Historically known for being a country of high engineering quality, it’s no surprise that Britain boasts many bike brands offering a host of different bikes, ranging from hand made steel gravel rigs, to high end folding bikes.
But which British bike brands are the best?
Are There Any British-Made Bicycles?
There are many British made bicycles on the market at present, although you should be aware that you may have to pay a premium for such a product.
This higher pricing is predominantly due to hand made items being more time consuming to produce, and therefore having a higher skill and labour cost in comparison to a mass produced bike from overseas.
UK Bicycle Manufacturers
Within the UK there are many bicycle manufactures to choose from: whether you’re looking for a handmade steel gravel bike to go out and explore on, or a beautiful folding bike to commute to work on. There’s a brand for everyones needs and budget.
This is no real surprise given the UK’s rich heritage in high quality design and manufacturing. Many British based brands also manufacture their bikes within the British isles too!
Who Sells the Most Bicycles in the UK?
Being sure of who sells the most bicycles in the UK is tricky. However, going by information gathered by marketing agency Salience, the company that sells the most bicycles in the UK seems to be Halfords.
The agency found that halfords.com has the best brand reach score last year within the industry, as well as seeing an impressive 23% growth in 2021.
From this, the trend seems to be that people in the UK look to purchase affordable bikes with mass-market appeal.
Best Selling Bicycle in UK
Again, knowing exactly which is the best selling bicycle in the UK difficult – there’s very limited data. According to British cycling retail giant Tredz, Giant were the most searched brand on their site in 2022, closely followed by Trek.
Both of these are American based brands. Both brands sell a wide variety of bikes: ranging in price and discipline.
UK Bicycle Brands:
| BRAND | BASED | SPECIALITY |
|---|---|---|
| Bickerton Portables | Kent | Folding Bikes |
| Bird Cycleworks | Hampshire | Mountain Bikes |
| Brompton | London | Folding Bikes |
| Boardman | London | Road Bikes |
| Cotic | Peak District | Gravel & Mountain Bikes |
| Dolan | Liverpool | Track Bikes |
| Enigma Bikes | Sussex | Gravel & Road Bikes |
| Factor Bikes | Norfolk | Road Bikes |
| Field Cycles | Sheffield | Road Bikes |
| Forme Bikes | Peak District | Road Bikes |
| Genesis Bikes | Milton Keynes | Gravel & Road Bikes |
| Isen | London | Gravel & Road Bikes |
| Mason | Brighton | Gravel & Road Bikes |
| Moulton Bikes | Bradford-on-Avon | Folding Bikes |
| Mycle | London | Electric Bikes |
| Pashley Cycles | Stratford-upon-Avon | City Bikes |
| Orange Bikes | Halifax | Mountain Bikes |
| Orro Bikes | Ditchling | Road Bikes |
| Ribble Cycles | Bamber Bridge | Road Bikes |
| Rourke | Stoke-on-Trent | Road Bikes |
| Shand Cycles | Edinburgh | Gravel Bikes |
| Starling Bikes | Bristol | Mountain Bikes |
| Swarf Cycles | Dorchester | Mountain Bikes |
| Woodrup Cycles | Leeds | Road Bikes |
| Whyte | Hastings | Mountain Bikes |
| Velomont | Norfolk | Mountain Bikes |
Best UK Bike Brands [Top 7]
- Ribble Cycles [REVIEW]
- Brompton [REVIEW]
- Boardman [REVIEW]
- Orro Bikes [REVIEW]
- Mycle [REVIEW]
- Enigma [REVIEW]
- Whyte Bikes [REVIEW]
1. Ribble Cycles
Founded: 1897
Based in: Bamber Bridge
Manufactured in: Far East
Assembled in: Bamber Bridge
Types of Bikes:
Road Bikes Mountain Bikes Hybrid Bikes Gravel Bikes City Bikes Electric Bikes
Ribble Cycles is a British bicycle company which was established all the way back in 1897. Throughout their earlier years, they were best known for their road bikes. These days, they sell a range of different types of bicycles to suit every need – be that racing or someone looking for an electric bike to commute to work on.
They are arguably most well known (as well as one of the best brands) for the great value for money that their bikes offer. Across their ranges they offer solid componentry options for a really reasonable price. This is one of the reasons they are so popular, and that and business is booming for the Bamber Bridge based company.
You also have the option to customise your build which of course proves very popular with customers.
Although the bikes are all hand assembled in their unit in Lancashire, the bikes themselves are made in the Far East, the same as most big brands.
