[Closed] What British mountain bike brand do you like?

I'm pretty loyal to Endura for shorts, gloves and jackets. The rest is based around what deals are available.

Well hope seem to constantly deliver solid and good stuff with great support, I'd buy more of their stuff if it ever broke or wore out more often.

Never been that bothered by superstar, most of the stuff isn't actually british and just badged up generic stuff though isn't it?

Hope for generally fine kit and good support, Cotic and Bird for nicely thought out designs at good prices. I have a few bits of nice Endura kit but always wary of variable sizing.

Wouldn't touch Superstar with a bargepole given a) its just rebranded tat on the whole, b) too many reviews of stuff failing early, c) too many stories of poor customer support (see b) and of course d) previous crappy behaviour on this forum (yes I've got a long memory :))

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

What previous crappy behavior is this?

I've not got a long memory.

+1 for Endura variable sizing. It's good stuff but a large should be a large, not large one month and medium the next.

Hope is always good and CS is generally great. I love my Mega so NP would be on there. I'd say Bird too but I haven't ridden it yet so I'll reserve the right to add them later.

I think Customer Service along with product quality should be the 2 defining characteristics of a great company.

Neil was on here under a different login defending/promoting his products when they were getting a bit of a shoe-ing for poor quality. Hence permanent ban from the forum I think.

[b]Hope[/b] is an easy one as they are a lesson in British manufacturing.

I used to be a fan of [b]Orange[/b], but recently far too many ideas haven't stuck. The latest Five and Alpine do look like an improvement though.

I see [b]Bird[/b] as a bit different as they don't manufacture in this country (apart from wheelbuilding and assembly). Great guys and I love the product, but I don't see it as a strong British brand [i]yet[/i].

I've had mixed experiences with [b]Endura[/b] and don't think of them as being particularly British. No doubting their popularity and reach though. I feel a bit more supportive of [b]Polaris[/b], [b]Buffalo[/b] and [b]Montane[/b] however.

[b]USE/Exposure[/b] would have been right at the top if they'd managed to retain British production. I think in terms of Britishness, quality and customer loyalty they must still rank highly though.

The new breed of handbuilt bike manufacturers like [b]Shand[/b], [b]Swarf[/b], [b]BTR[/b] are really interesting to me. Would feel like an investment.

I'm sure I'll think of some more!

Are Pace still going? I always used to like their stuff. I'm a big fan of Hope, too.

[b]Alpkit[/b] are a great example of a company treading the fine balance between British design, foreign manufacture and trying to bring manufacture into Britain when appropriate. They seem really good at judging the market and have great customer service.

Quite impressed with Empire from what I've seen. Their MX6 EVO looks good in the flesh but I haven't ridden one yet.

Hope, obviously, for their customer service.

USE / Exposure for me, with Hope a very close second.

[b]Hope[/b] - been buying their stuff for years.
[b]USE/Exposure[/b] - From lightweight seatposts in the past to the lovely lights I have now. I like to support such a local Co too, I think their Rory went to school with my sister 🙂
[b]Whyte[/b] Bought a G150 on a bit of a whim and it was a revelation.
[b]Bird[/b] Nice guys I think, and their Zero frame was just what I wanted angles, cable routing, etc (if a little weighty)
[b]Endura[/b] I like their stuff but then I usually buy in my LBS so try it on rather than go by the size label.

These may be less popular but [b]Superstar[/b] and [b]On-One[/b] I'm drawn to for buying cheap stuff cheap.

[b]Pace[/b] I used to love and still have my RC200 but I don't see them as the same company today. I didn't like the sound of some of the tales of poor back up I've read on here so crossed the RC127 off my list when looking for a new frame.

Having started out in the 90s - Hope and Pace. Not that I've bought anything by Pace for a good 10 years. (Last was lube, I think)
Middleburn not been mentioned yet. My first bike had Middleburn cranks, and I found an "Oiler" in my toolbox yesterday 🙂

Thought of another one

[b]Morvelo[/b] More an all round cycling brand but I recently got a couple of shirts and a pair of shorts and like them so far. Another local Co so I'd favour them provided the gear is good.

