Some might be interested to read this story from today's Sunday Times. Maybe one or two of our posters work there or buy their bikes.

Cycling boom proves a moneyspinner for fleet-footed British manufacturers

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/11b4 ... 8f39f24218

Lengthy article.

Opening paras:

If there’s an order for 1,000 bicycle brakes, Ian Weatherill can deliver the goods within days. Aluminium washers? He can do those, too. His factory in Barnoldswick, Lancashire, churns out hundreds of thousands of top-of-the range components for manufacturers racing to meet the growing demand from bike enthusiasts.

For the past few months, Weatherill’s factory has been running overtime. Sales at his business, Hope Technology, rose by 25% last month compared to this time last year. Manufacturing in the UK has given him an advantage over larger rivals, and he has taken on more staff, with machines operating 24 hours a day. “There’s massive demand for everything we make,” said Weatherill, 58. “The big manufacturers will put in an order to Malaysia or China and they can’t get it in quick enough. Shops are running out of bikes.”

Weatherill is one small part of a big phenomenon.

Great positive for the town and good to hear that they are booming for business.

Buy British...

Must be time to nationalize it.

Must be time to nationalize it.

Twice infact

Maybe he can employ those losing their jobs at Silentnight, Rolls Royce and the holiday cottage place in Earby

They make excellent parts, pretty much as good as you can get. Not cheap though.

Great lad is Ian,worked at Rolls for many a year before starting Hope tech with his mate Simon,

Ian is an ex-pupil of Colne Primet High School....

I love stories like this and if they can employ a few of those who have lost their jobs elsewhere good for them.

Once upon a time we used to manufacture everything.

I wonder what happened?

MRG wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2020 5:12 pm

Maybe he can employ those losing their jobs at Silentnight, Rolls Royce and the holiday cottage place in Earby

Silentnight are very busy atm no job losses there. Where did you hear this?

karatekid wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2020 10:18 pm

Silentnight are very busy atm no job losses there. Where did you hear this?

Let him sleep on it he might be getting confused with westons in nearby earby I believe some of them are going.

Read about this company before. Good luck to them. Good publicity for them.

Think that's one of the companies Guy Martin gets his bespoke engineered kits from when doing world record speed attempts.

Had Hope stuff for years on various bikes, always well made. I do like supporting a British designed and manufactured product. Good luck to them.

dougcollins wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2020 10:07 pm

Once upon a time we used to manufacture everything.

I wonder what happened?

We weren't very good at it?

Turfy Topper wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 11, 2020 12:20 pm

We weren't very good at it?

On the contrary, we were good at it.

But somebody decided it cost too much.

dougcollins wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 11, 2020 10:27 pm

On the contrary, we were good at it.

But somebody decided it cost too much.

Absolutely we were good at it. Quality costs, and in the high demand for cheap consumer goods world, accountants rule. And we ALL want cheap gear right? “Hey, these Chinese brakes are every bit as good as your H....... oh ****!”

Not a coincidence this area was massive in the engineering manufacture field. After cotton, we became bloody good engineers.

Hope gear is as good as it gets.

£6300 for a mountain bike.
And people wonder why we buy Chinese imports.

No they don’t. People KNOW why we buy Chinese imports....(that’s the royal ‘we’ because I won’t touch ‘em) because they are massively mass produced by people earning next to nothing, and the raw materials are (generally) sub standard and made from pig iron so cost less in every respect. But they are “engineered” and manufactured to LOOK the same as quality items. They most certainly are not the same.

Don’t wanna spend £6300 on a mountain bike? Don’t - you don’t have to. You can spend £1000 and get something really good. Or you can spend £100 and get one Designed in China, built in China and imported from China. That saves you £900.

Good luck.