Bespoke Frame Build Question

So I'm ready to order my first made-to-measure frame. It's actually going to be an Audax bike, but the question is relevant to anyone ordering a bespoke fg/ss. I want to have it made in the UK from steel by someone with a decent reputation. The makers I can think of (and whose sites I've already trawled...) are:

Chas Roberts
Mercian
Thorn
Bob Jackson

I've kind of ruled out Witcomb after this dafoney business - will only do my dough with a company I can respect. But there must be loads of others I'm missing out on, so if you can add to the list, or have experience with these or any other framebuilders I'd be very grateful to hear it.

Thanks.

PS - I'm leaning towards the first two, but might also be tempted by an off-the-shelf frame from someone like Condor if it fits perfectly...

I realy like the bikes Roberts build, unless your looking for a traditional looking lugged frame, I think they blow Mercian away and either way I think they're better than Bob Jackson's frames, on the other hand I think they're also more expensive. I have no first hand experience of Dave Yates, but he's a well established frame builder and audax rider, so he's got to be worth adding to you're list as well.
Another (hopelessly espensive) option would be to go and get measured at Cyclefit and have them order you a Serotta. Their steel frame is £2000 and their cheapest titanium frame is £3400, which serious sums of money to spend on a bike, but they pay more attention than anyone else to getting you set up right on the bikes and getting it fitted to you and your riding requirements and at least on their titanium frames custom butt the tubes of each frame to dial in the desired stiffness/compliance. I doubt I'll ever have that much money to spend on a bike, not absolutely sure I could justify the expenditure if I did, but I may just one day get a Serotta, I think they genuinely are the state of the art in made to measure frames.
Roberts or Dave Yates would of course be saner choices and they may well argue that Serotta's fitting process and custom butting of tubes is unneccessarily excessive.

I'm sure Condor cycles won't let you down... you could get a nice little Reynolds 953 number !

Just found this useful list which in turn led me to Robin Mather. Lools like a proper one-man band, and I love his builds with the 'fancy' Pacenti lugs - anyone here used him?

VB is getting a bike made by him.

Robin Mather bikes do look gorgeous.

And check out Mather's fillet-brazed numbers ... oooh. One day ...

Long wating list for Robert Mather. I was going to suggest Dave Yates as well - his bikes look great and with seriously good thinking behind them. Argos in Bristol are another good framebuilder, maybe more racey than audaxy but check them out. Brian Rourke is another, although I think he is laso a bit more race focussed. less lugs and more double oversized 853!

I like the idea of a Robin Mather bike. I guess the one man and his workshop thing gets me, a little like Moyer cycles in the states.
Thought, design and love.

Otherwise, i'm a mercian fan.

Chris

I've seen a Robin Mather on PBP it looked very nice. Since he was taught by Dave Yates you could also go to him with confidence I think.
I'd rate Mercian too having seen some very nice frames from them. Their "off the peg" prices are very attractive.

However, having almost got to this point myself, I was going to buy a Thorn Audax Mk3. I could not fault the design and the price is very tempting. However, my wife bought me a place on Dave Yates frame building workshop, so I'm going to end up building something which will roughly copy the Thorn anyway!

What's your budget? You could go also for titanium from Sunday, Airborne or direct from china.

The Mather bikes are wonderful. You're restricted by your imagination and depth of pocket more than anything. Not that he's expensive, but it's just so tempting to add things all over the place. I'm nowhere near my queue spot yet so I cannot comment on how the latter part of the process is, but he's friendly and cool so I've no doubt it will be smooth.

There's someone else on here getting a Mather, and I think he's way ahead of me on the queue too. So he might be able to comment.

If you're thinking about Thorn, my girl has one and it's gorgeous. I have a custom Bob Jackson too and I lust after a Thorn because of fizz's one. It's a Thorn Audax and it is just elegant and wonderful to behold, and whilst way too small for me I admit it's great to ride too.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the builders you've mentioned, I would say that I'd personally place Thorn above Mercian but that's just because I think the Mercians are a little over-done.

My list was pretty much:
Robin Mather
Thorn
Mercian

I went for my first choice, thinking that the length of the queue gives me time to save, and time to think about what I want.

dave yates is long waiting list as well, from what i've heard! could be wrong though. i've got one of his track frames, very very nice!

The Chas Roberts I had
and the Mercian I have now
are both excellent bikes
which to choose depends
on the 'look' you want

fatbloke
I've kind of ruled out Witcomb after this dafoney business - will only do my dough with a company I can respect.

what does that mean? i dont know much about ride experience on a witcomb but Barrie(Witcomb) has been very helpful to me and friends in the past and they seem very reputable. just wonder how they seem to have earned a bad rep.
cheers

Read these threads. The top one started it but it is all to do with Tony making Witcomb treble the price of frames.

http://www.londonfgss.com/discussion/2098/

http://www.londonfgss.com/discussion/3038/

http://www.londonfgss.com/discussion/3076/