Cycling boost U.K economy by £3bn

[just jim]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14610857

I'd say this is a good bit of news about the economy amidst all the doom 'n' gloom.

 

[dellzeqq]

sort of. Those of us who are old enough to remember frame builders in Nottingham, Birmingham and all over South London will be struck by the tiny proportion of bicycles by value originating in the UK. I accept that the price of bikes landing from Taiwan or wherever is probably only half the retail price, but it's still the case that the balance of trade is negative, and it's a shame that we have turned away from making stuff like bikes.

 

[just jim]

Yes, we are very good at the high end stuff, like Brompton, Mercian, Enigma, and also yer Brooks (owned by Selle) and Carradice, and Pendle bike carriers, but those containers full of frames keep on coming...

 

[dellzeqq]

Yes, we are very good at the high end stuff, like Brompton, Mercian, Enigma, and also yer Brooks (owned by Selle) and Carradice, and Pendle bike carriers, but those containers full of frames keep on coming...

the odd thing is that the UK does a lot of high-end engineering, and you'd have thought that a country that can produce composite aircraft wings would have had no problem with advanced frames or wheels. My suspicion is that UK engineering management doesn't get customer service.

 

[stowie]

the odd thing is that the UK does a lot of high-end engineering, and you'd have thought that a country that can produce composite aircraft wings would have had no problem with advanced frames or wheels. My suspicion is that UK engineering management doesn't get customer service.

Or, of course, that there is simply not enough money in the frames to make it worthwhile.

Does the UK not produce local very high end frames (carbon etc.)?