Who's considered the best Frame Builders then?

martylaa

Ok 2 questions here:
Who's considered to build the best Road Frames any material?
And if you could have any bike what would you go for and why?

Should be fun for a Sunday afternoon don't ya think?

niblue

My money-no-object build would probably be around a Ti Indy Fab so I'll vote for them.

Berk Bonebonce

A good frame builder is someone who TIG welds. The modern steels are TIG weldable, as is aluminium and titanium, and this fusion of metal produces a stronger joint than brazing.

I don't think anyone is TIG welding in the UK. The shift to carbon fibre has been a big one, so there is not much money in building frames these days.

london-red

Don't know how they ride but Feather Cycles certainly builds good looking bikes...

Hoopdriver

Dario Pegoretti would have to earn a mention. I've one of his Luiginos and it is simply beautiful. An absolute delight to ride.

I've also had Mark Reilly at Enigma build me a bespoke touring bike - it too is absolutely lovely.

These are my dream bikes.

Evil Laugh

Enigma tig.

markos1963

+1 for a Pegoretti

cedargreen

Berk Bonebonce wrote:

A good frame builder is someone who TIG welds. The modern steels are TIG weldable, as is aluminium and titanium, and this fusion of metal produces a stronger joint than brazing.

I don't think anyone is TIG welding in the UK. The shift to carbon fibre has been a big one, so there is not much money in building frames these days.

My Brian Rourke is Reynolds 853 TIG welded. He's not a million miles from you in Stoke- on- Trent; well worth a visit.

giant_man

Berk Bonebonce wrote:

A good frame builder is someone who TIG welds. The modern steels are TIG weldable, as is aluminium and titanium, and this fusion of metal produces a stronger joint than brazing.

I don't think anyone is TIG welding in the UK. The shift to carbon fibre has been a big one, so there is not much money in building frames these days.

Mark Reilly builds their steels by TIG welding .....

Chris James

Berk Bonebonce wrote:

A good frame builder is someone who TIG welds.

I'm, interested why you believe that TIG welding is better than fillet brazing (or even lugged construction?)

I have a TIGed steel frame and it rides very nicely but it doens't look a patch on my mate's beautiful fillet brazed Columbus Life frame by Chris Marshall.

yaya

Hoopdriver wrote:

Dario Pegoretti would have to earn a mention. I've one of his Luiginos and it is simply beautiful. An absolute delight to ride.

I've seen Nadav kander's own Pegoretti (the White one on the website). It is absolutely gorgeous!

on-yer-bike

giant_man

I prefer Peg's more colourful offerings personally, but you can see how well finished they are .....

enigmajim

giant mancp wrote:

Berk Bonebonce wrote:

A good frame builder is someone who TIG welds. The modern steels are TIG weldable, as is aluminium and titanium, and this fusion of metal produces a stronger joint than brazing.

I don't think anyone is TIG welding in the UK. The shift to carbon fibre has been a big one, so there is not much money in building frames these days.

Mark Reilly builds their steels by TIG welding .....

Just to put you right Giant Man, Mark cannot tig weld. We tig most of our frames and it is my son Joe who does the tig work, not Mark. Mark builds very few frames himself.

Jim Walker
Director

GyatsoLa

He doesn't make very many bikes, but I think Robin Mather from Upper Wraxall near Bristol makes some extremely beautiful frames, from both steel and ti.

http://gallery.mac.com/robinmather

He made my touring mtb, Its only a simple frame, but has some of the most beautiful tig welds I've seen on any bike

http://downthegreatdivide.wordpress.com ... /the-bike/

http://downthegreatdivide.wordpress.com ... interlude/

giant_man

enigmajim wrote:

giant mancp wrote:

Berk Bonebonce wrote:

A good frame builder is someone who TIG welds. The modern steels are TIG weldable, as is aluminium and titanium, and this fusion of metal produces a stronger joint than brazing.

I don't think anyone is TIG welding in the UK. The shift to carbon fibre has been a big one, so there is not much money in building frames these days.

Mark Reilly builds their steels by TIG welding .....

