best british bike

johnnypipe85
johnnypipe85 Posts: 145
edited January 2008 in Road beginners
Hi everyone!

What do you think is the best British road bike manufacturer?
I know there's a lot of good stuff coming from the US but I really wanted to find something good that's built closer to home!

Thanks for any replyes!!!

Comments

  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    johnnypipe85 wrote:
    I know there's a lot of good stuff coming from the US but I really wanted to find something good that's built closer to home!!

    What about Italy? That's closer to home, and they make some nice bikes there.
    I like bikes...

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  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    You're going to have a job finding one! A manufacturer who designs, uses their own tubing and builds everything in-house.

    I would have thought Mercian or Longstaff cycles. But there are probably others.
  • Nuggs
    Nuggs Posts: 1,804
    How about Sunday? I lust after their bikes...
  • Ste_S
    Ste_S Posts: 1,173
    Do you want designed AND built in this country ?

    If so it's steel only as far as I'm aware. Look at Mercian, Rourke, Bob Jackson etc

    There's plenty of other UK based companies who sticker up frames made overseas - Condor, Dolan, Flandria, Ribble etc
  • richardjallen
    richardjallen Posts: 691
    Ste_S wrote:
    If so it's steel only as far as I'm aware.

    If you look at the UK Reynolds site they state they produce steel, aluminium and titanium tubes. So why do people only make steel? Is it not possible for people here to wield Aluminium? Being the most abundant metal we must be able to lay our hands on a bit. I'm sure there are differences when wielding other materials but the skills can be learned just as easily as wielding steel surely?

    It seems more reasonable to assume that we are not able to produce carbon frames but why not Aluminium?

    Edit: My PlanetX was put together here and it seems good. Those Sunday ones look great as do Enigma.
  • DavidTQ
    DavidTQ Posts: 943
    Most bike makes you buy over here will be hand assembled in britain, the components will be manufactured all over the world. But the final build will be done here.

    Whatever you buy your running gear will most likely have been shipped over from italy or japan regardless, if your running gears manufactured overseas what difference does it make if your frame was aswell. Not sure if theres any british "components" manufacturers left??

    Is there really much patriotism to be had out of knowing that a British person was paid to weld together the 9 bits of tube that make up your frame, when most of the "technical" running gear was made elsewhere. I dont believe theres a Entirely british bike brand (gears, brake blocks and all) out there, and if there was it would probably be started up using foreign investment money :lol:
  • Ste_S
    Ste_S Posts: 1,173
    richardjallen wrote:
    Ste_S wrote:
    If so it's steel only as far as I'm aware.

    If you look at the UK Reynolds site they state they produce steel, aluminium and titanium tubes. So why do people only make steel? Is it not possible for people here to wield Aluminium? Being the most abundant metal we must be able to lay our hands on a bit. I'm sure there are differences when wielding other materials but the skills can be learned just as easily as wielding steel surely?

    It seems more reasonable to assume that we are not able to produce carbon frames but why not Aluminium?

    Edit: My PlanetX was put together here and it seems good. Those Sunday ones look great as do Enigma.

    Did Raleigh (of old) ever make an Alu or Carbon frame ? Seems strange that no other Brit frame builder had a dabble with Alu, where the start up costs high ?
  • DavidTQ
    DavidTQ Posts: 943
    Theres plenty of places in the uk where you can get aluminium welding done, when I was rallying I had plenty of choice for where to go to get aluminium welded. I know it requires different equipment and skills, but theres plenty of people out there with both.
  • meagain
    meagain Posts: 2,331
    "Did Raleigh (of old) ever make an Alu or Carbon frame ?"

    Alu, yes, I think so. Titanium certainly (both "all welded" and "bonded" main frame into other lugs). I imagine that the dearth of non-steel frames built here is simply down to costs. Steel can compete only because of the snobbery attached to the cachet of "an English-made steel frame" and hence the silly money prices. UK builders COULD build in alu, but no one would pay >3 times the price of a perfectly good import.

    A guy called Robin (?) Mather builds the prettiest frames I've seen in a long time - but will cost you!
    d.j.
    "Cancel my subscription to the resurrection."
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    edited January 2008
    I don't think any of it is down to lack of expertise or equipment, it's just that it's no longer economical to manufacture much in this country compared to manufacturing overseas and importing.

    Take carbon fibre for example. When the McLaren F1 team produced the first carbon fibre monocoque racing car, they produced the largest single item in the world made from carbon fibre. This was in Britain, in the 70s.

    Obviously making a couple of multimillion pound racing cars isn't quite the same as mass producing carbon fibre bicycle frames, and that's why they're all manufactured in Taiwan.
  • Ste_S
    Ste_S Posts: 1,173
    Wouldn't people pay a premium for Brit made Alu, Carbon or Titanium frames ?

    Canondale seem to sell well enough here, and they're more expensive than the Taiwanese equivalent.

    Witcomb allegedly have a long waiting list for their steel frames, despite their recent price increases.
  • acorn_user
    acorn_user Posts: 1,137
    Actually, prices on British steel frames are good value for money with only a slight price disadvantage vs Taiwanese frames and a major price advantage over US built frames (which is why Mercian and Bob Jackson export here). Most Taiwanese steel frames are built by Maxway, who are excellent, but prices do see out of line with what the frames actually cost.

    Lee Cooper cycles in Coventry was doing aluminium frames, why don't you ask him?

    What about Enigma?

    I think your best bet would be some kind of 853 steel bike if you are looking to race. Enjoy!
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    acorn_user wrote:
    Lee Cooper cycles in Coventry was doing aluminium frames, why don't you ask him?

    I live in Coventry and had never heard of Lee Cooper. I looked him up, and my LBS are given as the contact details if you're interested in a custom frame :oops: :lol:
  • Ste_S
    Ste_S Posts: 1,173
    acorn_user wrote:
    What about Enigma?

    Stickered up frames from China iirc
  • Adam Tranter
    Adam Tranter Posts: 621
    Sunday Bicycles - They aren't made in the UK, but Greg is a passionate chap and wants the best for his customers. Good ethos. www.sundaybicycles.co.uk

    There's not really much made in the UK anymore, I don't see myself paying an extra price hike for poorer workmanship when better quality is available in the Far East.

    Adam

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