Bicycle frame making

The first two-wheeled vehicles were developed circa 1820, and the chain-driven bicycle as we know it today was developed around 1885.

The bicycle frame features a truss consisting of two triangles (one at the front and one at the rear) known as a ‘diamond frame’. The front triangle consists of the head tube, top tube, down tube, and seat tube, and three rear triangle consists of the seat tube and paired chain stays and seat stays. High-strength, low-weight materials have always been favoured for the frames. Alloy steels were used from the 1930s, and by the 1980s aluminium was widely used in place of steel. Today, carbon fibre is a popular material. Other, more unusual, materials include titanium, advanced alloys, and bamboo. The majority of bespoke hand-built frames are made high quality steel alloys and from stainless steel.

Historically, there had been local frame builders in most towns in the UK. By the mid-1980s there were 150-200 frame builders still operating, although most were older and on the verge of retiring. By the late-1980s, the bicycle industry had changed dramatically with the introduction of cheap imports from Taiwan/China which finished off many of the remaining frame builders, and by the early-1990s the craft had all but disappeared with no more than a dozen makers left, usually those with an individual name/reputation rather than the local town frame builders. Frame builders today are usually one person businesses, with most makers in their 40/50s and some in their mid-30s.

The shape of the frame making trade in the UK is still changing. In addition to the established frame builders there are a large number of start-ups springing up in response to an increasing interest in cycling. Some of these are making some innovative new designs using unusual materials.

• Brazing using brass/bronze either with pre-made lugs or fillet brazing and filling the joint smooth.
• The same techniques using silver solder, although this requires much more skill and experience.
• Use of hand tools to make the mitred joints (although these can be machined) and use of hand tools (files) to finish the frame.
• Polish stainless steel parts and tubing.
• Fashioning parts and make fitments from scratch.
• Measuring and assessing size and design for a customer.
• Designing the bicycle frame and in most cases designing a complete bicycle to suit a customer’s needs and use by selecting the correct equipment.
• Designing the paint schemes and overall aesthetic.
• TIG welding
• Use of different materials – carbon, titanium, exotic materials like wood and bamboo etc.

• Polishing thin walled tubing (very few practitioners)
• Lug cutting (no practitioners)

• Size of market: The Bicycle Association have reported declining sales in bicycles across the UK with 2024 showing the lowest sales of mechanical bikes in the last 25 years. However,  the decline has started to slow and reports for 2025 are more optimistic. They do report that high end enthusiast and specialist bikes have done better but, as the decline in numbers of makers shows, this doesn’t seem to have been sufficient to support hand made bespoke makers.
• Loss of small businesses: Reports from bicycle tube manufactures and tube, framing and parts suppliers are that there has been a significant reduction in orders from frame builders and that many have closed their businesses or gone part time. This would indicate that the smaller builders are no longer able to make a viable income from frame sales in the UK. Research carried out for the Red List of Endangered Crafts shows that up t0 19 bespoke makers listed in 2023 now have inactive websites and/or social media which would indicate that they have stopped making or have retired.
• Training issues: there are no formal training opportunities available in bicycle making and few businesses have the capacity or resources to take on trainees. There are a number of short courses available where people build themselves a frame and some masterclasses for those who wish to develop their skills. Training in advanced and specialist skills can be difficult to access.
• Business skills: there is very little training available for those who want to start a bicycle making company and some have difficulty in marketing their products and communicating effectively with clients. It is very challenging to develop a sustainable bicycle making business from scratch due to high start-up costs and the high retail value of the finished product. Many bicycle makers have to diversify or make other products to generate a living wage.
• Issues relating to passing on a business: many frame builders are individuals and the name is the business – this makes it very hard to pass a business on as a going concern.
• Availability of raw materials: In early 2021, bicycle making businesses were reporting supply chain issues with sourcing stainless steel tubing. If this continues to be a problem it could have an ongoing impact on manufacturing.

• The Bicycle Association of Great Britain is the UK trade association for big bicycle manufacture but there is currently no support organisation for bespoke frame builders.
• Bespoked Handmade Bicycle Show showcases established bicycle makers and new makers from the UK and around the world.

There are several options to learn frame building:

• Ellis Briggs Cycles – offers 5/6 day and 10 day frame building courses in Shipley, West Yorkshire
• Ricky Feather WKNDR – Offers 6 day framebuilding experiences led by award winning frame builder Ricky Feather and special guests.
• Stayer Cycles – Offers a 5 day frame building course in building a custom steel bicycle frame. Based in East London.
• Moss Bikes – Offers 6 day frame building courses in lugged and fillet brazed frames. Led by Andrew Jones (AJ) founder of MOSS Bikes.
• Scottish Framebuilders Workshop – Offers a 5 Day Framebuilders Workshop, a hands-on course designed for enthusiasts seeking to delve into the art and science of crafting their own bicycle frames. Led by Matthew Finlayson of Rothair cycles. Based near Glasgow.

• Argos Cycles 
• Rourke Handbuilt Cycles
• Longstaff Cycles 
• Curtis Bikes 
• Donard
• Ellis Briggs Cycles 
• Feather Cycles 
• Hallett Handbuilt Cycles 
• Mercian 
• Pennine cycles
• Saffron Frame Works 
• Stayer Cycles
• Smithyframe works
• Vernon Barker Cycles 
• Woodrup 
• Crossley metals
• Meteor works
• Lord Cycles
• Willow
• Moss Bikes 
• Sven 
• Ted James
• Demon Frame Works 
• Rothair Cycles
• Smith Frame works

• Bicycle Association predicts return to cycling market growth in 2025 following slower rate of decline last year: https://bicycleassociation.org.uk/news/press-release/71/71-BA-predicts-return-to-cycling-market-growth-in-2025-following-slower-rate-of-decline-last-year

Our thanks go to our 2025 reviewers:

• Rob Wade

We consult with a wide range of practitioners and organisations to review and update the Red List. Some choose to remain anonymous but all feedback is taken into account.

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