"USE/Exposure would have been right at the top if they'd managed to retain British production. I think in terms of Britishness, quality and customer loyalty they must still rank highly though."

Do you have a source for this statement?

From the USE website

"Ultimate Sports Engineering (USE) was founded in 1990 and is to this day driven by the obsession of creating the ultimate in innovative sports products. Today Ultimate Sports Engineering encompasses design and production of: Cycling components (USE), Cycle lighting (Exposure Lights) and Marine Lighting (Exposure Marine). Bury, nestled in the heart of the South Downs National Park is the backdrop for this and we pride ourselves on production here."

Hope stuff is excellent, no complaints here. I once had a wonky rear hub that was upgraded to a brand spanking new Pro II Evo at minimal cost, plus their brakes just work and continue working for years with a piddling amount of maintenance.

Pace...hmm...I bought a set of RC40s once, lovely forks when they worked. With better sealing and a travel adjust that worked when you wanted it and not when you didn't, they'd have been class leading. I know that DT Swiss bought the fork production line and they're now the very epitome of Swiss reliability, but I'd have liked to have seen Pace forks expand their range and develop their own products.

Bird? Not manufactured in the UK, but they will more than likely be receiving my custom next time round.

[b]Cotic[/b] for me. Great bikes and down to earth.

Cotic mostly, I've had multiple episodes of ridiculously good customer service from them, all for a bike I didn't even buy used in the first place. And 3 [i]brilliant[/i] bikes, every major step in adult mountain biking I've done, I did on a Cotic and it's no coincidence.

Hope are frustrating, it's not entirely their fault, it's the fanboys too... When their stuff breaks, they fix it, yeah? But it's not good customer service, selling something you know will break then fixing it when it does! At best it's a last minute save. If superstar did this stuff, there'd be octopuses [i]everywhere[/i] but people love Hope for it. This ground me down a bit, I spat the dummy when they decided to try and charge me RRP for the "upgrade" parts to fix their not-fit-for-purpose 12mm rear hub.

I like Hope stuff, their hubs and headsets mostly, I do like their brakes but I'm too tight to spend the money on what's IMO overly manufactured and bulky when Shimano make such brilliant brakes for a small fraction of the cost and don't use horrible DOT fluid.

I love SuperStar stuff, I've used them for years and aside from some brake pads that failed more than 5 years ago (which they sorted very quickly) I've had nothing but good stuff and great service (but I do which their stuff wasn't garish).

I don't like Endura stuff much, it works well but looks drab compared to Sombrio, One Industries and stuff and it's rare that a 36 year old can dress like a multi-coloured **** these days.

Orange does nothing for me, I don't believe they innovate enough, their stuff looks agricultural and deep down they suffer from the same "if it aint broke" mentality which helped kill other British brands in the past.

Just Hope.

Hope fan boi here.
Plus middleburn ,endura & obviously orange,this being stw after all.
Also happy with kinesis too and I remember when karrimor made excellent mtb clothing...still have a few items in use.

Presently own an Orange a Genesis and an On One and love them all.
Other brands: Endura is good, but clothing sizing, along with Altura, has gone a bit "mainstream", ie short and fat. Hope customer service is phenomenal.

I love the look of Travers bikes, and like Milk Bikes for their ingenuity.

Steven Shand is a master craftsman IMO, is he a "brand"?

But ultimately, I prefer German stuff. 🙂

Just to check what makes things British??? If you include superstar then you could add anyone with a warehouse in the UK.

Stooge & Whyte (bit of a fan boy)
Endura for clothing
Hope for components
Swarf, cotic & Shand, not owned them but follow them closely
Alp-kit for storage
I also like Orange for being simple and functional

Use to like Bird, but put off following a chat with Dave at the trailhead.

Just to check what makes things British???

