I’ve been looking around for UK manufacturers of bikes and components to write a magazine article about. The idea is to highlight their innovation in materials, design, use of leading edge tech and so forth while making products in decent volume here in the UK.

Thought I’d ask the ST cognoscenti to nominate their favourites. These are the possibles I’ve come up with so far.

Hope (CNC’d components, new carbon frame, lights etc etc)
Exposure lights – latest LED tech
Orange – innovative frame designs, latest tech, made in volume
Liberty Trillion – *maybe* going into volume UK production??
Brompton – clever design, new ebike, (but still handbuilt frames)
Empire – 3D printed frame prototype

Obviously there’s lots of others doing great things from Shand to Carradice but their products tend to be more high-end, low volume and handbuilt.

Show your love for the UK bike industry!

Orange – innovative frame designs

I think one or two people on here will disagree with that! (Not me, I like Orange Bikes)

Edit – but to fend it off, lets not dominate this thread with the usual STW Orange bashing!

Superstar Components.

You may scoff but they have gone from importing Ti bolts to importing generic far east products to producing their own range in house which is easly on par with others.

Robot Bike Co
Rather cool carbon tubed titanium lugged frames with custom geometry.

Olsen Bikes
Handmade carbon bikes with custom options, designed around the pinion and belt drive.
The perfect UK winter bike, and Zombie Apocalypse bike (as featured on STW).

Works Components
UK CNC machined bike parts at a reasonable price. Small outfit but lovely guy.

BETD & Middleburn
UK machining co. They offer customer bits too and revived Middleburn

Race Ware
Small outfit using 3D printers to design and print mounts. They work with local riders/racers. Custom options and colours available too.

Renthal?

Great stuff so far, thanks. Robot and Olsen completely new to me, Superstar, Renthal and other component outfits well worth a mention. This could be a long list.

Mucky Nutz? Were they the first to produce that type of mudguard? I’m sure Marshguard came out just after?

Mudhugger too perhaps for their longer guards?

Pashley.
Brooks.
Royce (still going?)
Enigma.
Countless bespoke builders.

Mucky Nutz? Were they the first to produce that type of mudguard? I’m sure Marshguard came out just after?

Mudhugger too perhaps for their longer guards?

Might be showing my age even contemplating them as innovative, but once upon a time… Crud?

Arguably SuperStar.. Neil has been investing in his own CNC machines to bring manufacturing in-house. That’s commendable, given that he could have just carried on importing everything.

Fibrax: UK Made Cycling Components

Cotic?
BETD?
Bamboo bicycle Club?

TBH though UK manufacturing of bikes/parts is a bit limited and there are regular puff pieces for the few CNC trinket manufacturers, filing cabinet recyclers and Gucci frame builders we already have.

But I think there’s still people doing interesting things in the UK designed; foreign manufacturing sub-niche, that’s arguably more relevant to more readers maybe? Only a small proportion of us can actually afford to pay more for a “Made in the UK” badge…

A more interesting article might be to ask why we make limited quantities of (mostly) high price point bikes/parts in the UK and if that could change in the coming years? what with Brexit and all…

Orange and Renthal, innovative? Orange who have hardly changed their designs or materials for years and have built an e-bike that literally looks like something built in a shed vs what the likes of Cube etc are knocking out. Renthal who make handlebars and sprockets. Wow.

I wouldn’t say either are a leading innovator in the UK bike industry. The last innovative thing I can think of Orange doing was the monocoque/folded metal frames in the late 90s.

Hope I’d say were similar. The frame is the only earth shattering thing they’ve done in years and even thats made in low volumes at such a stupid price you’re never going to see one in the wild. Geometry and materials used are nothing new either. Trek were building carbon MTB frames in the 90s.

Empire is a good shout for trying something different but you’ve got to ask whether its worth it? Given the seemingly good vfm of the Empire enduro frames, why isn’t everyone on one vs an Orange which is more expensive but HUGELY popular. Maybe its solving a problem that simply isn’t there.

as great as it is to have this long list of British manufacturers, how many of them are innovative? As in doing something no one else has thought of?

