Best of British: The UK-based bike brands at Rouleur Live 2022
Who will be exhibiting the finest of British innovation in November this year?
The British bike industry is thriving. From high-performance race bikes, to gravel bikes, to e-bikes, there’s choices for everyone. At Rouleur Live 2022, we’ve handpicked four British-based bike brands to exhibit who are making waves in the cycling industry. Be it Ribble, a brand with a long and deep-rooted history in the UK cycling scene, or Reap, a company fresh to the market who are looking to do things differently, there is plenty to see at Rouleur Live this year.
Ribble
Ribble is a brand steeped in British heritage. First founded in the 1800s when it became a manufacturer of steel frames to provide an alternative to the traditional Penny Farthings that dominated the market, the brand has gone from strength to strength ever since. From providing the bikes for the England Olympic team in 1956 to creating some of the most stunning and forward-thinking frame designs on the market, Ribble has a traditional history, but it isn’t afraid to think differently and excel in the modern era.
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This year, Ribble will be celebrating its 125th anniversary at Rouleur Live 2022, showcasing some of the retro-models that helped make its name, while also exhibiting its latest feat of modern innovation: the Ribble Ultra. Released in 2021, it’s a bike which turned heads all over the cycling world for its unique tubing shapes and aerodynamic advances, including a lack of bar tape. Originally described as “the bat bike”, the Ultra is an example of Ribble’s drive to set itself apart from the crowd, while also having models which hark back to the reason behind the brand’s inception “creating real bikes for real people.”
Image: Sean Hardy/Ribble
Ribble is also a proud sponsor of UK-based UCI Continental teams Le Col-Wahoo and Ribble-Weldtite, providing race bikes for both squads throughout the season. This means Ribble bikes have been ridden in races from the Tour de France Femmes and the Tour of Britain, and riders from Le Col-Wahoo will be at Rouleur Live talking about this on stage. The mastermind behind Ribble’s eye-catching designs, Head of product Jamie Burrow, will also appear on stage to talk about the future of cycling technology.
Evari
With all bikes designed and manufactured in the UK, Evari places a focus on embodying quintessential British values in everything it does. The brand takes a new approach to manufacturing e-bikes, with the Evari 856 model at the forefront of its range. Made with carbon fibre and titanium as its two key materials (a carbon fibre frame, forks, seat post and a titanium bolt package and bolt system) and equipped with Bosch Performance line cx motor, the 856 is a showcase of the level of performance that can be achieved with an e-bike when using the best materials and components in a eye-catching design.
Image: Courtesy of Evari
Every detail has been thought of in Evari’s design: the bike sees a Rohloff E14 electronic shifting speedhub, Gates Carbon Drive and has fully integrated lights in the seat post and Evari one-piece carbon fibre handlebars, perfect for everyday safety or riding when the light begins to fade. The bike also comes equipped with Evari carbon wheels on DT Swiss hubs with stopping power provided by Magura.
At Rouleur Live 2022, Evari will be launching the new Evari 856 CS with the option to choose custom colours for free, allowing the bike to be personalised and imaginative. Evari will also bring some of the finest paint schemes they have on offer such as a "coloured clear coat” which provides a deep piano-like finish with a hint of colour whilst also showing the carbon fibre weave.
Condor
Condor is a name synonymous with the British bike scene. The brand first opened its doors in 1948 and has gone on to create bikes for pop stars, Olympians and royalty ever since. Riders like Bradley Wiggins, Tao Geoghegan Hart and Ed Clancy have ridden Condor bikes at some of the highest levels of the sport gaining World Championship medals and multiple national titles in the process. Those who have followed the UK grassroots racing scene will be aware of the Rapha Condor team, which dominated British domestic races in the early 2000s.
Image: Benedict Campbell
All of Condor’s bikes are handmade in Italy, with the brand determined not to move its manufacturing to the Far East, as is the trend in today’s industry. This means that Condor has oversight on the quality of all its frames, making everything from race bikes to gravel-ready machines, to bikes for urban riding. Personalisation is also key to Condor’s ethos, allowing riders to pick the colourway of their frames and also offering bike fit options (with the choice of custom geometry if recommended by the brand’s in-house bike fitters.)
At Rouleur Live 2022, Condor will be showcasing some of its finest craftsmanship with a bespoke, custom-painted frame made specifically to exhibit in London.
Reap
Releasing its first bike in 2014, Reap is a fresh brand in the UK-based bike market. It places a focus on high-performance, with founder, Martin Meir, deciding to launch the bike after being dissatisfied with the other options on the market. Due to Meir’s background in triathlon, Reap first launched a time trial bike which was raced in events like the Ironman World Championships. It has since expanded its horizons to create the Vekta Road Bike and Raptor track bike –engineered with the help of seven-time Olympic Gold medal winner, Jason Kenny.
Image: Courtesy of Reap
As well as being a former professional triathlete, Meir also has a background in advanced composite engineering, working with brands such as Bentley in the past and showcasing cutting-edge innovation. Understandably, this means that Reap cut no corners when it comes to creating the best bikes on offer, ensuring that its bikes are handmade in the UK to each customer’s specifications. With extensive windtunnel testing and advanced aerodynamics, Reap describes the Vekta Road bike as “one of the very fastest aero-road bikes in the world.” In London this November, Reap will be unveiling a special, new version of the Vekta at Rouleur Live.
Cover image: Sean Hardy
