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TECH NEWS
Craddock Cycles offer made in the UK carbon fibre frames
How many British carbon fibre frame manufacturers can you name? You might struggle to name any at all, but newly launched Craddock Cycles aims to change that.
The new company has its own composite production facility in Worcestershire and can produce a bespoke carbon frame, with a maximum production run of 50 frames a year. They’re not cheap, at £3,100 each, but remember these are frames manufactured right here in the UK.
The brand is named after founder Richard Craddock. He has loads of experience in the cycle industry with a composites research, engineering and fabrication background. He’s just complete the research and development on the laminates and joining methods for the frames, and says that the first test batch have passed rig stress testing and been ridden hard on the road.
Craddock construct each frame with precisely mitred roll wrapped carbon tubes before wrapping the joints with pre-impregnated carbon fibre, and then curing the frame under pressure in an oven, much the same process as many top-end carbon frames. The process allows for custom geometry, as well as being able to optimise the frame for its intended use and rider weight through tube choice. The fitting process involves using body dimensions, weight, agility, handling preference, required stiffness and compliance, and colour choice, to create a fully custom frame.
The frame, based on the photos we’ve been sent, certainly look the business, with smooth lines and a clean finish. Attention to detail extends to moulded carbon cable stops, bonded to the tube to avoid the use of drilled holes and rivets, along with carbon dropouts and bottle cage mounts bonded to the tube, rather than drilling the tube. You can choose any colour paint you want as well.
We’re going to work on getting a closer look and hopefully a ride on one next year. In the meantime, head over to the website for a closer look www.craddockcycles.co.uk
The only other example of a UK built carbon frames is Moda with their development of a carbon frame made by an automotive company. That has yet to see the light of day though.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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34 comments
We're Legend dealers and I'm lucky enough to have been to the Legend factory and seen the process, craftsmanship and time taken to build a frame in this way. It takes a long time, a lot of skill and a lot more equipment than "just a jig" to make a frame like this well.
There really is no comparison between a frame like this and a Chinese off the peg. I've not looked at detail at the Craddock bikes yet (but certainly will as they look like a real quality product), but I'd imagine that (like Legend) the building process is totally bespoke. With Legend you can select either internal or external or Di2 specific cable routing, integrated or standard seat post, any type of bottom bracket you want, a vast choice of colours and finishes (all hand painted) and can even request changes to the stiffness, ride and handling of a frame. Think buying a Saville Row bespoke suit rather than something from Burton. I've often spent 20 hours or so working with a customer before we even send the fitting geometry off to the factory, plus another 2 or 3 hours in a final fitting session.
I wouldn't suggest that everyone should be riding a frame like this, as clearly they're beyond the budget of a lot of people. Having said that, there's certainly a market for them as there is also a market for Chinese frames (and Burton suits) that cost much less.
It's great to see Craddock for manufacturing in the UK. Looking forward to seeing a few out on the road.
I have to say that this is one of the few carbon fibre frames that i'd be interested in - no riveted cable stops so no holes in the tubing makes me think they've really thought about the construction.
In a way they sound like a UK version of Parlee and this one is also built in the UK which impresses me even more rather than being farmed out to Asia for higher profits - we really should be supporting our own manufacturing industry.
Can't believe some of the ill informed comments above though, that's the problem with forums i suppose but i expected more of Road.cc readers.
Just to note as far as location and global shipping -
Where I work (litho print) we lost a few companies to overseas (china) and they can do the printing, finishing and packaging of products as well as shipping for far less that what we can do for just the printing. Were not over priced, thats just how it is I guess.
I should also say that I heard from another printers that they had a client having advent calendars printed in China, they got the calendars back and were missing a vital piece, the numbers.
There still trying to get a refund but its not looking good, and ended up printing with a UK based company.
Moral of the story? You get what you pay for.
I with they were $17, there are agents in China selling them direct for about £400
I would think if they were $17 the agents would sell them for around £100 and there would be thousands of "custom" Chinerello builders setting up business
"With the "factory gate" price of a Chinese carbon frame rumoured to be just 17 (yes, seventeen) dollars, "
I heard that one, a bloke said, down the pub. Must be true )
Price debate aside it looks the business. Nice one!
When you compare the price with similar offerings from Parlee, Legend etc, it is on a par. Add to that it's built in the UK and it's not unattractive.
£3100 for that thing? That's about the same as a Guru Photon SL custom. If I'm paying that much, why am I not getting internally routed cables? There is very little color choice compared with the guru as well and it doesn't look like they do builds... Not sure why I would buy one of these over the guru...
