Cooper Bikes

Not Ron Cooper bikes, but bikes made by the people that brought you the Mini Cooper.

http://www.cooperbikes.com/road-bikes.html
http://www.evanscycles.com/search?query=cooper&x=0&y=0

There isn't a single thread concerning these bikes on the forum, and I was interested in peoples opinions.
They were released in 2009 and don't update the model spec each year, so there never discounted. They just stick with the same models running the same spec.

All the news articles (read paid advertisments) are pretty gushing about their use of British parts. Is the praise actually warranted?

These have been discussed in the OTP thread and are said to be deeply inferior and incredibly overpriced.

It's not exactly cutting edge technology so all the parts are tried and tested. How much the Cooper tie-in marketing is worth to you will help you decide if the prices are fair.

Do they have any real connection with the designers of the Mini Cooper? Alex Moulton designed the suspension for those... and he's done the bike thing already.

GA2G, thanks for that. I'll check that thread out.

Its a very long thread to trawl through, so if it helps, I'll break it down to components.

Cooper T100 Spa 2011
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cooper/t100-spa-2011-single-speed-road-bike-ec026012

Frame:Reynolds 520 Cr Mo Steel track frame - TIG welded
Number of Gears:1
Chainset:Sturmey Archer FCT22 6061 polished forged alloy 165mm crank arm, square taper
Chainrings:42 tooth 7075 anodised alloy CNC machined
Bottom Bracket:Sun Race sealed cartridge
Chain:KMC Z510 HX 1/8" x 1/2"
Pedals:Wellgo LU-962 silver all alloy
Front Brake:Tektro R530 dual pivot forged aluminium arms in polished silver with adjustable cartridge pads
Rear Brake:Tektro R530 dual pivot forged aluminium arms in polished silver with adjustable cartridge pads
Brake Levers:Tektro RL720 forged aluminium lever and bracket
Handlebars:Cooper track bar - polished alloy Width 420mm
Stem:Forged alloy 10deg drop 110mm ext. Polished alloy
Headset:FSA 11/8" threadless A-head
Grips:Brooks green leather tape
Rims:Alex R475 700C 30mm Black with CSW and WJ technology
Front Hub:Formula TH-50 large flange sealed bearing silver
Rear Hub:Formula TH-51 large flange sealed bearing silver 16 tooth freewheel / 16 tooth fixed gear
Spokes:Deep profile 32 spoke
Front Tyre:Continental 700x28c
Rear Tyre:Continental 700x28c
Saddle:Brooks B15 Swallow in green with chrome rail
Seatpost:Alloy silver single bolt fixing
Weight:9.95kg

Nothing above, apart from the real Brooks saddle, isn't a bargain basement Chinese part. Even the frame is of relatively low tech, and heavy. Its barely worth £500.oo, much less close to £800.oo. British parts? That would only be the saddle, bar-tape, and the Chinese produced chainset, which are made for a formerly UK company, Sturmey Archer.

I saw them at the bikeshow 2010, and I hated them. All that poncy 'retro' crap about 'swinging 60s' London and all that shit. Maybe Pashley need a competitor for flogging gas-pipe 'retro' but I for one would rather buy a beater 70s falcon.

Rode a Cooper Sebring for 2 years - 100+ miles a week pretty much flat out in London - faultless - fast...Er thats it - oh and £450. I'd buy another. However my son paid £200 for a Chinese knock off and its just as good - so maybe the same bike! His is quieter! I dont get it frankly.

Rode a Cooper Sebring for 2 years - 100+ miles a week pretty much flat out in London - faultless - fast...Er thats it - oh and £450. I'd buy another. However my son paid £200 for a Chinese knock off and its just as good - so maybe the same bike! His is quieter! I dont get it frankly.

Do you know what the chinese knock off was? would be interested to see!
I think they are very overpriced, but look pretty to the general public. spec isnt very well thought through.

products like this... all marketing. all disposable. all wasteful. theres not a single other ingredient. aside from a few naive miles.

not everyone needs to be born knowing whats up, but shit like this has no place in the world.

Any thoughts on the Cooper Revival 11?

Still riding the 'shit like this' (see brightidea above) Cooper Sebring - now over 10,000 miles and replaced wheels - my fault - otherwise normal parts replaced with wear until 3 weeks ago when I was hit by a car. New wheels required, new bars, seat, bar tape - frame is straight - finish is fantastic. So - disposable? Wasteful? I paid £450, spent another £200 - so at 6.5 pence a mile I'd say very economical. And then there's the important bit. I've loved every mile. Maybe I'm naïve.