Hairpin needed a London-based face, and now we have one. Annelise will be working on social, brand collaborations and generally repping Hairpin in the world of bikes. Find her at events, festivals and rideouts and say hi. She’s actually really nice.

She’s also the first to answer our standard set of quickfire questions. Here goes:

Describe your first bike and what were you thinking?

It was a 2010 Triumph Bonneville, completely stock. All I knew was that I wanted a modern classic that was an easy ride and when I test road the current model I knew it was the one.

Current ride?

There are two - a custom 2016 Triumph Scrambler and a 1954 Triumph Tiger 100 that’s been bobbed. The Tiger only comes out in the most average of conditions - not too hot, not too cold, definitely not raining…so perfect for London.

What skill would you like to master?

Wheelies for sure!

Have you ever crashed? Tell us about it.

Yep - last summer on my way out to Camp VC. We were on the M4 just before the crossing into Wales and my friend was on her bike behind me. There were speed restrictions and we had been filtering for a while. The car on our left hadn’t moved forward, leaving a gap that the Land Rover on our right decided was perfect to sharply swoop into - hitting me directly. Luckily I managed to retain control of the bike, but I ended up with a swollen ankle I couldn’t walk on and no front brake lever. At least I hobbled away!

Do you know any life hacks?

If you add sour cream to guacamole it tastes creamier and makes it stay green. Also - buy yourself the god damn flowers.

What do you wish you knew before you started riding

How to use my hips to turn the bike - I spent far too long trying to steer from the front which made corners pretty difficult.

What takes up too much of your time?

Waxing my chest hair. Just kidding - probably fixing my bikes, there’s always something wrong!

Note from editor: This is clearly a lie. What Annelise meant to say is “Working on my secret shame, a Pinterest profile that gets over 400,000 views a month." x

What’s your favourite bike event?

It’s a toss-up between Malle Mile and Camp VC!

Have you ever had a run-in with the police?

Not yet - I’ll keep you posted.

Most interesting place you’ve been on your bike?

Joshua Tree for Babes Ride Out in October 2015 - there was a meteor shower that weekend and we could see it at night from the camp. Magical.

Bucket list roadtrip destinations?

I’d love to do the PCH/Big Sur coast, and Trollstigen in Norway (featuring 11 hairpin bends).

What are you looking forward to in the coming months?

Going to Ibiza in September - we’re going to rent mopeds and I’ve never actually been on a twist-and-go, should be lols. Also the first Bike Shed Festival in October.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received…and the worst?

The best? “Stop thinking so hard about it.” And the worst - “Don’t do it.”

What made you want to learn to ride?

Meeting a friend of a friend who casually mentioned that she was learning to ride, I went out and booked my CBT the next day!

An embarrassing moment?

Dropping a brand new Iron 883 on the way out of the Harley Davidson dealership for a test ride (the first time I’d been on a bike after passing my test)…needless to say, they didn’t follow up with a sales call.

Favourite bike you’ve ridden that isn’t/wasn’t yours?

Well the one that I’ve had the most fun on is the Honda CRF125!

If money was no object, I would buy…

A 1964 Ford Mustang convertible, with a mini trailer to get two bikes on. Plus, I’d build a custom HD Shovelhead chopper as well as a cafe-d Honda CB550 and buy a KTM 250 or 350 SX-F. The list goes on…

Apart from anything bike related, what do you do to let your hair down?

Pottery and painting.

Do you have any projects or trips coming up?

I’m going home to Texas at the end of August, and probably hopping over to L.A. for a few days - if anyone wants to collaborate with Hairpin, hit me up!

How can everyone have more fun?

Just chill out, man. Don’t take everything so seriously! And ride bikes, obviously.

Anything else…?

Yes, let’s talk about this lovely custom Triumph that I’m riding.

I bought this 1954 Triumph T100 from a guy out in Essex that had been racing the beast. Nothing original was on it, the frame is from a 1955 Speed Twin. I have a fascination with pre-unit bikes and I wanted to build a very minimalist bobber, so had the frame chopped and stripped everything back. The oil tank is actually a fire extinguisher can that’s been repurposed! There’s still some work to be done, like new primary casing and a gear rebuild, but she’s in fairly good condition for a 65 year old.

Photos by Charlie McKay