The question was British Brand so I didn't worry too much about where the stuff was made. A lot of the above have the product made overseas with varying degrees of design input.

Endura and don't think of them as being particularly British

Not particularly British, really. A company that was founded by a Brit and has remained with a production facility in Britain for over 20 years.

AlexSimon - Exactly how do you define British ?

Re: Exposure

peteimpreza - Member
Do you have a source for this statement?

So if they've brought it back to the uk, or if it was just a couple of models, then I take it back. Good stuff!

Quite partial to Singular myself 😉

Mike superstar are currently manufacturing their own chain rings, expander sprockets, bash gaurds and pedals in the UK. I'm sure they are looking to make more stuff here in the future.

Not particularly British, really. A company that was founded by a Brit and has remained with a production facility in Britain for over 20 years.

AlexSimon - Exactly how do you define British ?

I wasn't giving anything other than my own observations. It was only because someone else above mentioned them, that I put that I'd had mixed results.

No love for Howies?

How about Genesis?
Admittedly, I've had mine for quite a while now, so they may have gone off the boil lately, but they do seem to have a good reputation.

Hardly ever see any out on the trails, though.

Mike superstar are currently manufacturing their own chain rings, expander sprockets, bash gaurds and pedals in the UK.

Whyte, Kinesis & Singular in bikes. Just get it right for me, having spent too long on an Americans idea of what all terrain is.

I like Howies clothing on and off bike, but they have been a bit erratic quality wise - hopefully that's clearing up now.

In no particular order:

[b]Hope.[/b] If something wears out and there's a Hope equivalent part then that's my first choice, it just works. Not a fanboi as such, I just appreciate good engineering.

[b]Cotic.[/b] Got a Solaris. The only thing to add to that is that my wife got so jealous that she got a Soul.

[b]Endura.[/b] Decent kit for reasonable prices

[b]Alpkit.[/b] Obviously more on the bikepacking side of things but again decent, no nonsense kit for good prices.

[b]Wildcat.[/b] Very niche but high quality.

[b]Paramo.[/b] We live in Britain and need to deal with the weather.

I quite like Howies stuff. Great jeans that seem to last.
Morvelo for cycle tops and Endura shorts.

Recently discovered Gusset components. Demo Spitfire was decked out with it. Now I have my own Spitfire with Gusset saddle and bars. Couldn't recommend them enough.

If we're talking British brands that offer a top quality service with top quality customer service you can't go wrong with TF Tuned and Loco Tuning. Used both, can't fault either.

Also, I take the piss out of Orange for their pricing but they do make grand bikes. My 224 was pretty flawed but it didn't matter because it was just always a blast to ride, I miss it, my Herb was a better and faster bike but it wasn't half as much fun, or as simple to jump on and ride. And the Five 29 is pure genius. I'd have gone ****ing postal if I'd paid RRP for the 224, mind, considering the pissed welds and terrible paint.

(also, I love their fanboys very much... No other brand can generate chat like "Orange are so bombproof and reliable, and when it cracked I had no problem getting it welded up" or the legendary "I rode my five off a four foot drop, no other 5 inch bike could survive that, lolololol")

I've got cycling stuff from Hope, Genesis, Whyte, Polaris, Montane, Rohan, Endura, Sealskin, On-One. I've had Orange and Pace stuff in the past, too. I know that most isn't made here, but the fact that they are based in the UK is a reason to seek them out, IMO. I think that if more people put their money where their mouths are regarding 'patriotism' the country would be in a far better state. It really annoys me to see a house with an English and/or British flag 'proudly' flying and a drive full of German cars. Sorry, rant over.

Burgtec! Penthouse flats are by far my favourite pedals, super grippy and long lasting running on both my bikes along with their stem and bar and my hardtail.

+1 for Endura variable sizing. It's good stuff but a large should be a large, not large one month and medium the next.

I reckon I had a special recently - a pair of Hummvees with one trouser leg in a small and the other in what I could only guess was a large (think MC Hammer). They went back.

