Here is the list of the boutique* bicycle manufacturers, ordered by their name (starting with C). If you want to find a unique bike that fits your personality, review this list.
The list is probably not complete, so if you want to contribute, please leave a comment below.
A B C D E-F G-H I-J-K L M N-O-P-Q R S T V-W Y-Z
Table of Contents
Caletti Cycles
The company is located in Santa Cruz, California, United States. It is founded by John Caletti in 2004. They build many types of bicycles (road, mountain, cyclo-x, touring…).
“I take building bikes seriously, and I take the way I run my business and the impact it has on the environment seriously as well. Part of that is building a bike you will love and want to keep, and part of that is making it durable by using top quality materials and careful workmanship. Both my chosen frame materials (titanium and steel) are recyclable if needed.” –John Caletti
Website: caletticycles.com
Calfee Design
The company is located in La Selva Beach, Santa Cruz County, California, United States. Calfee Design is founded in 1987 by Craig Calfee, and their bikes used at the Tour de France in 1991, by the legendary American cyclist Greg LeMond, triple Tour de France winner, and his team Z-Tomasso. It was the first all-carbon fiber frameset to be raced in the Tour de France.
“In 1991, Greg LeMond was searching for a bike fast enough to keep him at the very pinnacle of professional bike racing. Craig Calfee was busy forging a quiet revolution in carbon construction. Together, they changed the face of cycling.”
-Suspended Manta will no longer require struts under the BB
-Rim or dual disc brake (mechanical or hydraulic)
-Compatible with mechanical and/or electronic drivetrains, compatible with internal battery and wiring systems
-Multiple bb sizes available including the 65mm shell for the Look Zed2 crankset
-Pro tire clearance; 25c mounted on a wide road rim
-Adventure and CX tire clearance; 650b x 42mm and 700c x 35mm tire
-Internal rear brake cable routing
-44mm head tube allows use of a tapered or straight steerer
-Available with eyelets to support frame/fork mounted racks, fenders, etc.
-56cm Manta frame w/suspension weighs 2.75 pounds
-25 year warranty
-Crash protection; the registered owner is protected by a $350 carbon repair credit for a term of 5 years
“Experience, opportunity, innovation and technology collided to catalyze our new frame model, the Manta. Five years in the making, the Manta is a “race platform” that leverages a patented, active suspension system at the rear wheel to enhance traction, power transmission and comfort to increase rider performance. Coupling manufacturing processes and technology we own with innovations by external business partners, the Manta is an extremely flexible module. Like all Calfee frames and components, the Manta is hand-crafted and painted in our workshop in Santa Cruz County.”
Website: calfeedesign.com
Casati
Casati is an Italian brand, founded by Pietro Casati, around 1925. You can read more about the brand by seeing another post titled “Casati Campagnolo 80th Anniversary Limited Edition“. They build road bikes under three categories: “historic steel” (steel bikes with a classic look), “minimalistic steel” (steel bikes with a modern look) and “best-fit carbon”.
Website: ciclicasati.it
C.B.T. Italia
C.B.T. Italia (Construction Bicycles Tardivo) was founded in the mid-1950’s by Giovanni Tardivo, a regional wholesaler and distributor for bicycle and motorcycle parts.
Towards the beginning of the 1970’s, Giovanni’s first son, Guido, joined C.B.T. Italia and expanded the company’s marketplace to include the production of road/racing bicycles and frames.
By the beginning of the 1980’s, Giovanni’s second son, Bruno, joined the company. By this time, C.B.T. Italia had shifted the core of its business primarily on the production and distribution of road bicycle frames.
During those years steel was the only material used for bicycle frames, but C.B.T. Italia was already able to distinguish its products by introducing black chrome fork ends and crushed seat tubes to obtain a shorter chain stay.
At the end of the Eighties, with the passing of founder Giovanni Tardivo, the company’s core business shifted once again from bicycle production to industrial manufacturing. Investments in innovative machinery allowed C.B.T. Italia to specialize in processing the stainless steel and aluminium. The company applied this new technology, originally developed for the aerospace industry, to road/racing bicycle.