Madi, not everyone wants internal cables, personally i would not buy a frame with internal cables. As for very little colour choice, did you read the bit where it said you could have any colour you like?
How much does the frameset weigh?
...yet another 'recession busting' frame...cos' we can all afford a frame that costs much more than a car these days....
I'll never afford a McLaren MP4-12C however I'm glad they exist and that they provide good jobs for skilled and qualified people in Britain. Isn't making stuff and employing people generally a good way of increasing the nation's economy?
If nowt else its something to aspire to, and one day you might just get the chance to overtake some chubby banker MAMIL who's got one.
Hear hear.
I don't really get this. It's right at the top end and it has a price to match. If you can't afford it, get one of the pretty much infinite number of excellent options > £2k cheaper. I sure couldn't afford one, but I can say that about lots of other things too.
Your logic seems to be that nobody should make anything that not everybody can afford?
Anyway, I really like it. Nice and simple. Reminds me a bit of a CF version of some of the Shand steel bikes. Good luck to him. Although I have to say in his position I'd maybe have chosen another name to put on it. Shallow maybe but there it is.
Really like that. Very tidy.
What's the difference to a ride on a Craddock bike and a cook....ones a pant in the country and the other bakes a fine cake.
I thank you....
He's here all week, available for birthdays, weddings, bar mitzvahs, reasonable rates apply etc etc
Nice looking frame, shame the name isnt a little more evocative or dynamic.
When I started reading this, I thought the retail price would be about £500
With the "factory gate" price of a Chinese carbon frame rumoured to be just 17 (yes, seventeen) dollars, the only reason for high prices is the supply chain and shipping, costs that would arguably be less for UK manufactured products. Sure, labour would be more, but how many hours does it take to mould a frame? Surely it's a matter of hours, rather than weeks.
Investment in equipment, materials, workshop, not to mention the countless hours of development that has gone into each frame, has to be factored in here.
It's not quite as easy as popping some carbon in a mould, cook for 30mins at 200 degrees, whack a sticker on the down tube and you're done. The costs of carbon fibre frames have only reduced to the prices they have as a result of several decades of development and manufacturing expertise. Carbon was mighty expensive when it first arrived in the cycling industry, it was far from affordable, like it could be argued it is now
All the above and also, if you read the article and it's clear from looking at the pictures, this is not a 'cookie cutter' moulded frame but is produced from mitred tubes with wrapped joints. This is the same method as the Condor Legerro, of which a video of the manufacturing method was featured on this site recently.
Production batch size is always a factor and these frames being 'made to measure' effectively have a batch size of one, as opposed to, possibly, thousands for a far-eastern moulded frame. It's like comparing Saville Row to Primark.
I did indeed read the full article, noting the construction method (in other words, no expensive mould required, just a jig, like any traditional frame builder would have) and the location (in other words, no expensive global shipping required).
The input price of carbon is surprisingly low, as evidenced by FOB prices of eastern frames (as I write this the cheapest one I can find is $19), and at least part of the manufacturing process appears to be cutting and mitering tubes, and mounting them in a jig, similar to the method used by steel frame builders.
A custom frame sounds great, but I was merely expressing surprise at the price being asked.
The price doesn't seem that out there after looking at how guru makes their bikes, I'd bet the process is similar. Guru runs a clean room for part of their process, having worked in a silicon clean room those are incredibly expensive to build and run. We actually rented ours out sometimes, it was crazy how much an hour in there went for. Just that makes me think the price is worthy, but to go on they cnc their own molds in house. I don't really care for this bike because I feel like they didn't do their design well, external cables are just annoying these days. Also looks like di2 would be annoying to get on it. Guru's website is quite a bit more robust too.
Check out the process, it's pretty neat and makes you appreciate the cost of custom carbon.
http://www.bikerumor.com/2013/12/10/factory-tour-guru-cycles-part-1-offi...
http://www.bikerumor.com/2013/12/11/factory-tour-guru-cycles-part-2-buil...
Where did you find frames for $19 each? Do you have a link or some more information?
Why one earth would it be 500 quid? Really ....
For some open-mould end of line junk, possibly once, ie on alibaba where they cleared out those old fake things that looked a bit weird : )
Fanny
You can just imagine can't you, "What kind of bike have you got ?".
I suppose it could appeal to sportive riders as they're mostly.........
You realise this is the guys name?
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