I was a long term orange fan from my 93 clockwork days (still going strong as a fat tyred singlespeed pub bike with brown big apples) I liked what they were doing with design and production. I also still have a 2002 sub 5 which was a nice bike, bit of an all rounder.

I also have a 2011 genesis latitude 853 in 26" which is a very understated lovely bike. Comfy, light-ish, really nice to ride. It's a shame theyre bot doing an 853 mtb thesedays, it seems the accountants took over and everything is cro-moly. A good niche brand who have really looked at what they are doing and offered some interesting bikes.

Also just bought a cotic escapade which is nice. For me the Latitude was a head decision over a heart decision, a soul at the time. The escapade was a heart decision over the croix this time.

A couple of nice nichey british designed thinking mans bike brands.

If I won the lottery it might be I'd be calling shand though...

For me, bike wise Orange and Charge. I have a Cooker and a clockwork (both 29ers) and both excellent bikes. Singular, Cotic and Stooge all have wonderful looking bikes but I haven't ridden any so couldn't comment. I would like to see Pipedream a lot more out there too.

Hope and USE have been brilliant for me, some of the Madison clothing has been good so think they deserve a mention. I would love to see Middleburn have a bigger presence again. Howies are a great company but are they a MTB brand?

@cokie

"Use to like Bird, but put off following a chat with Dave at the trailhead."

What's that about then?

mikewsmith - Member

Just to check what makes things British??? If you include superstar then you could add anyone with a warehouse in the UK.

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/news/uk-made-sneak-peak/

Are Paramo British? I had no idea - I'd assumed they were northern continental European - somewhere touching the Baltic that also has damp conditions to contend with.

Yep- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramo_Directional_Clothing

I can totally understand the grudge people have against Superstar, but that was many years ago and people do change - you just have to look at this forum to see that some people aren't quite the insufferable pricks they used to be.

Anyway, back on topic - I was delighted with the Superstar UK-made Nano X pedals for £30...
[img] [/img]

Their basic wheels are really bloody good now too.

We don't all have the budget for Hope so I'm glad they're doing what they do.

And the older I get and the more I ride, the more I come to appreciate Orange bikes.

Just wish the frames were one third cheaper.

Not a grudge but as I see they have at most 4 UK made products, wheels, hubs and all the other hardware is just imported and probably not that much of the UK made stuff out yet.

Oh OK then... Halfords. I bought a Carrera Krakatoa in about 1990 and a Carrera Kraken in I think 2010 to get back into riding, both brilliant bikes at the £300 point, still got the Krakatoa and the Kraken's frame. My Boardman hybrid's excellent, my Voodoo Limba was stupid value... And my brother's Saracen Raw 2 was comically bad, they cover all the bases!

[b]Whyte[/b] for stuff that works for me and [b]Royce[/b] for top quality.

Can I throw in [b]Lumicycle[/b]?

I've bought from them twice - so thats covered me for more than 10 years of night riding every week. Once I had a problem when some 4-year-old batteries started playing up. They replaced one cell and fixed them free of charge.

They are the single longest-lasting trouble free bit of kit I have ever owned.

[b]Ironworks Frames[/b]* 🙂

(If microbrand frames for friends and family count, stuck together in the shed).

Mostly build them with Hope wheels and seat collar (having recently had a couple of On-One collars snap), plus occasionally Middleburn cranks.

Lusso shorts are good.

R
A
P
H
A

I can legitimately include them, cos I wear the stuff CX racing and as we know that's almost like mountain biking innit 😆

Lusso shorts are good.

As I looked at this I realised that predictably I'm a typical STWer:

Hope - been buying their stuff for > 15 years.
USE/Exposure - have 2 sets of lights and love them
Whyte - Have a T-130 Works which I love riding
Endura - sizing issue hasn't really bothered me and the stuff they make is very durable
Middleburn - used to really rate their cranks but they seem to ahve all but disapeared

[b]failedengineer[/b] - [u]Member[/u]

It really annoys me to see a house with an English and/or British flag 'proudly' flying and a drive full of German cars.

