Titanium bikes are known for a ride quality that’s hard to match, yet fewer and fewer are built in the UK each year. That question sits at the heart of a recent conversation between Enigma founder Jim Walker and Robin Johnson on the Yours for the Making podcast, a show built around the stories of people who make things by hand. It’s one of the most in-depth conversations Jim’s given about Enigma, running through nearly fifty years in the cycling industry, the realities of welding titanium, and why Enigma has spent two decades building in Britain rather than moving production overseas.
In This Episode
- Building titanium bike frames in Britain, and the real challenges of welding titanium by hand
- The rise and decline of UK bicycle manufacturing
- What gives titanium its distinctive ride quality
- Custom bike fitting and bespoke frame design
- Electronic shifting, integrated cockpits, and obsolescence mitigation
- Surviving the cycling industry post-covid
- Premium, made-to-last bikes vs price-driven competition
- The benefits of repairing a frame rather than replacing it
Watch the full episode below, or listen on to the whole conversation on Spotify here.
About Yours for the Making
Yours for the Making is hosted by Robin Johnson, founder of Johnson Bespoke and a familiar face from BBC shows including The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers and Woodland Workshop. Each episode is a conversation with a different maker, from furniture designers to metal fabricators, about the craft, and the graft, behind what they do.
Curious about the bikes discussed in the episode? Browse our collection of road bikes and gravel bikes, or book a bike fit and chat with us about a custom build of your own.