Just a bit of day dreaming whilst I'm meant to be working.

Say for example you wanted to set up your own bike company (I'm thinking Dialled/Singular) and you needed somewhere to build your frames, does anyone know of a company Taiwan or China based where I could source frames to my own design? I'm thinking steel and aluminium if that means much.

Any ideas on cost? And minimum order size?

does anyone know of a company Taiwan or China based where I could source frames to my own design? I'm thinking steel and aluminium if that means much.

Any ideas on cost? And minimum order size?

100-200pc minimum

Cost depends on what you're doing or how much. I've had quotes from under $50 (large volume, very low grade alloy) to lots more than that.

You've also got to really add in tooling costs, paint costs, decal tooling cost, packaging costs too, unless you want something very the same as everything else. There are no "off the shelf" frames really (except perhaps in carbon).

if you were on dragons den I would be saying ' I'm out' My friends did this a while ago clothing related ad died on its arse. Do you have experience in runnign a business, sales or accountancy – you need to be able to provide the foundations before sourcing the materials! Not sayig you don't or anything btw!

Just make sure you're allowed lots of guerilla/free/biased/unpaid advertising on sites like this…..

Hi Brant

Many thanks for the response, much appreciated. So on a low grade frame on a minimum order you're looking 5k before paint/sundries – probably nearer 10k then

So say for example if I'd got an idea which I don't think is really covered at the moment, I might be best off heading down the UK based custom frame builder route?

Theres a website (can't remember the name) which basically puts you in touch with factories in the far east… Can get quotes on everything from ti bike frames to balloons!

I'd go for carbon fibre tubular frames, so it looks like a steel/ ti frame but is actually made from carbon fibre
I don't mind giving this idea away as I'm too lazy to start a bike company
just remember where you got the idea when Flan Bikes makes you rich

Free advertising on the side of your Porsche. A Cayene with 'Flange' written down the side in pink?

Theres a website (can't remember the name) which basically puts you in touch with factories in the far east… Can get quotes on everything from ti bike frames to balloons!

Alibaba.com – it's bollocks. Well. Maybe not bollocks, but it's not great.

I mean these are factories on the other side of the world, and you're doing business with them. So you really have to get off your arse and go and find them, or find someone you trust who can find them. Or sample lots of stuff from lots of them and find the one you like.

That said, there are factories that everyone knows about. Maxway. Caribou. People like that. I don't use them though 🙂

Ditto what Brant said about needing to go out there and seeing with your own eyes what you need to see, finding out what you need to know and meeting who you need to meet in person. I knew nothing about the bike industry before I started Dialled Bikes and had zero contacts (to be honest, I don't know much more about the industry now and I can probably count the number of people I know in the industry on 2 hands), but a few speculative e-mails and a couple of trips to Taiwan filled that gap in knowledge.

You might find it easier to work with an agent out in Taiwan who will be your main point of contact and he/she can do most of the liaising with factories on your behalf.

Good luck with it, but go in with your eyes open. It's very easy to let your heart rule your head and it ends up being an expensive hobby rather than a proper business.

Bakes, the tubular carbon frames have been done plenty of times before, usually with lugs back in the old days.

Check out the PY10FC on page 3 of this PDF brochure from back in 1985 : http://cyclespeugeot.com/PDFs/1985French.pdf

I'd love to set up my own frame building business, as a side line to this http://www.peterflynnclassiccars.com after 25 years of working with steel, I'd like to transefer my skills to custom bike frames. Perhaps it'll end up just being a pipe-dream…

Anyone know of, or have a frame jig for sale?

Pete

IIRC Time still build their custom frames like that in France? You can even specify the weave to make it more/less stiff! Mega-bucks though!

You might find it easier to work with an agent out in Taiwan who will be your main point of contact and he/she can do most of the liaising with factories on your behalf.

If you're going to work with agents, read up on how they work in the far east. In a lot of SE Asian countries, agents will be paid by both suppliers and customers, which can catch out Western buyers.

I suspect the other big problem is in cash flow and lead times – stuff takes time to be made, then a month or so to get here, so you're probably looking at 2 months lead time minimum. That means you need lots of stock, which means lots of cash. I'd be interested to know when you have to stump up – three months from shipment or three months from delivery? Or up front if you're a startup nobody.

Maybe start up the business with smaller lower lead time lower value stuff?

Order 100-200 bars, pedals, stems and seatposts, t-shirts, won't cost anywhere near as muuch, no designing involved, just pick from a catalogue, create a logo, pay's your moeny and you'r away!

accounts wise, i would have though pro-forma for a new business or a third on order, third on delivery , third on trading terms. Depends on your accounts and credit rating, a new business won;t really have much to go on though.

You could just re-badge some of these as a Giant Flange 😉

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/340101029/2010_new_giant_mountain_bike.html