I have the St George's cross on the number plates of my Ford*, but my wife has an Audi. Sorry about that! 😳

*Actually manufactured in Flat Rock, Michigan.

Endura - Decent, hard wearing, Humvee shorts and a jersey which is lasting well.

Hope - Generally happy, have used headsets, bottom brackets ( not convinced by their plastic spacers though) and hubs, which have all worked well. Wheel skewers always felt a bit awkward compared with Shimano and I have an odd noise, which I noticed last weekend from a 400 mile old from hub, on my Hopetech Enduro wheel set.

Superstar - Very impressed with their Nano pedals. Which I put on my girlfriends bike two years ago, still running fine in spite of horrid wet muddy local trails in winter.

Gusset - Now, pedals again, their Slim Jim pedals are ace ( well, the serviceable ones are) .

Carrera - My old ( 94) Furnace frame , was superb, wheel set lasted too. Was riding it up until 2007.

Genesis - I have their Caribou fat bike and although only had it a couple if months am really happy with it.

Howies - Great pack able showerproof / windproof. Lasting very well as an always in the back pack emergency layer.

Smaller great businesses, Epic bleed solutions. BETD Goldtech. Kaetech bearings.

That all said, my go to bike is a Trance, I'm on my second one now.

Stooge
Singular
BETD Goldtec
Fibrax

on-one in the good old days when they made nice riding cheapy singlespeedy things, before becoming a sea of turgid multi brand shite

relliott6879 - Member

failedengineer - Member
It really annoys me to see a house with an English and/or British flag 'proudly' flying and a drive full of German cars.

I have the St George's cross on the number plates of my Ford*, but my wife has an Audi. Sorry about that!

*Actually manufactured in Flat Rock, Michigan.

I always have a combined chuckle/sigh when I see one the modern Minis with Union Flag roof and/or wing mirrors - darn those pesky Germans for stealing them from us (and our stupid government for letting it happen)

Stanton and Renthal. And Hope for managing to keep up with the big boys whilst retaining most of the manufacturing in house.

Another vote for Hope after I bought their very first disc brakes, can't remember the year though. Now use their products on 4 bikes.

elliott6879 - Member
failedengineer - Member
It really annoys me to see a house with an English and/or British flag 'proudly' flying and a drive full of German cars.
I have the St George's cross on the number plates of my Ford*, but my wife has an Audi. Sorry about that!

*Actually manufactured in Flat Rock, Michigan.

I always have a combined chuckle/sigh when I see one the modern Minis with Union Flag roof and/or wing mirrors - darn those pesky Germans for stealing them from us (and our stupid government for letting it happen)

I used to think that, yes "we" did give away the best car that Rover had designed in a generation but at least BMW have kept production in the UK, and eventually moved engine production across as well.

Look at how well a British team looked after the remains. Asset stripped it to death, pocketed millions, laid off thousands and sold the carcass to china to put the labels on barely half arsed vehicles.

Curtis for producing such quality frames and to custom order too but at a price of course.

Whyte for keeping up on trend but not liking their colour schemes on the frames.

Renthal for starting to make mtb products even if I haven't tried them yet but know their hardware for motorbikes are good except the grips.

Superstar for failing to sell me a wheel set when I telephoned to order, basically not wanting business even though they needed it at the time. beats me 🙄

British? oh my god they are! It's as if these companies think that being British will lose them sales, for the amount they advertise it!

Had a very similar conversation on the way home from the Cycle Show, did not notice anyone using the 'made in UK' marketing approach.

[b]Reynolds[/b] Great company.
[b]Brooks[/b] Again great stuff
These guys are almost heritage status I think. Love Royce, Middleburn and hope. Too many good frame builders to mention, and so many good designers in the UK getting stuff made in the east.

Not one of them, British stuff is generally overpriced crap that can be bought else where, a similar product for less money without the foibles.

Customer support on disposable hobby items really?

