Bike factories

lee96

What does it take to work at a bike manufacturer? I'm still at school at the moment but do a 2 day a week YA Course at college doing mechanics. Basicly by the end of next June i will be a qualified level 2 mechanic at the age of 16. I didn't want to do mechanics my original choice was engineering so i would have been a level 2 engineer/metal worker/fabricator.

Been thinking about it for a while now and it seems so fun to be involved in the manufacturing process of the sport that i love so much.

All summer I have been going to a forge to help the guys out, Welding, grinding, cutting, drilling and what not. I really enjoy metal work and was wondering if any of you guys could point me in the right direction. Any bike factories in the UK, more specifically in the South West?

Thanks

nicklouse

no bike factories in the UK.

mattv

Part of the job generally involves living in the far east. There are only 3 manufacturers I can think of in the UK. Brompton folding bikes, Orange. MTB and Pashley.

cooldad

You could make bespoke frames.

The Northern Monkey

cooldad wrote:

You could make bespoke frames.

And for that you'd need...

1) a shed
2) a wooly jumper
3) a beard

Raymondavalon

lee96 wrote:

What does it take to work at a bike manufacturer?

1: Live in the Far East
2: Be a woman
3: Work long hours for crap pay
4: Have no interest in the bikes you assemble as you'll need to work for two years to afford one
5: Don't generally take your health seriously as you'll be exposed to toxic fumes all day
6: Work in cramped conditions
7: Live in cramped conditions
8: Live on rice and fish as your staple diet

MountainMonster

Hey there is nothing wrong with that last part! It's tasty!

cooldad

The Northern Monkey wrote:

cooldad wrote:

You could make bespoke frames.

And for that you'd need...

1) a shed
2) a wooly jumper
3) a beard

You forgot
4) sandals with socks

Anonymous

MountainMonster wrote:

Hey there is nothing wrong with that last part! It's tasty!

And so long as you can substitute chicken for the fish (or at least have King Prawn), the rice is Basmati, and it's well spiced and fiery as hell, then hell yeah.

Thai curry with rice will do also.


Anyway, on the original post, there are a few component manufacturers in the UK, and another option is an independent LBS that does builds. Tricky to find a good one though. Look for ones near to and associated with good local trails that have good reputation and where the staff are enthusiasts. They won't make frames, but there's stuff to learn there which can take you on to further things. Maybe set up your own business down the line

Custom built stuff, seek out the DH guys and find the mad ones. They're always on the look out for something nuts to throw down a hill and aren't always happy with the stuff that comes out of the main factories.

Tim.s

Perhaps think about repairing and modifying frames, with the current trends in reusing and recycling older bikes it might be an idea to think about what can be done with the bikes already in existance rather than producing new ones.

cooldad

deadkenny wrote:

Thai curry with rice will do also.

Tim Curry?


They won't get it.

Anonymous

I'm just a sweet transvestite