How do estate agents get
around? In a garishly-branded, carbon-emitting, traffic-clogging Mini Cooper? You
know the ones. Well, not here at The Modern House. We prefer a more genteel mode
of transport, one that’s human-powered, elegantly-designed and appropriate for navigating
the urban streets of London, where our head office is based. Introducing The
Modern House x Freddie Grubb’s new bike.

Independent British bicycle brand Freddie Grubb handmake our favourite bikes, with their made-in-London models incorporating timeless detailing like classic frame geometry, sculptural steel lug work and leather saddles. Like us here at The Modern House, however, Freddie Grubb is of the opinion that imitation is passé. ‘We are not a heritage brand,’ they declare, with their clean-lined, technology-embracing and lightweight models being contemporary bikes that beautifully update the classic town bicycle for modern times.

The Modern House x Freddie Grubb’s bike is a custom build of their three-speed Walbrook model, which was spec’d to fulfil the needs of our staff. Adding a front rack so that our team can carry brochures and documents to meetings, the top tube was also given a hand-stitched leather frame wrap, embossed with our logo, with handlebars to match. Leather being a natural material, we’re looking forward to seeing how use and time impress the frame wrap with a worn, tactile quality, much like stone or wood picks up in a home.

In case you were wondering, Freddie Grubb was the name of a British cycling powerhouse who was born in 1887. Among his achievements were two Olympic silver medals, 24-hour and 100-mile time trial records, and the eternal status of being the first Brit to enter the Giro d’Italia in 1914. While we were excited to get out and about upon receiving the bike, we weren’t up to matching any of Freddie’s accomplishments, so our Content Editor, Charlie Monaghan, opted for a more leisurely day of arch-touring, coffee stops and lunch.

Starting at The Modern House HQ, where we have to say the bike looked ever-so at home in its monochromatic colour scheme, we set out to Borough market for coffee at Monmouth, where we happened to run into Senior Appraisals Specialist Jake Elliott. A cycle over Blackfriars Bridge was backdropped by Richard Seifert’s boxy arrangement of béton brut Modernism at River Court East. From there we headed to the Barbican, where we got lost in the labyrinthian sprawl of elevated walkways, stairs and public gardens.

A rest was well-deserved after all that, and so we decamped to The Modern House favourite Rochelle Canteen in Arnold Circus for a spread of seasonal summer dishes. More road testing took us through Haggerston and Barnsbury to take in their Georgian and Victorian stock. A stint along Regent’s Canal avoiding pedestrians and ducks put the bike’s handling to the test, with top marks scored for responsive steering and commanding riding position.

We ended the day at Freddie Grubb’s shop in Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross, where we caught up with the team about the project. “This bike is like a company car, but way better!” said co-founder Malcolm Harding. “We’ve taken our modern town bike and added bespoke details that encapsulate the design values of The Modern House to offer a sustainable, elegant and fun-to-use alternative to the ubiquitous estate agency car,” he added. We couldn’t agree more – time for a tandem?