British Bike Brands?

simeonnation
simeonnation Posts: 15
edited May 2007 in Workshop
I was just looking at lots of British bike brands and feeling very patriotic as on face value, we have a huge number of superb bikes and components made within our fair shores.

However as I dug a bit deeper it appears that a number of British firms are only British in terms of the location of their headquarters. All other manufacturing, assembly etc seems to be done elsewhere (often in the Far East).

This got me thinking. I know we have the real custom builders like Roberts, Mercian etc but do we really have many mainstream bike/component manufacturers which actually make stuff in the UK out of UK made bits? Which are the PROPER UK brands?

Comments

  • ashbyalien
    ashbyalien Posts: 609
    Royce - for all your hub and bb requirements.
    Hope - for brakes/headsets/hubs/qr's etc


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  • hubgearfreak
    hubgearfreak Posts: 480
    pashley, brooks, carradice[:)]
  • Fab Foodie
    Fab Foodie Posts: 5,155
    Brooks, Carradice.

    The pessimists of this world are rarely disappointed....
    Fab's TCR1

    The pessimists of this world are rarely disappointed....
    Fab's TCR1
  • rdaviesb
    rdaviesb Posts: 566
    ...you'll really appreciate just how local Carradice are when you phone them! Accents or wot!
  • Kev67
    Kev67 Posts: 2,351
    Bromptons are made here although components are sourced from everywhere.

    I think Orange still make their top-end MTBs here.
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  • dave5ncp
    dave5ncp Posts: 3,198
    Are Brooks still made here?

    I thought Selle Italia had bought them.

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  • dave5ncp
    dave5ncp Posts: 3,198
    I just tried Google, but the Brooks website is some Flash-driven corporate affair that won't load.

    Presumably the desire to pay internet consultants outweighs the desire to have an accessible website. Bollocks to traditional values then.

    <font color="purple"> <font size="1"><i>please pretend there's a horizontal line here. I couldnt work out how to put one in.</i></font id="size1"></font id="purple">
    You stir my natural emotions
    <font color="purple"> <font size="1"><i>please pretend there\'s a horizontal line here. I couldnt work out how to put one in.</i></font id="size1"></font id="purple">
    You stir my natural emotions
  • Ste_S
    Ste_S Posts: 1,173
    Owned by Selle Royal (who also own Fizik), and the saddles are still manufactured in Birmingham.

    Website works fine for me (and is quite nicely designed), maybe your browser and/or flash is out of date ?
  • Asterixcp
    Asterixcp Posts: 6,251
    IIRC Brooks were last British owned when part of Raleigh. That company went through a very rough patch and the Brooks part was about to disappear from the scene when it was 'rescued' somehow or other. The company website seems very sketchy about their past.

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