2. Brompton
Founded: 1976
Based in: London
Manufactured in: London
Assembled in: London
Types of Bikes: Folding Bikes
Brompton are a truly iconic London based folding bike company that was founded in 1976. Their simplicity and design is hard to match and they offer arguably the most aesthetically pleasing folding bike on the market.
Currently, their folding bikes also come in an electric model which offers the luxury of assisted riding: convenient and helpful, what’s not to love? The rest of their range varies a lot in price, but overall they are more midrange to luxury, always offering the highest of quality.
The brand itself mainly targets their bikes at commuters due to their folding capabilities, however they have understandably become popular among those lacking storage space too. The bikes themselves are both manufactured and assembled in London.
3. Orro Bikes
Founded: 1891
Based in: Ditchling
Manufactured in: Overseas
Assembled in: UK
Types of Bikes:
Road Bikes Gravel Bikes City Bikes
Founded all the way back in 1891, the Ditchling based Orro Bikes produce quality and performance based bikes which includes: road bikes, gravel bikes and urban bikes.
Due to their focus being predominantly on quality and performance, the price range of these bikes is higher than the average bike. However, high end road bikes are still popular among those who race or have the budget for such a bike.
As with many bicycle companies, Orro bikes seem to be mainly manufactured overseas, but they are designed and assembled within the United Kingdom.
4. Boardman
Founded: 2007
Based in: London
Manufactured in: Taiwan
Assembled in: UK
Types of Bikes:
Road Bikes Mountain Bikes Hybrid Bikes Gravel Bikes City Bikes Electric Bikes
Named after and founded by the decorated ex professional road and track cyclist Chris Boardman, the British bicycle company Boardman is a popular choice. Their availability is only with retail giant Halfords (as well as Tredz whom the Halfords group own).
As a company their target is predmominatnly the mass market, however it’s interesting to note that they do sell high end road bikes, as well as cheaper hybrids and city bikes. Overall, as a brand they cater to pretty much everyone.
With regards to where the bikes are manufactured, this London based company has their framesets made out in Taiwan, and their bikes themselves are assembled within the UK.
It’s not currently possible to buy Boardman bikes directly from the company, but you can buy Boardman bikes at Halfords or Tredz.
5. Mycle
Founded: 2020/21
Based in: London
Manufactured in: Unknown
Assembled in: UK
Types of Bikes:
Electric Bikes
London based, Mycycle are very new to the cycling market having only started up around the pandemic, with the intent to put the “feel-good back into travel”. I think this is something all of us can get behind.
Although this brand sells electric bikes, they do offer many different styles of e-bike such as folding and hybrid. Their main aim is to make electric bikes that are affordable, to encourage people to be healthier and opt for sustainable travel by making it more accessible.
Their workshop in London, where they assemble their bikes, runs off of 100% renewable energy to reduce their carbon footprint. At this time it’s unclear exactly where their bike components are manufactured.
6. Enigma Bikes
Founded: 2006
Based in: Sussex
Manufactured in: Sussex
Assembled in: UK
Types of Bikes:
Road Bikes Mountain Bikes Gravel Bikes
Based near the beautiful South Downs in Sussex, Enigma Bikes were founded back in 2006. The company specialises in road, gravel, and mountain bikes, made from either steel or titanium.
Due to the materials they’re made from and the fact that Enigma bicycles are handcrafted, they do come with a bigger price tag than a standard mass made bike. However, if ride quality and a beautiful bike is what you want, then they’re a great company to consider for your next two wheeled machine.
As mentioned, the framesets are handmade in Sussex, and assembled there as well. Therefore you can be sure when buying from Enigma that you’re getting a proper, through-and-through British rig.
7. Whyte Bikes
Founded: 1999
Based in: Hastings
Manufactured in: Taiwan
Assembled in: UK
Types of Bikes:
Mountain Bikes Hybrid Bikes Gravel Bikes Electric Bikes
Whyte Bikes are an award winning company that were founded back in 1999 and are based in Hastings. Their main focus as a company is developing bikes that deliver both exceptional handling and performance.
Whyte offer a wide range of bikes across many different disciplines, including mountain bikes, gravel bikes, electric bikes, hybrids, and even kids bikes. Therefore it’s safe to say they have a large part of the market covered. Their bikes are also well priced for the quality you get, therefore they’re a great mid range option.
With regards where Whyte bikes are made, the bikes are assembled in the UK and again, as with bigger bike brands, their framsets are manufactured out in Taiwan.
The post Best British Bike Brands [Top 7 UK Bicycle Manufacturers] appeared first on Discerning Cyclist.