Brother Cycle Big Bro - Purple Chrome Swamp Thing

Andrew’s Swamp Thing Big Bro started, like most good builds do, with a pretty simple brief: a beautiful bike that could haul him to work every day, then disappear down a gravel road for a few days when life allowed.

He came to us with a clear picture in his head - Brother Big Bro frameset in that metallic Swamp Thing colourway, dressed up with as much silver as possible and just enough purple anodised goodness to make it extra special. From there we workshopped the details together: an 11-speed Shimano Linkglide 2x drivetrain for long-term durability, a White Industries 40/24 crankset up front, and the delightful nerdery of a friction shifter on the front.

Wheels were the big question mark at the start, with Andrew dreaming of silver rims, spokes, and hubs that could comfortably take a decent-volume tyre. After a few back-and-forths, parts chats, revised estimates, and stock checks, we landed on a setup that matched the look, the budget, and the kind of riding he had in mind. As pieces arrived - frame, tyres, Shimano bits, White Industries jewellery, and the finishing kit he’d sourced himself - everything made its way into the workshop and onto the stand.

James built the bike up with future adventures in mind: steerer left long so Andrew can fine-tune his position, hoses and cables cut with room for racks and bags, and spare tyres sent out with the bike so he can swap rubber when it’s time to trade the commute for a gravel mission. What rolled out in the end is exactly what Andrew asked for at the start: a versatile, reliable all-rounder - equally at home pootling to work as it is loaded up and disappearing into the hills. Full specifications below image gallery.