RADBMX.CO.UK
BMX General => BMX Chat => Topic started by: thesku11s on July 27, 2008, 07:09 PM
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Was wondering how many UK based BMX frame & parts builders are out there?
I just had a think and cant think of any, that cant be right sureley?
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atilla alone bicycleunion federal united logan gsport (do gsport still count now its owned by odyssey?) one of the mutiny owners is uk i think?
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Proper and BSD?
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I know theres a lot of UK based "names"
I meant stuff thats made here! ::)
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dialled, curtis
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dialled, curtis
ah curtis! a proper british company that.
Dialled does taiwan frames though if I remember right. Nothing wrong with that of course, just into bike building in general and was wondering how many much BMX stuff is still made here,
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Ahh fair enough I didnt realise they were made in taiwan.
But curtis also do make a cheaper version of their frame made in the far east too!
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Raleigh, Ammaco, TRM, Aero? ???
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Is ammaco british? Wow I always thought they were from the US.
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I believe so mate, they bought the rights to slap their names along with Mongoose and import them over, but someone put me right ;) :Great_Britain:
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cant beleive nobodys said the ledgendery DP Racing :smitten:
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Rebel... of course!
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Holeshot
Didnt birmingham wheels have their own frame?
ACE racing made frame sets as well
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Jesus, I should really learn to be more specific.
I know there used to be loooads of makers, with loads more "engineering dad" types around in the 70's-80's too who would build frames for their nippers.
And teams etc, like Birmingham Wheels doing there own.
But I was thinking about now! Any BMX frame & component manufacturers still putting stuff together here? Or custom frame builders etc that do BMX's
I wouldve thought that as steel frames are most popular in BMX they still be loads of small outfits.
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If we're talking present day I can only think of Curtis (although as someone above says, they now get some of their frames made in Taiwan) and Hidden Nation (if they're still going, as I haven't heard much about them recently). Still quite a few quality road and MTB frame builders in the UK though (e.g. Dave Yates, Chas Roberts, Robin Mather, etc).
Unfortunately, the UK is better at "making money" (i.e. banking, financial services, etc) these days than it is at "making things". I would've loved to have got my frames made in the UK, but there's no one who can make them in the volumes I buy them (e.g. 100 at a time) and even if they could, the quality would still probably not be as good as Taiwan (70% of the worlds bikes are made there now, so they've become very good at it) and the price would be a lot more. So instead of trying to get my frames made over here, I use British tubing (Reynolds) and support UK cycling causes instead (e.g. race team, regional/club races, Rough Ride, etc).
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Put me down for one of your cruisers when you get them made Mike, I don`t think alloy is strong enough for me :crazy2:
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Will do Bill :daumenhoch:
Did you and Lee go to Burnham? If so, how'd you get on?
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I went and raced, and Lee came up today to watch.
Mixed bag really on the racing, still haven`t made an A final at a national but diid win the B final on Sat, but fell off whilst in the lead of the B final today :(
Also made good use of my new 661 body armour this weekend, but on a plus I managed to jump the whole first straight, which makes a big difference, and also jumped the doubles on the 3rd straight in practice :daumenhoch:
However when I tried them again in a race I just smashed in to the face of the second jump, broke 5 spokes and completely ruined a brand new rim, bonced sideways and fell backwards down the side of the jump :(
This also made me miss my second moto because I was still rebuilding the wheel :(
Oh and I got sunburnt too :shocked:
Still enjoyed it though, and the pro racing was mint :daumenhoch:
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Is it still the same track layout as at the Brits last year?
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I went and raced, and Lee came up today to watch.
Mixed bag really on the racing, still haven`t made an A final at a national but diid win the B final on Sat, but fell off whilst in the lead of the B final today :(
Also made good use of my new 661 body armour this weekend, but on a plus I managed to jump the whole first straight, which makes a big difference, and also jumped the doubles on the 3rd straight in practice :daumenhoch:
However when I tried them again in a race I just smashed in to the face of the second jump, broke 5 spokes and completely ruined a brand new rim, bonced sideways and fell backwards down the side of the jump :(
This also made me miss my second moto because I was still rebuilding the wheel :(
Oh and I got sunburnt too :shocked:
Still enjoyed it though, and the pro racing was mint :daumenhoch:
Nice one Bill (on the jumping and winning that is, not on the crashing). You're racing's really come on this year and I don't think I'll even get close to you at the Brits or Southern champs (as long as you stay on the bike!).
Really need to get my jumping skills sorted. Was doing gates at Herne Bay yesterday and was pretty close/level with Russ Parsons and Roy Binks at the first jump, but then they just disappeared as I minced through the first jump and the triple into the first berm. I need to stop being such a fkn pussy! :rant:
By the way, how many did you get in 40+ this weekend?