Shouldn't your username be cynic-al.

Stanton - love my Switchback
Endura - My 2012 MT500 shorts are still going after 5 years
Madison - Really like their shorts (though sizing is a bit hit or miss) and jerseys
Hope - Both my bikes have Pro2's, they just work and it also means that I rarely have to worry about using my bell

I actually have a big soft spot for Saracen and I think they're moving in the right direction again now, be interesting to see what they come out with in the next revision of their trail bike frames.

Also Genesis is a brand that appeals to me, understated and no-nonsense.

Not MTB but Brompton.

Again not strickly MTB, but Rapha.

Hope are frustrating, it's not entirely their fault, it's the fanboys too... When their stuff breaks, they fix it, yeah? But it's not good customer service, selling something you know will break then fixing it when it does! At best it's a last minute save. If superstar did this stuff, there'd be octopuses everywhere but people love Hope for it. This ground me down a bit, I spat the dummy when they decided to try and charge me RRP for the "upgrade" parts to fix their not-fit-for-purpose 12mm rear hub.

This for me too, they make some great stuff....the QR seat clamp on my HT is faultless and has endured many harsh British winters and still works when others have seized, snapped etc....the mix and match head set cups concept is so obvious and genius i'm surprised nobody thought of it sooner, i went from a straight steerer fork to a tapered one in a 44mm headtube....all i needed was the larger external bottom cup, Hope to the rescue and although i now have a mismatched headset with a Nukeproof top/inner and a Hope bottom/outer they work flawlessly together.

However, how often do we hear of cracked hubs, disintegrated pawls, bolloxed freehubs etc on their hubs on this forum....barely a month must pass by....and yet its conveniently swept under the carpet with a cheery "i contacted Hope and they're sending me out a new one for free!"....as Northwind said, this is not a quality product but a last minute save by a company that has some decent customer service morals because lets face it their stuff isnt cheap!...if it was Superstar they'd be numerous threads on it....at least Superstar keep their prices cheap.

Anyway, back on thread. I like, have bought from and will happily by from again: Ribble, On-One, Superstar, Hope, Ragley, Nukeproof....i think thats about it, i tend to wander down to Trespass for outdoor/cycling clothing but i'm not sure if they're British or not...ditto Karrimor for rucksacks, boots and such like...i think i got about 4 years out of my last set of Karrimor walking boots, not bad for £35 and they remained entirely waterproof the whole time....finally binned them when the sole came away and none of the useless cobblers in town would touch them!

If superstar did this stuff, there'd be octopuses everywhere but people love Hope for it

DMR
Dialled
Hope

Great brands, great products.

I know there's others like Cotic/Orange/Superstar that sell good products, but the branding/marketing does not appeal.

Cotic-I'd love a Cotic Soul, been looking out for a second-hand one for ages. Lots of medium but no small frames coming up.

deviant - Member

ditto Karrimor for rucksacks, boots and such like.

I think Karrimor have been Sports Direct'd haven't they? Name bought out and applied to cheap crap.

However, how often do we hear of cracked hubs, disintegrated pawls, bolloxed freehubs etc on their hubs on this forum....barely a month must pass by....and yet its conveniently swept under the carpet with a cheery "i contacted Hope and they're sending me out a new one for free!"....as Northwind said, this is not a quality product but a last minute save by a company that has some decent customer service morals

Hope sell upwards of 50,000 hubs a year. You think they're all failing? when you make stuff, some stuff fails, even the best designed product in the world will have a few failures if enough are produced.

My marker of a quality product/company is not if I have a problem or not, but how a company deals with it. obviously if the same problem persists over and over again then it's an issue. I've never had a broken Hope part and I've used a hell of a lot of them.

Roberts, Hope, Middleburn, USE, Carradyce

I've still got a Genesis IOid and a Grapil and had an Equilibrium (that I wish I'd kept). Would have a Fortitude or Longitude if I could get away with it. I don't think Whyte make an ugly bike either.