The result was nothing short of a success.
Aluminium slowly began to replace steel in the production and manufacturing of bicycles. Frames now had the ability to be lighter, and customized to client’s specifications.
In the wake of a new millennium, C.B.T. Italia remains committed to the continuing evolution of bicycle frame production.
With the introduction of carbon fibers, the company now has the ability to manufacture frames that combine the lightness of aluminium with style and comfort unlike any other.
In 2002, C.B.T. Italia tested its carbon prototype frame, with the woman’s Tour de France: the final result was the Maillot Jaune. The frame was the Karbon Fiber, the ancestor of the actual monocoque carbon frames, constructed entirely at the facility in Cuneo, Italy.
Today, the company remains dedicated to the production of road bicycles and frames, incorporating the welding steel, aluminum, and titanium. All the products are constructed and assembled entirely in Cuneo, Italy. Their frames are built entirely from carbon fiber 3K, VHM, or HM.
Website: cbtitalia.com
Cherubim
Cherubim is based in Japan. The company is founded in 1965, a year after the Olympic Games in Tokyo. They build steel road (concept, modern and classic), track and keirin bikes.
Website: cherubim.jp
Chesini
The brand is founded by Gelmino Chesini in 1925 and located in Verona, Italy.
“Our real and unique intent is to build special race bikes, perfect for racer and amateurs. Today every CHESINI bike is special because unique, handbuilt one by one with dedication, skill, attention to details and unchanged passion.”
In 2009, I paid a visit to their shop in Verona, you can read the story in the post titled “Verona and Chesini”.
Website: chesini.it
Chumba USA
Previously known as Majaco Bicycles, Chumba USA is located in Austin, Texas. Their mission is to provide you with the highest quality user experience beginning with precision made in USA fabrication and materials, through friendly planning of your dream bike, to turning over the pedals for years to come. All of the company’s bikes are made in the
Website: chumbausa.com
Cinelli
Cinelli is a small high-end bicycle and components factory founded by Cino Cinelli, a former pro rider between the Thirties and Forties, winner of three Giro d’Italia stages (1938, 1939), a Giro di Lombardia (1939) a Milano-Sanremo (1943) and many other races.
In 1948 Cino decides to retire from pro cycling to found his own factory that will become a benchmark in the bicycle world. Someone may remember him as a rider, many others remember him as the father the first aluminum handlebars, the first seat with a plastic core, the first pedal straps, the first quick-release pedals, etc.
Now the company is owned by Antonio Colombo, the son of A.L. Colombo, who involved in producing steel tubes (the famous Columbus tubes) for bicycles, cars (like Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, etc.), motorbikes (Moto Guzzi, etc.), airplanes (like Caproni, the very first plane to fly over the Atlantic Ocean).
The company is based in Caleppio di Settala, Milan, Italy.
Website: cinelli.it
Circa Cycles
The company is founded by Rich Fox, who is also the head designer, and based in Portland, Oregon, United States. They build road and city bikes.
We take our inspiration from a wide range of influences. Think the obsessive detail of Apple meets the expressive versatility of Swatch, all hyper-localized to Portland’s manufacturing ecosystem.”
CIRCA Cycles was founded in 2013 by ex-Nike innovation director and ZIBA design strategist Rich Fox.
Website: ridecirca.com
Clockwork Bikes
The company is founded by Joel Greenblatt and located in Golden Valley, Minnesota, United States. They build many types of bicycles – including road, track, MTB, Fat bikes, Cyclo-x etc.
Website: clockworkbikes.com
Co-Motion Cycles
The company is located in Orlando, United States and it was founded in 1988. They build many type of bicycles bicycles, including road, touring, city, cyclo-x and tandem.
