical from the minds behind Rolling Stone Italia.

Specially produced for the Italian reader during Pitti and Milan Fashion Week, Rolling Stone Italia’s Rock & Roll Style, Volume 1 is a well thought out men’s fashion and lifestyle publication that is of very high production. Photography and topics inside the publication remain current and tend to the needs of the Italian gentleman reading them. Inside readers will find everything from fashion tips, reviews, to detailed schematics of Brooks Saddles and Victorinox knives.

Props should be given to the staff at Rolling Stone Italy for putting this issue together. Clearly they worked overtime in bringing this special project to the market. It looks fantastic as you can see from my well read copy above.

If Rock and Roll Style featured split Italian/English text, it would give many of the men’s magazines on the market today a serious run for their money. Did we mention that it is a free publication?

Photography: Jeff Carvalho/Selectism.com

Select look inside Rolling Stone’s “Rock & Roll Style” Volume 01 in our gallery.

01. Bishop Bikes Jinbok’s Cyclocross

“Chris Bishop recently assembled a rare set of tubes by Italy’s Gilco Design, creating a cyclocross frame for an LA customer. The unusual profile lends a distinctive touch to the frame, to which Chris has also applied his individual style. There’s a fascinating DNA woven into the molecules of those tubes, inextricably tied to the Italian passion for design and a dynasty of high quality bicycle frames. Angelo Columbo formed Columbus Tubi in 1919, focusing on the burgeoning bicycle sector. However, during the 1920s and 30s, Columbus was also a leading manufacturer of furniture in the ‘rationalist’ style, creating pieces by luminaries such as Breuer, Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe.” (cycleexif)

02. Unpaved (above)

“Photos of the Vuelta a Colombia in the early 1960s, by Horacio Gil Ochoa.” Unbelievable men. (cyclinginquisition)

03. Conversations On the Coast (above)

“By way of example, allow us to introduce Nick Hand, who has spent some time on the road over the past few years, and has far more to show for it than just a beautifully broken-in B17. Between 2009 and 2010, for over four months and more than 6000 miles, he rode a leisurely tour of the coasts of Britain and Ireland. While making his journey, he sought out artisans and craftspeople living or working in his path, and spent some time taking photos of them at their work, as well recording what they had to say.” (brooksblog)

The Brooks Criterion Jackets get a fresh re-color for the new season. Now available in taupe and cinnamon, the jackets continue to focus in on strong English tailoring. Look for a new series of jackets from Brooks to land sometime in 2012.

More looks after the click.