Britain has always been at the forefront of innovation in the bike industry and, at Rouleur Live, we are proud to showcase the cream of the UK crop. Brands such as Condor and Ribble, who are as integral to the domestic cycling scene as coffee and cake, will feature alongside newer faces like Enigma, Reap, Shand and Meteor Works, who are at the cutting edge with new materials and methods.
Displaying at Rouleur Live is a big deal for the bike brands, and they’ve all put a huge amount of thought and effort into creating a unique experience on their stand that you won't see anywhere else. It's also not unknown for a new model to actually be launched at Rouleur Live. You’ll see special one-off builds, prototypes, custom paint and 3D-printed components – and you’ll get to meet the people behind the bikes, too. So we’re going to take a look at six of the best British brands who are exhibiting at Britain’s best bike show.
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Condor
Founded in 1948 by Monty Young, this famous London brand has, for three-quarters of a century, supplied bikes for Olympians, pop stars and royalty, with customers including Bradley Wiggins, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton. Condors have been ridden to World Championship medals, multiple national titles, the Tour de France, and, of course, up and down the King’s Road.
Condor frames are all made in Italy, whether from carbon fibre, aluminium or steel. Its frame builders are craftsmen with many years of experience in welding and constructing with precision. As you’d expect, each frame is finished to the highest standard and then built for each customer at the Grays Inn Road shop, where a bike fit is included.
Condor has a history of bringing special bikes to Rouleur Live. For the 2024 edition, it will showing off the new aero Leggero in a custom finish with Campagnolo Super Record Wireless. There will also be a Condor Acciaio Stainless in gloss latte, a Gravel Stainless and an Acciaio Disc, the new steel all-road disc bike with 34mm clearance, which it updated earlier this year. It's in a celeste colour that Condor first used in 2010 when it added the steel road model (with rim brakes) to the line. And last but not least, a special Condor Italia RC Disc in a custom colour, especially for the show with the new Super Record S Wireless.
Ribble
The original Ribble Cycles opened for business in 1897, next door to the Grand Junction pub on Water Lane, Preston, making its own frames just as many bike shops did. Ribble was the official sponsor of the British Olympic cycling team in 1956, and later, Ribbles were ridden by Chris Boardman, Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas and Dan Bigham.
In the 21st century, the brand has sponsored multiple racing teams, launched the revolutionary Ultra aero platform and is currently behind the exciting new Ribble Rebellion and Ribble Collective setups – don’t miss sponsored pro gravel rider Maddy Nutt on stage on Friday 15.
At last year’s Rouleur Live, Ribble brought a prototype titanium version of its new Allroad, a metal bike that had the sleek, flowing lines of a carbon monocoque thanks to its 3D-printed sections. This year, the finished version, just launched, will be on display along with three superbikes from the new Allroad range featuring hand-painted finishes and an inscription reading ‘Rouleur Live x Ribble 24’.
In the Gravel Gallery, Ribble will be showcasing Ribble’s Maddy Nutt’s uniquely illustrated Gravel SL, a very personal bike with a design that was hand drawn by her sister Tabitha featuring personal stories, inspiring quotes, family insights and icons that help remind Maddy of her journey.
Reap
Reap as a bike brand is a relative newcomer at just 10 years old, but founder Martin Meir has 30 years’ experience as a composites engineer. His company has produced automotive interiors for Bentley and built carbon-fibre hulls for the Gibbs Humdinga, an amphibious rescue vehicle – and like those, every Reap frame is made at Meir’s factory in Stoke-on-Trent.
Reap positions itself as a disruptor, asking: " How can brands claim to have revolutionary technology in their bike when it is manufactured by the same people, in the same factory in Asia, in the same way as maybe five other brands' bikes?"
Reap’s first bike was the Vulcan, a radical beam-style TT bike, then came the Vekta, a high-performance aero road bike, which we reviewed and absolutely loved, and at this year’s Rouleur Live, the brand is exhibiting its first gravel race bike in an exclusive preview. Reap’s Ben Meir promises to pull back the curtain and reveal how the entire process from initial drawings to rideable prototype works – with everything happening in the UK, of course, including the carbon manufacturing. Reap’s deadline for finishing the prototype has been Rouleur Live. This promises to be a fascinating insight.