Just to put you right Giant Man, Mark cannot tig weld. We tig most of our frames and it is my son Joe who does the tig work, not Mark. Mark builds very few frames himself.

Jim Walker
Director

Ah sorry Jim, my mistake, good to hear Joe is deft at tig welding, I knew someone at Enigma did!

Chip \'oyler

Why all this talk of steel? The OP mentioned any material.

IMHO the best frame builders are Viner and the ultimate is the carbon fibre, custom built, made to measure Maxima RS

mrushton

As an owner I'll say Ben Serotta's company but Sacha White and Richard Sachs in the US have big reputations. A number of builders in Portland were featured in TWMP a couple of years ago

tim_wand

+ 3 Pegoretti in Columbus XCR.

Yer the OP said any material and why all this talk of steel. I ll tell you why because it rides like the Boll%cks. and if its Stainless will continue to do so and look right for years.

Ti's great but it lacks something in feedback, Carbon is great but I wouldnt want to be on an alpine descent on a ten year old one.

I m sure there are many on here who will say a steel ride can be dull but it is really down to the frame builder and I ve never riden a "super Dario that made me feel anything less than a god" (maybe because I ve only ever ridden them around the Italian Lakes and Stelvio) kinda helps

SteveR_100Milers

tim wand wrote:

+ 3 Pegoretti in Columbus XCR.

Yer the OP said any material and why all this talk of steel. I ll tell you why because it rides like the Boll%cks. and if its Stainless will continue to do so and look right for years.

Ti's great but it lacks something in feedback, Carbon is great but I wouldnt want to be on an alpine descent on a ten year old one.

I m sure there are many on here who will say a steel ride can be dull but it is really down to the frame builder and I ve never riden a "super Dario that made me feel anything less than a god" (maybe because I ve only ever ridden them around the Italian Lakes and Stelvio) kinda helps

why not?

Monty Dog

Before somebody asks, I consider the best frames to have some degree of artisan craftsmanship, rather than a big shed with $$$$ of marketing and technology thrown at it - so that leaves out any of the 'big' brands IMO.

In terms of the finest bike out there at the moment, by all accounts from those in the know, it's probably the Colnago C59. Other worthy mentions probably go out to Parlee and Bertoletti (who makes the Viners everyone raves about).

I terms of steel, Dario Pegoretti, Richard Sachs have great reputations, prices and waiting lists to match. There are countless others nipping on their heels.

For titanium, it's probably Moots, Dean, Passoni and DeRosa.

waterford123

I'd say Serotta as well, but also a Waterford or Strong.

Argos in Bristol are pretty damn good as well.

Chip \'oyler

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

tim wand wrote:

+ 3 Pegoretti in Columbus XCR.

Yer the OP said any material and why all this talk of steel. I ll tell you why because it rides like the Boll%cks. and if its Stainless will continue to do so and look right for years.

Ti's great but it lacks something in feedback, Carbon is great but I wouldnt want to be on an alpine descent on a ten year old one.

I m sure there are many on here who will say a steel ride can be dull but it is really down to the frame builder and I ve never riden a "super Dario that made me feel anything less than a god" (maybe because I ve only ever ridden them around the Italian Lakes and Stelvio) kinda helps

why not?

+1

Monty Dog

Aircraft are being built from carbon composites with a design life of 50 years, and some are going to be stressed far more than a bike frame. My race bike is approaching 10 years old and still on the same forks and I'm not worried.

tim_wand

Why?

I ve never had a bike for ten years which I ve not managed to drop, and I have had two Carbon Frames fail on me at at the chainstay and seatstay / drop out area( after showing no initial apparant damage) on the same side they were dropped within a month of the accident.

So I suppose the honest answer is I cant ride a bike, and drop them too often. But I feel a hell of a lot more confident remounting a steel bike I ve dropped.

I am sure carbon has an effective life , I accept I shorten that life by having crap bike handling skills. But I wouldnt trust a Carbon frame after 10 years.

(Again probably my Fault I mainly ride Planet X 's)