Can I buy frame and forks only?

Not anymore, just complete bikes, all the frames on the bikes are individually made to best fit you

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Can I see the bikes?

We have a few of the bikes in our workshop in Hove. If you would like to see them or have a fitting give us a call or email us to arrange a time. 

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What pressure should my tyres be?

We use a variety of tyres. Here are the recommended PSI’s of a selection:

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Schwalbe Marathon Mondial Performance (wired) 26 x 2.0: 35-70 psi

Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour 26 x 2.0: 30-70 psi

Schwalbe Marathon Mondial Performance 700c x 35: 55-85 psi

Schwalbe Marathon Racer 700c x 35: 65-95 psi

Continental Race Kings 26 x 2.0: 50-65 psi      

Schwalbe Nobby Nic 27.5 x 2.4: 23-50 psi

                                                                                                                                                   

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What mudguards fit on the Kibo, Skyelander and Conway?

The Kibo has clearance for a 2.0" tyre with mudguards, we fit them with SKS 65mm width, the Skyelander and Conway we tend to fit with 45mm wide guards. Our preferred mudguard is the SKS Chromoplastic.

                                                                                      

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Why a lugged or fillet brazed frame?

Both of these framebuilding processes create a strong frame, particularly when made by a top framebuilder using quality tubing. With  lugs the contact area between the tube and lug is greater than with other methods which leads to a very strong join. An in-depth study in the '80s, led by the UC Davis engineering department and involving Spectrum Cycles, looked at the relative strengths of various steel joining techniques at the request of "Bicycle Guide”. According to Spectrum "Frames built with silver soldered lugs or fillet brazed will last  considerably longer than those that are welded”.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

A key benefit of both lugged and fillet brazed frames, is the lower temperature required versus welding (e.g. tig welding). From speaking to frame fatigue testers in Germany, welded steel frames seem to struggle in testing versus their brazed/soldered counterparts. This is a general finding and there will undoubtedly be some very well made welded frames that stand up to the test. But for touring bikes such as ours we want to make sure we use the most proven, durable and strongest approaches to our frame building. 

 

In terms of lugged v fillet brazed, this really comes down to the look, although for certain angled top tubes lugs are not available meaning fillet brazing will be required instead of lugs.

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Where do you ship to?

We now ship complete bikes to most places in the world. Email us to give us your postocde and we can check the shipping cost. If you can't see your country in the options when you come to order then email us and we will check the costs and let you know. Please be aware that there will be import and customs taxes when we send outside of the UK, which you will need to pay for when the bike arrives in your country. The bike prices on our website include UK tax, if we are shipping directly to you outside of the UK then we can take the UK VAT off the cost.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

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How long until I get my bike from ordering it?

The lead time is constantly changing depending on how many orders we have and parts' availability. All of our frames are made once you have ordered, we don't hold any stock of frames. The lead time is currently circa 12 weeks.                                                                                                                  

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How long until I get my bike from it being despatched?

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It varies by country. In the UK we use DHL so it's within two working days after the bike has been collected from our premises. 

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If we're sending to the EU, shipping times have increased due to customs hold ups since Brexit. It tends to be between 5 and 10 working days.

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Shipping times cary significantly if being shipped to outside of Europe - please email us your postcode and we will check the cost and shipping times.

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Are shipping dates guaranteed?

We'd love to say yes to this as we know what it's like waiting patiently at home for a delivery and it doesn't arrive. But unfortunately it's not 100% guaranteed. However we've carefully selected our partners and all of the services we use offer track and trace, and they aim to deliver on their estimated delivery date, but it is not guaranteed.                                                                                                  

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What warranty covers my frame or bike?

For our warranty click here                                                                                                                                                                     

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What payment methods can I use?

We offer Paypal as well as online payment by all major debit and credit cards including Visa, Mastercard and American Express. We can also accept BACS transfer if preferred - in fact this is better for us.                                                                                                                                                      

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Which racks do you recommend?

We’re a big fan of Tubus racks - they’re not cheap but they’re very good. For the rear we tend to use the Logo, Cargo or Vega, and on the front the Tara. Other racks can also be fitted, just let us know which you'd like               

                                            

What bottle cages do you recommend?