Enigma
East Sussex-based Enigma Bicycle Works specialises in handcrafted titanium, producing its frames in the UK in a significant quantity that founder Jim Walker says makes the brand unique and unmatched. Everything is done in-house with a high level of precision from design through frame building, finishing, painting and final assembly. The advantage of keeping every stage under one roof is that Enigma is able to check and verify the quality of the workmanship and materials to ensure the end product is worthy of its logo.
Now in its 18th year, Enigma says the knowledge and experience gained – some of it hard won – makes the brand what it is today, the UK’s leading premium titanium bike brand. And to demonstrate its devotion to the art of British craftsmanship, at Rouleur Live Enigma will launch its new Explor flat-bar ‘Signature’ titanium adventure bike, handcrafted to order in its Hailsham workshop. Enigma’s Jim Walker says: “This will be the first frame we’ve produced where we have shaped all the tubing ourselves rather than buy pre-profiled tubing from a third party. In addition, the frame will feature a cerakote finish applied in-house – cerakote is a ceramic coating which is super-thin, super tough and available in a range of stunning colours.”
Enigma will also be showing off the new 2025 version of its Esker titanium gravel bike that will be built using Reynolds 3AL 2.5V titanium tubing. “A brilliant bike to ride, totally sustainably produced and as British as fish and chips,” says Walker.
Shand
Founded in Livingston, Scotland, in 2003, Shand describes its business as “focused on designing and hand building bespoke frames and bikes made especially with the beautiful mountain trails, gravel paths and scenic roads of our home country in mind.” And Shand’s philosophy is simple: “Ride more and discover more in order to feel better and do better.”
Originally making custom one-off frames to order, Shand quickly moved to larger premises. The team grew to include specialist welders and painters, invested in tooling and growing its custom range and in 2023 relocated to Coventry under new owners Rideworks, who had for many years supplied Shand with UK-made parts such as the eccentric bottom brackets, headsets for the Stooshie and seat clamp for the Rizello.
Today, the range is expansive, with every cycling discipline covered, whether road, gravel, mountain or touring, with a mix of made-to-measure and off-the-peg geometry on offer.
Shand is a huge advocate for the 14-speed Rohloff Speedhub, which, equipped with the Gates Carbon Belt Drive, not only is a simple, low-maintenance gearing system but also has a super clean aesthetic and a 520% gear range. Shand offers versions of some of its bikes specifically designed around it, and for Rouleur Live – the brand’s first time at the show – it’s bringing two Rohloff bikes: the Stooshie, in full-on commuter build, plus a special gravel bike with suspension and 50mm tyres.
Meteor Works
Meteor Works’ Lee Prescott has been designing and hand-building frames for over 30 years and has worked with some of the world’s premier brands. He studied industrial design at Coventry University where he formed a relationship with the design team at Raleigh Special Products. His end-of-degree exhibition showcased a versatile suspension system that could be used on high-end and utilitarian bikes alike, which was patented by the University and used commercially for many years.
He’s also a bike-fitting specialist and a founding member of the Velo Atelier Bicycle Studio, which pioneered the Clinical Bike Fit™ protocol. Lee helped to write the official International Bike Fit Institute textbook on bike fitting and is president of the institute. If you’re looking for a beautifully made bike with perfect proportions, head to Meteor Works’ HQ just outside Warwick.
As well as the made-to-measure frames, Meteor Works also offers the Aesir, a versatile all-road bike designed to excel over a variety of terrains, with off-the-peg geometry. At this year's Rouleur Live, the brand will launch the MkII version of the Aesir. Handbuilt in Warwickshire using Reynolds 853 steel, it's ideal for touring, bikepacking, commuting, gravel riding and CX racing, and it retains the signature Ergonomic Design Geometry crafted by Prescott.
Alongside the Aesir MkII, Meteor Works will debut a state-of-the-art custom road bike featuring the revolutionary Classified gear system and a bespoke 3D-printed titanium cockpit from fellow British brand Metron, showcasing the brand’s commitment to innovation and craftsmanship – this stand is bound to be a huge head-turner.
Find out more about Meteor Works