“Co-Motion Cycles started simply: We built a few bikes for ourselves and our friends, and discovered that we were able to rise to the occasion when challenged by new ideas or problems. Not once have we stopped questioning the way things have always been done. While finding better ways to make our bicycles stand apart, we’ve learned more than we ever imagined, from designing new bicycle tubing to the intricacies of our own CNC machining and maintaining an amazing, talented workforce.”
Website: co-motion.com
ColourBolt
The company is located in Islington, London, United Kingdom. They build handmade steel frames. Every ColourBolt build is made-to-order, starting with a custom bike fit session from Velorution’s expert, Roger Graver.
Website: colourbolt.com
Concorde Bikes
Concorde is a Dutch bicycle manufacturer, which was founded in the 70’s. They also sponsored a Dutch professional cycling team, PDM-Concorde (also PDM-Ultima), from 1986 until the end of 1992.
Website: concorde-bikes.com (website is not working, it seems Concorde Bikes is now out of business)
Condor Cycles
Condor Cycles was started in 1948 by Monty Young, providing bespoke bicycles which have been ridden by riders such as Tom Simpson and Bradley Wiggins. Condor bicycles have been ridden to World Championship gold medals and ridden in the Tour de France.
“At the heart of a bicycle is the frame. It is the soul of the machine. It is one of the most expensive parts and the part that will give your ride its character, its feel and its purpose.”
At Condor the frameset is extremely important to us; it has and always will be. That is why after sixty-five years we still make all our frames by hand to our specifications in our production facility. If we go back to when Condor started we used the most famous tubeset in the world; Reynolds 531.”
“In 1948 the majority of race bikes were bespoke but in today’s marketplace, a bespoke bicycle is a rarity. At Condor, it is what we have done every day for sixty years.”
Built with Columbus XCr: unlike other stainless steel tubesets, Columbus uses seamless stainless steel, which enables the tube walls to be drawn extremely thin at just 0.4mm. This keeps the weight low whilst having a higher stiffness to weight ratio than Titanium. It is corrosion resistant, too.
Website: condorcycles.com
Connor Wood Bicycles
Founded in 2012 by Chris Connor, the company is located in Denver, Colorado, United States and as its name suggests, produces wood-frame bicycles. The available types of the bicycles are cruiser, touring, MTB and cyclo-x. The bikes are race-tested: Connor frames have survived the Leadville 100 mountain bike race, the second oldest of the growing number of 100-mile (160 km) marathon mountain bike races held in the United States (the first being the Wilderness 101 in Central PA). The Leadville Trail 100 MTB was first run in 1994 and has become one of the best marketed, attended and known marathon events in mountain bike racing.
Website: connorcycles.com
CRISP Titanium
CRISP Titanium is founded by Darren Crisp in January 2004. It is located in Castiglion Fiorentino (a small, walled city in eastern Tuscany), Italy. Darren Crisp builds handmade and highly customized titanium bicycles (road and MTB).
“Throughout my career I have been committed to the rigorous development of conceptual ideas through their evolution to a well-executed final product, relying on my experience as an architect and designer, and my hands-on approach to fabrication. Building bicycles is a natural undertaking for me. Having raced competitively in the United States and Italy, my skills building racing bicycles for road and off-road use are informed by my own experiences as well as the constant feedback from fellow cyclists.” –Darren Crisp
Website: crisptitanium.com
Crumpton Cycles
Located in Austin, Colorado, United States, the brand was founded in 2004. They build custom carbon fiber frames. The founder, Nick Crumpton still personally designs, builds and finishes each frame in his Austin studio.
“Crumpton Cycles fit philosophies and ride characteristics are based in combining performance and comfort for its riders. We design our frames based on rider contact points that in the end, result in a superior ride quality with well-rounded attributes for all types of road riding. This is key to the overall performance of our bicycles.”
“T5 Superlight is the first model built using our new Type 5 platform. Type 5 is the latest iteration of the Crumpton road frame. It is a platform based on our own proprietary, multi-shaped carbon tubing. The tubing is designed and manufactured in-house to our exacting standards. Crumpton controls the process from start to finish. We have been able to reduce frame weight and maintain the ride quality and durability that is the Crumpton Cycles reputation. The unidirectional tubing also sets it apart from our other carbon frames.”
