Steel frame making.

[Rapparee87]

Traditional steel frame building in the UK is to be placed on the Heritage Crafts "red list" meaning it's recognised as being in danger of dying out, so various initiatives are planned and a meeting is to take place between independent frame builders and Heritage Crafts.

Apparently those that have started cycling in the carbon era are unaware that steel frames have ever even existed.

I can't post a link, however it's reported on the Cycling Weekly site.

 

[stephan]

Yes I heard that a recent Scottish steel frame builder has sold their business lately.

 

[Tootyred]

@August Bicycles

Gav! Your on the endangered species list....congrats.

 

[stephan]

@August Bicycles fantastic looking frame sets and website, very interesting work you have done with those Profile Hubs, am curious. Brilliant hubs are those from Profile Racing for many decades past, and more I hope to follow.

 

[Frankenorange]

Metal just needs promoting better. Ganna's hour record breaking bike was a 3D printed alloy and titanium because...

Pinarello says this enabled it “to introduce new shapes and features that are impossible to replicate” using existing carbon fibre construction techniques.

Article here

https://www.bikeradar.com/features/pro-bike/filippo-ganna-pinarello-hour-record-bike

Yeah....ok so it wasn't steel and it was exotic BUT it was metal. Steel and aluminium can be formed into some interesting shaped tubes, and steel can do minimalist very well. Tbh; alot of builders could do themselves a favour by lowering prices and that would help, too.

It just needs marketing depts to get on the case and pro teams to start riding metal, again. The whole thing can be sold as an ECO move etc and It really is that simple.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Metal just needs promoting better. Ganna's hour record breaking bike was a 3D printed alloy and titanium because...

Pinarello says this enabled it “to introduce new shapes and features that are impossible to replicate” using existing carbon fibre construction techniques.

Article here

https://www.bikeradar.com/features/pro-bike/filippo-ganna-pinarello-hour-record-bike

Yeah....ok so it wasn't steel and it was exotic BUT it was metal. Steel and aluminium can be formed into some interesting shaped tubes, and steel can do minimalist very well. Tbh; alot of builders could do themselves a favour by lowering prices and that would help, too.

It just needs marketing depts to get on the case and pro teams to start riding metal, again. The whole thing can be sold as an ECO move etc and It really is that simple.

Agreed, some prices are eye watering.

 

[Frankenorange]

Agreed, some prices are eye watering.

It is hipster tax. If they got rid of that then alot of the builders would sell a lot more frames. Someone will always be at the top and can command big money but it ahould only be because they can do something unique, or very special. Alot of the "eyewatering" prices are for frames that are really as basic as you can get and are just trading on the spin around the frames being MUSA, handmade, artisan made blah blah blah.

 

[Tootyred]

I think we need to appreciate the time factor and material cost in building a bespoke frame. Especially with a recognised tubeset......It has very little to do with the arty artisan bit of the job in most cases.

Back in the day when dawes or Raleigh were turning out thousands of frames they had bulk buying of materials, bulk processing of tubes in factory and guys working production line brazing lugs. In that instance a frame is cheap and quick to build....(but apparently not quick or cheap enough for the market ).

Without that, its a very different ball game. No two frames will be the same....different tubesets, different geometry, different lugs or possibly fillet brazed.

I can guarantee the guys working hard, turning out frames for under 2 grand are probably earning money as professionals most would not be that happy with!

If big companies went back to steel then the costs would certainly fall, as we saw with on one etc.

But...the really big companies want massive profit, and this comes from the easiest cheapest, and in my opinion crappiest materials.....

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Hurlow and Cooper are quoted as being able to build 10-15 frames per week, I can't find the article or I'd have linked to it. Also begs the question. Why is there a two year waiting list for some. I'd be surprised if there were a 1000 customers waiting. So two frames a week at £4000 = £208,000 turnover. Not too shabby in my opinion. Before I'm flamed I obviously love steel frames

 

[hamster]

£208,000 turnover. Now add rent, rates, materials, energy, time for design, tooling setup, marketing, finance/admin. Suddenly it doesn't seem that much.

Turnover is different to profit.