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If we're talking present day I can only think of Curtis (although as someone above says, they now get some of their frames made in Taiwan) and Hidden Nation (if they're still going, as I haven't heard much about them recently). Still quite a few quality road and MTB frame builders in the UK though (e.g. Dave Yates, Chas Roberts, Robin Mather, etc).
Unfortunately, the UK is better at "making money" (i.e. banking, financial services, etc) these days than it is at "making things". I would've loved to have got my frames made in the UK, but there's no one who can make them in the volumes I buy them (e.g. 100 at a time) and even if they could, the quality would still probably not be as good as Taiwan (70% of the worlds bikes are made there now, so they've become very good at it) and the price would be a lot more. So instead of trying to get my frames made over here, I use British tubing (Reynolds) and support UK cycling causes instead (e.g. race team, regional/club races, Rough Ride, etc).
Mike,
I think what you are doing is exactly the best way for UK companies to make money in the present climate, keep the design and development and product ownership, this is all the high value stuff and get the manufacturing done elsewhere. I think that allows you to compete but still keep "british".
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:) Going a tad off-topic here! I don`t think that there`s such a stigma with Taiwanese made frames these days.The quality of most Tai frames seems to be up there with US built frames.Thought one of S&Ms ads could have been construed as downright racist!
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:) Going a tad off-topic here! I don`t think that there`s such a stigma with Taiwanese made frames these days.The quality of most Tai frames seems to be up there with US built frames.Thought one of S&Ms ads could have been construed as downright racist!
George French of G-Sport said something similar about that S&M ad (I think he called it industrial racism). But S&M has always liked a bit of controversy, so I don't really think they meant anything by it. I guess S&M was just playing on the "made in America" angle which is one of its unique selling points.
In this day and age, I don't think there are many people out there who wouldn't buy a frame they liked just because it was made in Taiwan.
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In this day and age, I don't think there are many people out there who wouldn't buy a frame they liked just because it was made in Taiwan.
Im very much in agreement with you mike, that taiwan has the best bicycle manufacturing capability in the world.
But especially because of that fact, im very interested to know whether theres any UK makers still out there.
I know there is still quite a lot of road bike ones, and a few mtb ones.
But as BMX is more of a kids thing (cough, cough) I was wondering If its still viable at all to make frames & parts within a reasonable price range in the UK?
Also, whether there were any small boutique like independent frame builders making super blingy one off frames.
Hve you ever heard of Archie Wilkinson? He makes cycle speedway frames, & sell completes.
The frames are for 26" wheels, british made (by him I think) In a large number. Out of 4130. And he is able to sell frame & fork sets for £99. And Aluminium one for £199 if I remember right.
To me that matches taiwan frames easy in price. So it seems running UK based manufacturing for a niche bike sport (much mroe niche than BMX!) is definetely still possible.
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I'm sure the MTB companies I mentioned above could probably make custom BMX frames too, but they would not be cheap.
I'd be interested in seeing some of these Archie Wilkinson frames. If I'm brutally honest, a UK made 4130 BMX frame and fork set for £99 sounds too good to be true.
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do pashleys make there frames over here?
not sure if they still do bmx now though
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Mike there were 11 on Saturday and 12 on Sunday, the extra one was Tony Slater :daumenhoch:
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do pashleys make there frames over here?
not sure if they still do bmx now though
Pashley don't make BMX or MTB frames anymore. The driving force behind Pashley getting involved in the first place was one of their designers Lee Prescott and he left about 7 years ago to set up his own bike company, Hidden Nation.
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Is ammaco british? Wow I always thought they were from the US.
Ammaco although a british company had everything manufactured in Taiwan. (even if they did put stickers on saying made in britain)
Vincent 100% manufactured in the UK.
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Thanks for putting me straight on that steve ;) I always thought they were british :Great_Britain: :daumenhoch:
Is ammaco british? Wow I always thought they were from the US.
Ammaco although a british company had everything manufactured in Taiwan. (even if they did put stickers on saying made in britain)
Vincent 100% manufactured in the UK.
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MRD they were made in Poole , Dorset . Does anybody know the engineering company that manufactured March Racing frames etc, my dad went there once to pick up my beloved MRD Pro Long but he cant remember.......Bloody Altzeimers......I wondered if theyre still in business whether theyve got the jigs still kickin about ????? ::) :smitten: Would love to get one of them made up :Great_Britain:
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frames and forks where by tran am , new milton, hampshire, they still exist . his bars where made by technical tubes of bournemouth who also still exist.
hope this helps :)
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Mmmmmmmmmmm................. MRD........Brilliant!
(http://www.radbmx.co.uk/archive/albums/k48/2ndChildhood/mrd022.jpg)