[Closed] British/European Road Bike Brands for A Yank Snob

Mercian or Rourke for old school established frame builders

She "only rides Bianchi and Campagnolo" etc, very into that sort of thing*.

*(I can't be doing with that sort of bullshit myself)

I took my "money no object" pal to Rourke's a few weeks ago. They weren't his cup of tea as he prefers the swoopy carbon look, and the 953 didn't do it for him.

My other pal who was with us did get bitten by the bug and his 953 frame should be ready in May.

As well as Milk race winners, Jason Kenny and Guy Martin are customers and a few of their cast offs are lying around - including the one that got dented when a Spitfire engine hit it.

Are you after British or Euro?

Sounds like she likes brands with history so for British in addition to the ones mentioned above, Condor have been making bikes since 1948.

For Euro, loads of them. Colnago, De Rosa, Orbea, Wilier Triestina etc...

[url= http://www.framebuilding.com/custom_uk_bicycle_framebuilders.htm ]U.K. Framebuilders[/url]
Also people like Quirk, Donohue etc

Ricky Feather, Field, Justin Burls, Dave Yates.

Condor have been making bikes since 1948.

Field Cycles

I believe they just buy in frames made elsewhere nowadays.

Like Bianchi then! 🙂

I think Mercian and Rourke are probably the best suggestions, but you'd done those.

What about Pashley? Brompton?

I would say you cannot get more British than Brompton, which are certainly made in England. What about the Genesis volare in 953 tubing. Probably made in Taiwan though.

This Italian brand is doing it forir me at the mo

[url= http://stelbel.it/en/prodotto/rodano ]Steilbel[/url]

Sick bikes.

Bit left field, but how about English? Made in America, by an English bloke, who’s last name is also English...

Look utterly glorious too, if that’s a consideration...

Sarto, Pegoretti, Zullo, Time, C60 Colnago, Jaegher, of 5he top of my head, plenty to go at though.

There is a list of some frame builders here, some do road frames some don't.

https://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f10/framebuilders-europe-42599.html

Is it a plastic Bianchi ?

And where is Campagnolo made these days?

https://www.instagram.com/paulusquiros/

https://www.instagram.com/fieldcycles/

Bespoked will be around quite soon. Just go and choose one.

"And where is Campagnolo made these days?"

Seem to remember reading that they've 'low costed' their production of carbon bits out to somewhere like Romania??

Amusingly at least some of their carbon fibre pre-preg raw material is made in Derbyshire 😉

"And where is Campagnolo made these days?"
Amusingly at least some of their carbon fibre pre-preg raw material is made in Derbyshire

I am being judgemental here but it sounds like she is a label snob rather than a bike snob, so anything that is just "very good steel frame" will not wash, you will need to sell a story of a brand that she can resell to her mates for qudos (sp?) points.

There are loads of Italian bikes out there far nicer than bianchi and the other 'frame painters and Italian flag applicators' that do not actually make anything themselves any more.

Like Casati, Sarto, Pegoretti, Tomassini etc.

Anyone who thinks Bianchi are a premium Italian marque doesn't really know Italian bikes - they're not even Italian-owned and 99% of their stuff is made in the far east. If you're talking British-made then you're almost exclusively talking steel , Reilly or Enigma for titanium and can't think of any UK produced carbon road frames. Mason are far-east produced as are most UK 'brands'

Mason are far-east produced

Alot of brands that have heritage/race pedigree probably don't do bespoke frames

Pinarello, Time, Colnago, Merckx, Wilier, Look etc.

I think De Rosa still do custom steel frames though.

There's also plenty of builders that made frames for other companies to put their brand on, Pegoretti is one of them but you'd have to do some internet research to find the others.

Mason are far-east produced
- Italy actually.

Yeh, I think alot of the Condor frames are also made in Italy.

Infact they still sponsor a team and they're in London and the Super Acciaio frame looks mint.

^ they are. TBH not that it counts for much to me as a buyer. A good factory yes, location - not sure if it matters.. but I can see the appeal of working in Italy rather than Taiwan or China for a bike brand.

I have to ask OP, why do you need to [i]re-educate[/i] her?

Bike/brand snob or not, has she sought your advice, or is this simply an attempt to [i]"fix"[/i] someone else's taste?