We've had a good experience with Blackburn cages holding the bottles securely. To match the black Tubus racks the Blackburn Mountain cage is good. Profile Design Side Entry for smaller frames are recommended                                                                         

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Do you sell touch-up paint?

We can order this in for you for most of the standard colours, or we can send you a link to the correct colour if you'd like to purchase it directly with the supplier.

                                                                                               

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How do I stop the rusting of exposed steel parts of the frame?

Exposed areas such as threads in mudguard or rack bosses, or areas that have been exposed through a chip or wear or tear do need attention. We would recommend touch up paint on chips and on exposed threads then use grease                                       

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Will the frame need facing and reaming when I get it?

We finish our frames to a high standard so this won’t be necessary. This includes facing the top and bottom surfaces of the headtube, reaming the head and seat tubes as well as facing the bottom bracket shell.                                                                                 

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How do I stop squeaking brakes? 

If the pads are used then it might be a sign they need replacing. Or try using sandpaper on the pads - that is the method that works for me most often, particularly with Kool Stop salmon pads. You can also try changing the angle of the pad so the front part of the pad touches the rim first i.e. toe in. If it’s a well used rim then give the braking area around the rim a clean.

     

I'm outside of the UK - can VAT be taken off the cost I pay?                                                                                                                       

There is no tax on the shipping cost you see at checkout but VAT is included in the cost of the bike. We're not able to change this on the website but as it will need to be done manually. Email us which bike you're looking to buy and we will email you back an invoice excluding VAT, you can pay this invoice by card or bank transfer. 

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I'm not sure whether to buy a Stanforth Bikes with an ahead stem or quill?   

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There are a few factors which may make you lean towards one over the other:

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Tools needed on an expedition: A big benefit of the ahead is no need to carry a big spanner for the threaded headset

Bar height: both the ahead and quill stems can be adjusted vertically to raise or lower the height, it takes no more than 5 minutes

Stem lengths: It is much easier to change stem lengths on the ahead although this doesn't tend to be required frequently

Strength: This is an interesting one... in frame and fork testing 1 1/8" steerers for ahead tend to be stronger than 1" steerers. However I have seen no evidence that an ahead stem itself is stronger than quill - in fact a singled forged alloy stem such as the Nitto is particularly strong. However you may notice a little bit more flex with the quill due to less stiffness with the narrower stem and steerer.

Aesthetics: Non technical but customers tend to have a strong preference on the looks, some prefer a more modern look of the ahead, some prefer the more classic look of the quill.

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If expedition touring I would recommend the ahead set up.

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Why should I buy a Stanforth bike?

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If you would like the highest quality touring bike then here is the right place.

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The attention to detail is evident in every element of the bikes, from the design of your custom frame to the robustness of the powder coat to the care in the final assembly of the bike.

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The design:

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All of our frames are made bespoke for the customer, based on measurements supplied or data from the fitting. 

A drawing of the bike will be sent to the customer before it is built.

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The tubing:

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We use the best tubing for the job with no compromises, even having Reynolds create custom tubes for our bikes.

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The frame build:

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We have one of the most experienced frame builders in the country building all of our frames, Lee Cooper. He was building frames for my father’s bike company in the 1980’s and forty years later all of his experience and know-how are going into every single frame. 

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Frame customisation:

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Each frame is different based on the individual customer, and we can customise beyond geometry by including specific brae-ons if required, for example a pump peg, chain hanger etc

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Powder coating:

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We don’t just carry out a standard powder coat and then apply a decal, we first powder the frame and it goes in the oven, we then powder it again and it goes back in the oven for a second time, we then apply the decals and a clear powder lacquer over the whole frame and it goes back in the oven for a third time. This one example of our attention detail and extra effort which sets us apart from competitors. 

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Touring expertise:

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Bike touring is my passion and speciality which is why the range is 100% touring bikes. Having started bike touring myself when I was 15 years old I have a 35 years of first hand experience, that combined with a lifetime of working with bikes in my father's bike company including on the factory floor as a teen to the design, gives me the expertise needed to make the ultimate touring bikes for my customers

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