The story behind the 'Boris Bike,' Biden's gift to Boris Johnson

When President Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson met in person on Thursday, they exchanged more than just glowing words about their wives — they also swapped gifts. Johnson awarded Biden with a framed photo of anti-slavery activist Frederick Douglass (more on that later), and Biden presented avid cyclist Johnson with a custom red, white, and blue bicycle, aptly nicknamed "The Boris Bike."

Stephen Bilkeny, owner of Philly's Bilkeny Cycle Works, had less than two weeks to create the bicycle intended for Johnson after receiving a May 23 email request from the U.S. State Department, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Friday. One of Bilkeny's custom bikes can usually take anywhere from six to 18 months to create, but the shop owner agreed anyway, saying he couldn't pass up the chance to "raise his shop's profile."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Despite the tight turnaround, Bilkeny and his team were successful in creating their two-wheeled masterpiece, complete with Union Jack detailing and a "matching, custom-painted" helmet.

It does seem, however, that Biden and Johnson neglected gift exchange rule #1 — set a price limit. Some reports value the Boris Bike at $6,000 (although the Inquirer set the project's budget at $1,500), making Johnson's framed photo, inspired by a Wikipedia-browsing session, look decidedly less grand. Perhaps the discrepancy is revenge for a prior U.S./U.K gift-giving fiasco.

Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.