Bicycles are getting cheaper every year. For a given price you get more gears, better brakes and it will be made from lighter, more exotic materials. Thank mass production. For the occasional rider this is great but the specialist user will soon encounter problems.

The first problem to be encounter will probably be an annoying creaking noise after the bike has done a few miles in the rain. This is caused by a lack of attention to detail. Any high end bike will be comprised of several different metals that do not enjoy each others company.

• aluminium and steel form a weak battery and will corrode together
• titanium galls on steel- they stick together
• All metals expand and contract with changes in temperature- unfortunately they do so at different rates.
Result; creaking noises, parts that cannot be disassembled and parts that self disassemble!

The most important part of a mass produced bicycle is its look. It has to look more expensive/better equipped than its rivals at any given price point. A Shimano XT rear derailleur will catch eyes but who made the hubs? What grade of stainless steel are the spokes? Are they even stainless?

That shiny rear derailleur will probably be broken long before it wears out (snagged in the woods or bent in a crash). Hubs on the other hand rarely get broken, they wear out. If the spokes keep breaking it’s doubtful the bike will see enough miles to wear out the hubs. Surely high quality hubs and a cheap derailleur is smarter choice.

The only way you get to make that choice is to get your bike hand built from a selection of components.

With 50 years combined experience of road, track and mountain bike racing, commuting and general hard riding we can advise which components will best suit your needs and budget.

Frame
Before assembly can begin the frame needs to be checked to ensure that the head tube and bottom bracket shell are properly machined. If the ends of these tubes are not parallel the headset will neither be smooth or last and the bottom bracket will creak when pedalling and keep loosening. Any disc brake calliper mounts need to be spot faced to ensure that the disc runs parallel to the pads.

Wheels
The weight of the rider and type of usage will determine the number of spokes required. Pre-built aerodynamic wheel sets should be considered non-repairable and suitable for racing use only. The strength and endurance of any spoked wheel is determined mainly by the skill of the person building it- machine built wheels are out. All of our wheels are hand built from only the finest materials and each one is pre-stressed several times during assembly so it stays true for longer.

Assembly
With all components checked for damage final assembly can begin. To prevent creaking and seizure where different metals make contact a variety of different lubricants and thread locking compounds will be used. Why fix it later when it can be built right the first time?