tom_geraghtyI think some of the orange hardtails might now be made in taiwan, but the full suss and top spec hardtails are UK built, i think. Back when i had an orange clockwork in 1994, that was UK built for sure.
The Empire stuff is mental, and amazingly innovative. There are quite a few "boutique style" bike manufacturers coming out at the moment, especially in downhill, where the technology can still really evolve.
Other very notable UK bike co's are Hope Technology (http://www.hopetech.com/) - respected worldwide for their braking components, and Pace - but they're not as big as they used to be. http://www.pacecycles.com/
DocumentallyHi Tom. Nice links. Are both those bikes actually made in the UK then.. not Taiwan? Am liking the Empire stuff.
tom_geraghtyOther significant British bike manufacturers include Orange (http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/main/index.php) and the very interesting Empire (http://www.empire-cycles.com/), but there are loads more, and i'd kind of disagree with the comment that they're the smaller "back street" outfits.
Good point about independent bike shops though. It must be pretty tough when you've got businesses like Chain Reaction online, and I know quite a few people who will go to an independent for advice, but then actually buy the stuff online to save (a considerable amount of) money. I try to support my local bike shop when i can, and you absolutely can't beat the service that you get from a indie good bike shop.