Sarto make most of the Condor frames.

I have to ask OP, why do you need to re-educate her?

Bike/brand snob or not, has she sought your advice, or is this simply an attempt to "fix" someone else's taste?

Indeed, some top mansplaining going on here.

Sarto make most of the Condor frames.

With deda carbon tubing like a lot of other Italian custom builders, but Sarto have their own tubing used exclusively for their frames.
It wouldn't surprise me if Condor use other factories for their frames especially steel (like Barco who make a lot of frames with more well known Italian brand names slapped on them)

DeAnima Cicl for the win. Gianni Pegoretti working in steel and carbon. I have just taken delivery of a custom DeFer gravel bike and it is something rather special.

Rourke 953 would be my first choice. She can claim British, custom and state of the art steel. Probably unheard of in the US.

For Italian, it has to be pegoretti for the finish. Dario has a big following in the US though, so not exactly rare.

Personally, I'd like an English from the US, as I love what he does with steel.

For truly exclusive, Ben can make you something 😉

And forget campag vs. Shimano, that ship sailed years ago, nobody worries about it any more. For a steel bike' it has to be Etap with no cable bosses whatsover.

EDIT if she really wants British, Baines flying gate, Paris galibier or a curley hetchins would certainly get her noticed back in the US. That was the reason for the designs in the first place! All available as modern reproductions.

jbproductions - Member

I have to ask OP, why do you need to re-educate her?
Bike/brand snob or not, has she sought your advice, or is this simply an attempt to "fix" someone else's taste?

Indeed, some top mansplaining going on here.

I thought it was just a trick to "get to know her a bit better" 😉 if she knows what she wants and likes why try and change that.

Pegoretti would have been my choice also

[quote=cookeaa ]I have to ask OP, why do you need to re-educate her?
Bike/brand snob or not, has she sought your advice, or is this simply an attempt to "fix" someone else's taste?

Ok.. where did I say I had to "re-educate her"? She asked me about bike brands over she might not have heard off as she is American and has moved here.

Thanks for the tips though, we've been doing some online bike porning.

Talbot frame works. Make some awesome bikes.

[img] [/img]

http://thebrokenline.co.uk/framebuilderfridays-talbot-frameworks/

Have a browse here...

https://cyclingtips.com/tag/bikes-of-the-bunch/

[img][url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4706/38748982075_f27fdd08b8.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4706/38748982075_f27fdd08b8.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2237EnR ]Capture[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/49281217@N02/ ]Scud75[/url], on Flickr[/img]

This for me, love the classic lines but modern components and paint..

http://www.donhoubicycles.com/signature-steel/dss1/

[img] http://www.englishcycles.com/custombikes/matts-road-disc/# [/img]
As mentioned before, if you want to be a tart and get a great bike, go English.

I'd love one.

Do forme bikes still have a big ‘designed in britain’ logo On them?

For a steel bike' it has to be Etap with no cable bosses whatsover.

I'm not fussed about Shimano vs Campag (had a Colnago in the 90s with Shimano) but battery boxes on the mechs look awful on a trad frame. Would work on a Super Accaciao, not on a Pego.

For something out of left field, try Haimar at Amaro in Bilbao, I've got some of his handwork and it's lovely.
[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/amarobikes/albums/72157629307685858 ]https://www.flickr.com/photos/amarobikes/albums/72157629307685858
[/url]

Classic brand off the peg, and excellence in made to measure are two rather different questions I think.

The first (as suggested by current bianchi campag combo) is rather easier to answer - lots of options above.

For something [i]particular[/i] to take home and show off, then you are into the likes of Feather, Bob Jackson (who made some of the curly hetchins back in't day) - check out the vulcan?, mercian etc.

Of course, the question might be whether its a bike for racing, or a bike for riding (and looking at).

Should we merge this with the religion thread?

Amaro in Bilbao

Not seen those, nice. That Donhou is lovely too.

Of course, the question might be whether its a bike for racing, or a bike for riding (and looking at)

I'd not spend big money on a bike for racing! Build up a Bowman Palace frameset and keep the rest of the cash for a "looking at" bike 🙂

http://rotorbike.com/uno-groupset/