Crud
Robot
Fair enough empire, but they haven’t exactly been a roaring success from memory

Lol, great minds think alike, Dave!

Orange. Innovative?! They look almost the same as the first patriot nearly 20 years ago

Empire aren’t around anymore?

What Robot are doing is innovative with bonding bits together

https://en-gb.facebook.com/ReynoldsTechnology/

http://www.burgtec.co.uk/

https://www.loopwheels.com/

NOT Orange…

What Robot are doing is innovative with bonding bits together

Like Giant were doing in the early 90s?

https://www.facebook.com/BTR.Fabrications

http://www.moultonbicycles.co.uk/

Would Bird count as the first UK bike company to make the direct sales model work? That and their progressive geometry – I suppose the Mojo/Chris Porter/Nicolai collaboration would fall under that banner as well.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/bbc2s-inside-factory-saddles-up-11755651

https://www.goodridge.co.uk/

A more interesting article might be to ask why we make limited quantities of (mostly) high price point bikes/parts in the UK and if that could change in the coming years? what with Brexit and all..

A Sheffield company is about to turn that on its head I am told, from talking to them (well one of the owners ) the whole Brexit thing was a driver.

Would Bird count as the first UK bike company to make the direct sales model work?

No, they buy foreign stuff and hang bits on it, Planet X have held that crown for as long as people have chased cheapness made special by fanboi’s.

I think you’d struggle to see much innovation anywhere in the bike industry. Innovation being something massively game changing – they’re just bikes. What was the last innovative thing you’ve seen anywhere in the bike world? 1x with a narrow/wide ring maybe (clutching – no pun intended, at straws)? Tubeless? The suspension fork? The dropper post I’d say was one.

E-Bikes – not innovative. Its just a leccy motor on a bike.
Geometry – has always been changing. Someone just decided to skip a few years and go from slack to super slack.

Its more a constant changing of standards and marketing guff to trick you into thinking its a massively new ‘thing’. All this gravel nonsense – they’re cross bikes. Bike packing? The fat bike bubble was bursting so add some more rack mounts on and call it something else.

http://www.cyclehoop.com/category/pumps-stations/

Home

https://www.weldtite.co.uk/

http://royceuk.co.uk/Royce-Uk.html

Highpath Homepage

Geoff Apps

A Sheffield company is about to turn that on its head I am told, from talking to them (well one of the owners ) the whole Brexit thing was a driver.

Great news! Who, What and How?

Airdrop? Cotic? Someone else? Why the tease?

Dassi

Uk company who were/ are the first to use GRAPHENE in their frames.

Bergtec?

Don’t forget all the clothing companies who make tolerating our climate possible: Altura, Endura, Polaris, Berghaus, Montane, Keela, Alpkit…

Why the tease?

It’s not I just can’t remember the name of them.

Most of those companies above are not UK made products, let alone innovative. Burgtec? I love their stuff, but it’s certainly not innovative.

Apart from Brompton, no one.

When it comes to pushing new tech it’s pretty hard to see past Shimano, SRAM, Fox and Trek. but end of the day bikes are very mature and there is little new.

https://wattbike.com/

Developed at the UK Sports Institute in 2002 by Greek former track sprinter and aerodynamic engineering wizard Dimitris Katsanis, the UKSI bike remains a superb machine, one that has helped the British team dominate Olympic cycling on the track and in the time trial.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-4366064/GB-ride-13-year-old-bikes-Track-World-Championships.html#ixzz4sT0FTy7w

Another vote for Superstar.

They’re a discount operator but they’re actually bringing manufacturing back to the UK.

In some ways they’re doing what hope did years ago, UK made, CNC’d parts for bikes, only instead of asking consumers to pay extra for the “UK made Tax” they’re undercutting established makers who knock out stuff in the Far East.

I don’t suspect they will be bringing out their own carbon fibre ‘clean sheet of paper’ bike any-time soon, but you wouldn’t bet against it.