Caren Hartley

Silversmith turned bicycle builder

• Caren is a former jewellery maker and metal sculptor
• Her bespoke bicycles are tailored to each client
• She has exhibited at the Design Museum in London

After training as a silversmith and metalworker, Caren Hartley worked initially as a production jeweller before going on to collaborate with artists to make large-scale public art pieces. At the time her interest in cycling was purely recreational – she began cycling simply as a way to get around London, before gradually becoming involved with the leisure cycling community in the city. Her interests came together when one day she had a ‘eureka’ moment: perhaps she could use her metalworking skills to make bespoke bicycles suitable for cyclists just like her. After only a few years in the industry, Caren has made a name for herself as a rare female bicycle builder making expertly tailored road and racing bike frames to the highest standards.

Interview

©Ollie Hammick

©Bobby Whittaker

Do you remember the first bicycle you made?

It was for a friend of mine who runs bicycle workshop London Bike Kitchen. She commissioned me by putting me on a course to make the bike in a week, so she paid for the course and I made her a bike – that was the exchange! It was really nice that she had faith in me.

How important is your relationship with your clients?

It’s a really big part of the job. The worst thing would be for me to make something and them not be happy with it. Finding out what they need comes from talking to them. Sometimes they know what they want and sometimes they don’t and you have to read between the lines.

What do you love about being an artisan?

I enjoy the making part because it’s meditative: you can spend a whole day and it feels like a few minutes. I also really enjoy it when a customer has taken their new bike for a test drive and they come back and say they really like it. Phew! The bit before that is really tense!

How would you define a well made object?

Making something as good as you can for its own sake, beyond the point at which it’s a necessity. It doesn’t do the job necessarily much better but it’s either a more tactile piece or just a nicer object, it’s made as well as it can be for its own sake.

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