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Road to NAHBS 2016: Rob English of English Cycles

Photo by Tina Buescher
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Photo by Trask Bedortha
Photo by Trask Bedortha

The frame building and racing career of Rob English began at an early age. Having built his first bike as a teenager for a school project, his passion for bikes, racing, and engineering drove him to build his first branded bike, a time trial bike, when he could not find any available to work for his unique fit requirements. While he always knew he would work within the bike industry, it was outside interest in his approach and process that really drove him to break out as a frame builder.

BIKERUMOR: What is your origin story? How did your company get its start?

ROB: Bicycles fascinated me from an early age. At 15 I built my first bike as a high school project, then went on to study Mechanical Engineering at university. I spent a few years racing and travelling, doing some freelance bike design work, before landing at Bike Friday in Oregon as their engineer and production manager. After a couple of years of building my bikes in the evenings, I had enough interest to allow me to make the leap to self employment.

Photo by Tina Buescher
Photo by Tina Buescher

BIKERUMOR: Why did you first decide to build your first bike? Who did you build it for?

ROB: Technically I built my first bike in high school, but the first bike that ended up with ‘ENGLISH’ on the downtube was my time trial bike. This was built for myself because I could not get the position I wanted on a production frame – having long arms means I am one of those folk who needs a custom frame. It was very satisfying to then go faster on the new bike – and to show that steel is still a very viable material for performance bikes.

Photo by Tina Buescher
Photo by Tina Buescher

BIKERUMOR: Why did you decide to make a living out of it?

ROB: I was always going to end up working in the bike industry somewhere. I didn’t actually set out to be a custom frame builder, but after building for myself and friends, there was a lot of interest in what I was doing so I decided to see if I could make it work. I feel very fortunate to be able to do this full time.

Photo by August Frank
Photo by August Frank

BIKERUMOR: How has your style changed from your first year? Are you still building what you initially set out to build?

ROB: Looking back at my builds over the last seven years, I think my ‘style’ has remained fairly constant – I definitely take an engineering approach to my work, so my bikes are designed for function. The resulting form reflects this methodology, which perhaps gives me that consistency in style.

Photo by Trask Bedortha
Photo by Trask Bedortha

BIKERUMOR: What got you excited about building bikes when you first started out?

ROB: I have been a bike nerd since I was thirteen and picked up my first bike magazine. As a teenager I couldn’t afford all the fancy parts I wanted, but I had access to a machine shop at school, and I discovered that I could make custom parts myself. It is super satisfying to ride something you have built yourself. That same excitement continues today – I now have more education and tools, and the fun is in figuring out new ways to build and improve.

Photo by Trask Bedortha
Photo by Trask Bedortha

BIKERUMOR: What gets you really stoked about what you do today?

ROB: My customers! Working with them to figure out what their needs and wants are, and translating that into a design that will solve their problems and improve their cycling experience. Knowing who I am building for when I step into the shop keeps me excited and motivated.

Photo by Tina Buescher
Photo by Tina Buescher

BIKERUMOR: What’s the cool thing you’re bringing to the show this year?

ROB: Well, this year it is mostly customer bikes – I think it is pretty cool that they have challenged me with a diverse variety of builds, and have been willing to wait a bit longer for their bikes so I can show them. There will be some new and exciting bikes, but I’m saving everything to reveal in Sacramento.

Photo by Rob English
Photo by Rob English

BIKERUMOR: What advice would you give someone wanting to do what you do?

ROB: I guess the same advice I was given – the actual bike building ends up being the easy bit. All the other aspects of running the business take a lot of time and organization. If you want to do this as a one-person operation, be prepared to be busy and work hard!

Photo by Trask Bedortha
Photo by Trask Bedortha

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16 Comments
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Theodore Essenfeld
8 years ago

I was very fortunate to collaborate with Rob on a custom build over 6 years ago. It was innovative and cutting edge at the time. Some of Rob’s innovations have become mainstream. Others are still unique to his bikes. I still love mine all these years later. I’ve upgraded the drivetrain and given it a new coat of paint. But I am thrilled every time I ride it and people stop to ask me about it at every gathering. If you’re interested in a custom bike, talk to Rob English. You won’t be disappointed.

Joseph Clemenzi
8 years ago

magnificent.

Jami
Jami
8 years ago

One of the most talented builders of our generation.

luddite
luddite
8 years ago

I am looking forward to seeing what is hanging off the bottom of this:
comment image?oh=184944a9cd49a18bf368be78e85b3cc9&oe=575DA4D4

(hope this link works)

cerebis
cerebis
8 years ago
Reply to  luddite

Glad when I looked more closely, that the scale was in lbs not kg.

Ian
Ian
8 years ago

Nothing about his wicked wreck and recovery last year?!?!?!? Come on bikerumor. interview better.

jlg
jlg
8 years ago
Reply to  Ian

What ??? Can you tell us more ?

Craig
Craig
8 years ago

This guy will go down in history as one of the most iconic steel frame builders I’m sure. He has pushed the limits of steel frame design in a unique way that no one else has done. I’m always in awe seeing any of Rob’s frames.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
8 years ago

I’d love to see how his TT bikes fare in the wind tunnel against a modern, carbon bike. They look pretty much on par. Also, Rob is blazing fast but it would be great to see a quantitative comparison

Colin
Colin
8 years ago

The first thing on my list of things to do after I win the lotto is call Rob and say “I’ll take one of everything.”

Alex
Alex
8 years ago

I agree with Jami, Rob makes the most incredible bikes. His attention to detail is astounding.

Kovas
Kovas
8 years ago

@ luddite: It’s just a carbon saddle/post, with Shimano’s new lead acid Di2 battery pack installed…

Erich
Erich
8 years ago

I think Luddite was referring to the English bike that is hanging off the saddle / post combo…

john
john
8 years ago

Best looking frames in the biz

Matt
Matt
8 years ago

One day I just hope to be able to own an ENGLISH! Such amazing work.

Duncan
Duncan
7 years ago

Rob is the benchmark to which all other bike builders should be compared in all aspects of bike building. The engineering, design and functionality are truly the best. Rob’s excitement, passion and cycling lifestyle resonate in the English bikes. I’ll be back for another.

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