Author Topic: Who made your frame? (Read 12911 times)

eck · « **on:** 27 June, 2009, 11:05:29 pm »

A friend of mine, recently bought a Kuota frame. A quick look at the small print on the Kuota website, shows they seem to be part of "Sintema Sport Srl" .
Well, my pal shouldn't be too worried, because the forks I have on my Airborne, 2003 vintage, were branded Sintema, and they are absolutely fine.
I just wonder how many other brands are "a rose by any other name", or all made in the same factory and just badged as they go out the door. $:-\$

Rhys W · « **Reply #1 on:** 27 June, 2009, 11:46:41 pm »

Ernesto Colnago x2 - well, they have his signature on it.
Giovanni Pinarello (ditto)
Terry Dolan (for Graham Weigh)
Paul Donohue

woollypigs · « **Reply #2 on:** 28 June, 2009, 12:47:45 am »

Quite a lot of frame are made in Taiwan, I think I have heard that Giant (or Trek, I forget) is the manufacturer of many other "high street" names.

Zoidburg · « **Reply #3 on:** 28 June, 2009, 01:12:32 am »

Giant - not so sure how much now though as they have enough orders to fill with their own bikes these days.

Merida and Kenisis are the two who make them for a lot of the big names.

De Sisti · « **Reply #4 on:** 28 June, 2009, 03:01:21 pm »

Two titanium frames by xacd.com, on Paul Hewitt Cheviot (probably in Taiwan), one
Longstaffe, in Stoke?

Gus · « **Reply #5 on:** 28 June, 2009, 03:12:04 pm »

Jim Kish in Califonia
Battaglin, so old it's made in Italy
Nagasawa, handmade by Mr. Nagasawa in Japan 03-1991

Surly, Trek, Planet X and Thorn all most likely made in Taiwan

border-rider · « **Reply #6 on:** 28 June, 2009, 03:31:21 pm »

One made by Harry Hall himself, one by Matt Chester.

The Nigel Dean, the Evans, the Rourke and the Hetchins are handmade by whoever was making frames under that name at the time

The rest are indeterminate (latest trike, Brommie) or far Eastern generic (two On-Ones, Airborne, Saracen MTB, older trike with conversion)

toekneep · « **Reply #7 on:** 28 June, 2009, 03:34:04 pm »

Dave Yates

ChrisO · « **Reply #8 on:** 28 June, 2009, 03:54:39 pm »

Mine has that unmistakable badge of quality "Made in Croydon".

And a steel Colnago, so Colnago in Italy.

The Pearson Touche - somewhere else.

Really Ancien · « **Reply #9 on:** 28 June, 2009, 04:17:34 pm »

Probably some bloke in the West Midlands

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/wjdjZadWabc&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/wjdjZadWabc&rel=1</a>
and one of these.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/tshbTiG4Ifo&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/tshbTiG4Ifo&rel=1</a>

Unlike the old days,

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/UuNUurG2DVY&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/UuNUurG2DVY&rel=1</a>

Damon.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #10 on:** 28 June, 2009, 04:26:47 pm »

An unknown British artisan of the 1950s.
A Taiwanese robot x 2
An American robot
Someone at the Brompton factory last year.

Greenbank · « **Reply #11 on:** 28 June, 2009, 04:33:45 pm »

Ernesto.
Some Taiwanese Robot (and then imported by Autostrada).
Another Taiwanese Robot (and then imported by Gary Fisher/Trek).
An Italian Robot (and then imported by Condor).
Wilier openly admit to outsourcing their frames to Asia, Romania, North Africa amongst others.

rafletcher · « **Reply #12 on:** 28 June, 2009, 04:40:04 pm »

one Giant from Taiwan, one French steely from the '70's originally retailed (and possibly made by) M. W. Odin, and one Argos (Bristol) audax.

Si · « **Reply #13 on:** 28 June, 2009, 05:08:57 pm »

A bloke in Halesowen or Stourbridge who then gave up frame building to sell Tiny PCs. Dunno what he gave that up to do next.

Biff · « **Reply #14 on:** 28 June, 2009, 05:41:38 pm »

Les Ephgrave in April 1953

Moloko · « **Reply #15 on:** 28 June, 2009, 05:44:50 pm »

Don't know? But I do know that Priscilla made my Carradice bag.

alan · « **Reply #16 on:** 28 June, 2009, 05:50:57 pm »

George Longstaff

innesh · « **Reply #17 on:** 28 June, 2009, 07:18:49 pm »

Dave Yates (or one of his minions)

Someone in Birmingham - an old 531 Dawes.

Someone in USA - a CAAD 3 Cannondale that I don't talk about, less ride the thing

Bernard Carre - the fixed wheel. Probably 1970s. Probably 531. Probably wrong. It's a nice frame though.

Zoidburg · « **Reply #18 on:** 28 June, 2009, 07:23:18 pm »

A chap named Charlie.

toekneep · « **Reply #19 on:** 28 June, 2009, 07:30:55 pm »

Quote from: applebag on 28 June, 2009, 07:18:49 pm

Dave Yates (or one of his minions)

Someone in Birmingham - an old 531 Dawes.

Someone in USA - a CAAD 3 Cannondale that I don't talk about, less ride the thing

Bernard Carre - the fixed wheel. Probably 1970s. Probably 531. Probably wrong. It's a nice frame though.

I wasn't aware that Dave had minions. I thought he was a one man band.

eck · « **Reply #20 on:** 28 June, 2009, 07:36:32 pm »

Quote from: toekneep on 28 June, 2009, 07:30:55 pm

I wasn't aware that Dave had minions. I thought he was a one man band.

He is now, afaik. When I got my two bikes from him, in 96 and 97, he was part of (partner in?) M Steel Cycles in Wallsend.

David Martin · « **Reply #21 on:** 28 June, 2009, 07:45:04 pm »

Am I allowed to say 'I did' (at least in part?)

..d

Wibble · « **Reply #22 on:** 28 June, 2009, 07:49:24 pm »

Quote from: eck on 27 June, 2009, 11:05:29 pm

I just wonder how many other brands are "a rose by any other name", or all made in the same factory and just badged as they go out the door. $:-\$

Decathlon used to outsource their production to Taiwan/China/Wherever it was but recently moved everything back to France, claiming that the factories were nicking their ideas. This is odd 'cos the only originality in their designs seems to be the needlessly complicated town bike frame design that adds a kilo or so of pointless weight to the bike. Everything's gone up in price by £20-30 too :-/

andrew w · « **Reply #23 on:** 28 June, 2009, 09:33:27 pm »

One steel Bob Jackson, hand made in Leeds.

Two steel Raleighs, both made in Nottingham.

Two Carbon Treks, both allegedly built in the USA, though whether the frames were actually built there, I don't know.

andygates · « **Reply #24 on:** 28 June, 2009, 10:10:13 pm »

Bill White made the penny, Abdul made the Brompton (the clearcoats are his pimpiest ones), and I think the Mercian was some bloke called Derek.

The roadie is a Taiwanese-manufactured beast and while I love the artisan thing, those Taiwanese make a damn good frame (they lay up Planet-X's carbon, too). The Cannondale was made in space by Kennedy clones, or so it claimed in the blurb...

Author Topic: Who made your frame? (Read 12911 times)

Zoidburg

border-rider

ChrisO

Really Ancien

alan

Zoidburg

Wibble