UKC

Can anyone recommend a company that builds made to measure bike frames. I have real trouble finding a comfortable riding position on bikes as I have comparatively short legs and long body. I have decided that it will be worth the cost of a custom built frame to stop the aches and pains. All help much appreciated.

In reply to williemiller:

http://www.argoscycles.com/

In reply to nniff:

My wife has had two bikes resprayed with them and they're very good. New site though, very slow for me. Also I bet the owner of the first bike in the road gallary is wondering about another respray?

cheers

Toby

In reply to williemiller:

Hewitt Cycles

http://www.hewittcycles.co.uk/bike-fitting

In reply to williemiller:

The other option would be to try a women's frame.

This is based solely on Aiguille Alpine's observation when I bought my rucksack from them that their long back rucksacks are most commonly supplied to women. Its relevance of course may therefore be negligible!

In reply to williemiller:
It's a bit of a way away from you but if you are in Derby you could try Mercian. http://www.merciancycles.co.uk/frames
I was in there picking up a few bits and they were fitting up a bloke on the jig, it all looked very detailed and professional.
Argos, as someone mentioned above, is probably easier for you to get to but I've heard of them being quite disorganised but at the same time producing very good results.

In reply to williemiller: Back in the day Dave Yates and Chas Roberts were always the guys to get custom frames off of. Or if you're feeling particularly flash Indy Fab from the US who were the guys from the original Merlin Titanium and work in other mediums other than just steel.

In reply to williemiller:

Try these guys, really impressed with their set-up, and I hear lots of good comments on their bikes:

http://www.wyndymilla.com/latest-bikes/

Cyfac and Parlee both offer custom bike frames. They're made to measure carbon frames where the tubes are individually sized for the rider/customer. Having a custom made bike frame is very expensive but both of those manufactures make genuinely stunning bikes.

If they're out of your price range a bike fitting is probably what you're after. I think they're normally around £100-£200, and as mentioned above Hewitt have a good reputation for this, but it's probably worth looking around for others too. A bike fitting will involve optimising your current bike, or a new bike for you and should solve any issues.

Whatever you end up doing, buy a Parlee.

http://www.cyfac.fr/

http://www.parleecycles.com/

In reply to williemiller: I got a steel 725 frame built by Steve Goff http://www.steve-goff-frames.co.uk/contact.shtml about 3 years ago. It's an awesome build, he copper brazed the joints, got the sizing perfect, dropped the top tube to give it a tight rear triangle. I use it for everything from a 20 mile blast to 5 day tours.

It cost me £375 at the time but he said he'd be putting the prices up soon. I doubt it'll be much more now though. He also builds carbon frames if you're into all the blingy shit. Bob Jackson in Leeds is a good shout too but bigger and more expensive.

On another note Johnj of this parish is just getting into frame building, might be worth sending him an email.

In reply to williemiller: field cycles made in Sheffield! they are looking at doing a stainless frame for the century of Sheffield steel! http://www.fieldcycles.com/

In reply to williemiller: Do you cycle much? Most people have a little pain in the lower back when they start, and everyone has the odd ache after a very long ride. I highly doubt you need a custom frame, you probably just need to cycle more. Apologies if you've been doing 12-15 hrs a week for a few years or something like that.

In reply to shaun l:
"It cost me £375"
for that price I'll take 2, are we possibly missing a 0 off the end?

In reply to Chateauneuf du Boeuf:

NEED??

Which rule is it. Number of bikes = n+1 where n = number of bikes you own.



Cheers

Toby

In reply to gethin_allen:

http://www.steve-goff-frames.co.uk/frames.shtml

A quick check of the site suggests frame only price for a 725 is £490. very resonable for a custom frame.

In reply to williemiller:

Brian Rourke. He makes great steel frames. You can have anything from a £400 631 winter frame, to a £1000 + 953 lightweight stainless frame.

Brian is a top bloke and will do the fitting.

The downside is the waiting list; which was 5 months when I ordered one 18months ago. Could be worth checking the current position.

http://www.brianrourke.co.uk/

In reply to Phil79 and gethin allen: £490 is about what Bob Jackson was charging at the time. I guess he's put his prices in line with the pros.

The frames are cheap because steel is cheap, although heavier than the exotic metals and plastics (only any use for racing imo) it's still a really good material to build bike frames with.

In reply to williemiller:

Try Viner, dealers will measure you up etc. Really good frames as well.

In reply to williemiller:

My mate used Mercian as a British brand with history. He found the customer service poor, there were errors with the braze-ons and a piece of solder rattling around inside the frame. It also took 5months to deliver this disappointing frame.

In reply to Phil79:
"reasonable for a custom frame."
That's a bargain.

In reply to Rollo: I was just about to spring to the defence of Mercian but then I remembered a chat with guy on a Mercian tourer who had cracked forks a few months after receiving the frame. Having said that my audax frame is ace, and I always had very good service from them.

In reply to Robert Dickson: My Mercian was great - until some b*****d stole it
But that was bought in the mid 80s so quality may well have changed

In reply to Toby_W:
I always heard it was N-1, where n = the number that will land you in the divorce court.

In reply to williemiller:

try condor cycles

In reply to gethin_allen:

Indeed - a genesis equilibrium (725 I think?) frame only will set you back £330, and i guess thats made in Tawian. so a custon frame for that price is excellent.

In reply to Mooncat:

I think that Viner have either shut up shop, or stopped supplying UK dealers?

How about Enigma http://www.enigmabikes.com/ I think their custom frames start around a grand, but look very nice.

In reply to williemiller:

http://www.villiers-velo.co.uk/

A frame from this man got amazing reviews a few years ago in Cycling Plus.

http://www.wilsoncycles.co.uk/shop/index.php

I've no experience of Nigel from Wilson Cycles' frames, but he's always been very honest with me about what's best to buy from him, and what's not, and you can sense he'll only do something 'properly'.

He takes a lot of pride in his shop and the frames he makes.

He's perhaps a bit odd, but he'll make you a deacent frame by all accounts, in what i've gathered by word of mouth.

In reply to williemiller:

Would a Legend be within your budget?
Very nice made to measure frames in titanium, carbon, steel or aluminium:

http://www.legendfactory.eu/Collection2013/tabid/96/language/en-GB/Default....

In reply to williemiller:

I got a titanium Burls last year. Very happy with it, Ti for the price of steel

In reply to williemiller:
Try Terry Dolan, Liverpool, speak to Ribble cycles, try Dave Roberts,
Check out the CTC magazine adverts, there are a lot of frame builders out there!

In reply to Timmd:


Quirky, but nothing to do with how he deals with customers.

In reply to williemiller:
Paul Hewitt too nrar Preston