Cycle on the Wild Side with Kent's Brother Cycles
Faversham bike designers Brother Cycles are bringing community and off-road riding to Kent with the Big ‘Un, writes Jim Biddulph
Dan Monaghan/Cadence Images
If asked what they most associate Kent with, many people would probably say vineyards, apples, hops, castles and cathedrals before cycling.
Our ancient county may remain verdant enough to retain its Garden of England status, but it isn’t famed for its wilderness - and is therefore not a go-to destination for adventurously-spirited cyclists. Up until recently, that is.
In the grounds of Brogdale Farm near Faversham - home of the national fruit collection, of course - Brother Cycles are helping to change the way the cycling world views the county.
Run by brothers James and Will Meyer, they are doing so with a diverse range of eye-catching road, gravel and mountain bikes, along with an array of adventure-focused events in Kent and beyond.
To fully appreciate the duo’s approach and impact, it’s useful to understand their journey thus far. Aside from their shared upbringing, that takes us back to 2010 - a time of Aztec prints, finger-tash tattoos, shutter glasses… and track bikes.
Image by Ollie Harrop
The epitome of a passion project becoming a profession, the pair designed their first bike as the new decade dawned, and from that coveted steel track frame the company was formed. The success of that initial design set the ball rolling and after a handful of evolutions and tweaked designs they landed on the game-changing Kepler frame in 2015.
A stalwart of their product portfolio to this day, the Kepler was designed to take on all occasions, whether that be an inner-city commute, long-distance tour or a grind across gravel tracks - initially finished off with a lairy paint job. To any cycling aficionados, that might sound like an obvious choice given that gravel-riding (riding on any unpaved surface) is commonplace these days, but the Kepler was a gravel bike before gravel was a thing.
So did they help create the movement? James is quick to dispel the notion: “We weren’t a big-enough brand to cause that level of impact in the industry at the time, but we were certainly picking up on a feeling or vibe within it at that moment.”
That feeling was certainly on-point, as gravel-cycling has since influenced many of the designs in Brother’s product line-up, which now includes six models, “with a seventh on the way”.
The launch of the Kepler highlights an ongoing ability to understand the cycling zeitgeist, which is in itself informed by an evergreen passion for the industry.
“We love cycling and we love bikes, and we realised quite quickly that the best approach was to design products that we would want to own and use ourselves,” says Will.
The next product development was exactly that, the catalyst for which being Will’s own desire to take part in the Tour Divide in 2016. An epic mountain bike race that traverses the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, departing from the Rocky Mountains in Canada and arriving at the Mexican border 4,418km later. And all off-road and self-supported. As Will describes: “At the time, and it still is, the Tour Divide was one of the most epic adventures you could have on two wheels and we wanted to create a bike built for those kinds of experiences.”
It’s here that the brand’s tagline Built Through Experience was born, along with the Big Bro - a round-the-world-ready, 29er (wheel size) adventure frame. The tour proved to be the perfect testing ground and after a few empirically-informed alterations it is now one of their most popular bikes.
Learning from the Tour Divide escapade, and utilising skills picked up in his previous events-based career, Will was “keen to bring some of those wholesome American ‘marshmallows on the campfire’ vibes back to the UK”. And while we don’t have as extensive areas of wilderness, there are still some gems to be found in the British Isles. Having explored trails in the New Forest under the guidance of long-term friends The Woods Cyclery - a bike shop and café based in Lyndhurst - Will mapped out some adventures and launched the event Brother in the Wild in 2017.
The aim was simple. “We wanted to create a non-competitive but challenging event that was community-focused. Right from the start, the campout and time spent hanging out around the fire afterward were as important as the ride itself.”
The feeling is clearly mutual, with some 3,000 riders joining Brother in the Wild events in Dorset, Shropshire, Manchester, Bordeaux, Berlin, Hamburg and Munich in the nine years since.
Their latest adventure-focused event, the Big ‘Un, departs from Brother HQ and takes in a decent chunk of the Kent Downs - 115km to be precise (it’s all in the name, really). The riding is epic and the comradery a joy. With an already established and varied audience, there’s a great mix of locals, Londoners and those who travel from farther afield to take part in early September.
Image: Ollie Harrop
Whether riding a Brother bike or not - and it’s by no means compulsory - the gaggle is unified by the ride, which snakes its way through some of the most scenic spots in the county, taking in King’s, Hurst and Covert Woods along the way. Pit stops are encouraged and include cycling hotspot The Hub near Wye, Canterbury’s Goods Shed and as many pub stops as you care to pack in (there are some great options en route!).
Returning to Brother HQ weary but fulfilled, riders are welcomed back to a dry apple barn equipped with festoon lighting, a bar stocked with drinks from on-site Mad Cat brewery, food from Margate’s Tini’s Tacos and a roaring campfire with hay-bale seating. The entire event is a truly unique offering for any cycling enthusiast with an adventurous spirit and a great way to explore the treasures of Kent - including many of those famed vineyards, orchards, oast houses, castles and cathedrals!
As James explains, the county’s riches have been a revelation. “We basically moved to Kent from London because it was convenient. But in discovering the Kent Downs by bike, meeting groups such as Canterbury Bike Polo, and the many local businesses that we’ve had the pleasure of working with, we’ve added a whole new chapter to the Brother story.”
This once again highlights the consistent motivation to build and ride exceptional bikes in epic surroundings, and it’s telling that their automatic response is to share this experience with a wider audience. “We love it when our interests and enthusiasms are mirrored by our audience,” says Will with a smile, underlining the authentic ‘If you build it, they will come’ nature of the brand. The Big ‘Un takes place in September 2025.
INFO: brothercycles.com
