Gerard Brown - The Elite Bicycle : Portraits of Great Marques, Makers and Designers.

This electronic edition published in 2014 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Published 2013 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP

Copyright 2013 photographs by Gerard Brown

Copyright 2013 text by Graeme Fife

Copyright 2013 photograph of Paul Smith by Alistair Strong

The right of Gerard Brown and Graeme Fife to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

ISBN (print) 978-1408-1-7095-3

ISBN (ePub) 978-1408-1-8661-9

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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CONTENTS

FOREWORD

In a world which is filled with too much of everything it has never been more important to be making things by hand by artisans and specialists. Having a craft is so crucial. Unfortunately, over the last 25 years the obsession with mass production, expansion and greed has been prolific. This wonderful book, The Elite Bicycle , really celebrates the passion of people who are still content to make things, in small quantities, by hand. Im really proud of the people in this book. They are real craftsmen. Its about an attitude and state of mind and this book celebrates this state of mind.

SIR PAUL SMITH

INTRODUCTION

The modern bicycle can, thanks to the availability of a rich variety of frames and components, be adapted to the needs and purposes of many different types of cyclist: for sport, (on road, track, country), commuting, touring, modest excursion for pleasure, for leisure as well as for extreme levels of athletic discipline.

The diversity of bicycle manufacture reflects the burgeoning popularity of and interest in a machine whose essential design has not changed since its invention. At one end of the spectrum, the Asian mass production factories, relatively new on the scene, have brought efficient and enjoyable cycling to millions at very reasonable prices. At the other end, the specialist market and the individual constructeur who makes or builds one bicycle specifically for one buyer at a time. There is, too, the larger specialist enterprise, the hi-tech operation which applies aerospace engineering and production methods and quality. They, as all the people included here, compromise neither on materials nor technical values in the making of what they consider to be the best bicycle that can be made. Todays cyclists are fortunate indeed to have their needs and wants supplied by such a large and diverse industry dedicated to their safety and comfort and performance.

Elite identifies the very best, and the following series of profiles is a snapshot of the top end of the bicycle production industry, focusing on 29 companies which merit that epithet. The selection is not comprehensive. It is, rather, a portrait of a small cadre of exceptional makers and enterprises which combine traditional craftsmanship and new technology in the manufacture of the essential component parts of a bicycle. From the production of a 500g leather saddle which hasnt changed for almost a century, to the fashioning of a carbon-fibre frame which weighs a mere 800g. Nor is lite the monopoly of professional racing. Superlative materials and technology have been applied to every facet of cycling.

The people weve met in the course of researching this book, all highly-skilled exponents of their respective crafts, are dedicated and passionate men and women who understand the value, and not simply the price, of what they produce. Quality before cost. We felt that these craftsmen, artists and engineers should be celebrated more widely and generously. They fuse traditional values with a constant thirst for innovation. Steel, for example, once the darling of the bicycle industry but long since overtaken by aluminium, carbon and titanium, is being used again, with superior modern production methods, and thus introduced to a new generation. HG Wells said Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.

Now we may add to that sentiment, with a flourish and delight, children. Here, then, are men and women who, in workshops small and large, with hand tools and machines, celebrate and grace the culture of the bicycle and impart to it a singular dose of their enthusiasm, intellectual and manual brilliance, their creative drive and devotion to the making of the lite bicycle.

Gerard Brown

Graeme Fife

BROOKS

SADDLES Smethwick, West Midlands, UK