‘A brand rooted in craftsmanship and rider obsession’ - Rapha founder invests in bespoke British bike company

British bespoke brand Quirk Cycles is one step closer to raising the £500,000 needed to scale their boutique performance line-up, after receiving investment from Rapha-founder Simon Mottram.

The high-end, London-based company, Quirk Cycles, is looking to grow from a small workshop into a global boutique brand.

“What drew me to Quirk Cycles is their absolute authenticity,” Mottram said in a statement. “Rob and his team are building something truly special: a brand rooted in craftsmanship and rider obsession, with the ambition to set a new benchmark in performance and design.”

Quirk Cycles’ range of steel and titanium framesets are designed, produced and assembled in a factory in east London. Their offering currently ranges from road to mountain bikes, with a steel Supra Chub gravel bike frameset currently on sale for £4,500, and a titanium road frameset retailing at £6,500. The additional investment will go bolster its current range of framesets with additional models across road, all-road and gravel.

“We’re shaping a new chapter for performance bikes: one that’s driven by design and the thrill of the ride,” Rob Quirk, Founder of Quirk Cycles, said.

The decision to level-up the company comes at a time when the volume of bikes sold has fallen to its lowest point this century (in 2024), according to the Bicycle Association. However, bespoke services like Quirk Cycles have - amidst a challenging market - stayed afloat, with demand for ”enthusiast” and higher priced bikes growing year on year.

According to Mottram, the British bike company sits “at the intersection of innovation and authenticity – two qualities increasingly absent in mass-market offerings."

Rob Quirk set up his company ten years ago, with the dream of building bikes in a way that felt like riding them - it becoming so natural and intuitive that it becomes second-nature.

"I can’t imagine Rob sleeping ever – but I’d wager that if he does, his dreams look like frame building," wrote Petor Georgallou in The Radavist of his friend and fellow Bicycle Academy alumni, Quirk.

"The reality of being a builder in the UK right now, let alone in London, is relentlessly f***ing brutal," Georgallou continued. "It’s not “challenging” or “tricky” – it’s f***ing brutal."

Mottram's investment is therefore coming at a pivotal time for the growing market. The ex-Rapha CEO is Quirk Cycles’ ‘Lead investor’, though the company has not declared the level of investment they have received from him, nor who else has invested alongside him, as they continue to raise funds for their expansion.