Website: crumptoncycles.com
Cryptic Cycles
The company is located in Mission Viejo, California, United States. It is an award-winning company: with their road-bike model CC I, they won North American Handmade Bicycle Show 2016 “the best new builder” award.
“We design and create unique frames with an unlimited amount of customization. Every aspect of our frames can be controlled to provide each rider with something to fit their needs. Classic craftsmanship and hand built meet cutting edge technology and the best materials that money can buy. We have a zero compromise attitude and believe we offer one of the finest custom carbon bicycles available today.”
“The award-winning Cryptic CC1 is our premier road frame. This is the same model that took home the best new builder award at the 2016 NAHBS show. It features a tube set made in-house, a full carbon
Website: crypticcycles.com
Cucchietti
Founded in 1975, the company is located in Cuneo, Piedmonti, Italy.
“Since 1975, we create high-end bicycles handmade, personalized in every detail to ensure high performances. The experience acquired by Gian Paolo in his long career as a professional cyclist and over 35 years of experience are our strengths. If every one of us is different and unique, why settle for having an industrialized bike? Test a new experience of cycling in an old-fashioned way! You can create your own bike choosing each component, frame materials, and more.”
Website: bicicucchietti.com
Curt Goodrich Bicycles
Curt Goodrich is building bikes since 1995. The brand is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. They build handmade steel bicycles – road bikes, sportif all-rounders, long distance randonneuse with custom carriers and constructeur-style design and specialty bikes for cyclocross, track and single speed, and city porteurs. In short, you’ll find the full range of what is possible in custom lugged and filet-brazed bicycles.
Website: curtgoodrich.com
Curtis Bikes
The company is founded in 1972 and located in Jarmany Hill, Somerset, United Kingdom. All Curtis frames are made by Gary Woodhouse and Brian Curtis. Their bikes are handmade in England – the only thing not done in-house is the powder-coating. They hold no stock of frames at all, every frame is handmade for the customer.
Website: curtisbikes.co.uk
Cyfac
The French company founded in 1982 by Francis Quillon. Ever since, they’ve been building frames for Olympic medalists, Tour de France contenders, World Champions and passionate riders across the world. Cyfac started as a simple workshop atelier building framesets for the greatest French stars of the 1980’s.
Laurent Fignon, Thierry Marie, Thierry Clavreyolat, Charly Mottet, Marc Madiot, Richard Virenque, and nearly every French pro from the 1980s to 2000s raced on a Cyfac painted in their team’s livery. Through the decades they also built for more of the sport’s legendary greats, including Claudio Chiapucci, Marco Pantani, Frank Vandenbroucke, Robert Millar, and more.
Cyfac was the first builder to TIG-weld aluminum frames, making the lightweight aluminum frames for Claudio Chiapucci and Marco Pantani and others.
As the first European titanium builder, Cyfac offered a growing list of options, including the world’s only full-custom alu superbike design (since outlawed by the UCI). Cyfac’s avant-garde efforts culminated in the first full-custom, full-carbon lug-less frameset, the Tigre. The revolutionary Cyfac carbon-stratification process brought old-world hand-craftsmanship together with 21st-century technologies.
Fork: Carbon, tapered 1 1/2″ x 1 1/8″
Rear: Carbon DoubleStay2
Headset: 1 1/8″ x 1 1/2″
Bottom Bracket: BSC or BB30
Front Derailleur: clamp 34.9 mm collar included.
Sizes: XS (50cm), S (52cm), M (54cm), L (56cm), XL (58cm) and Full Custom.
Options: Mechanical or electronic (Di2 or EPS) integration.
Website: cyfac.fr
Cysco Cycles
Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States, Cysco Cycles is a family business. The brand is founded by Clay Ellison. They build handmade titanium-frame bicycles and each bike tailored to the riders need, fit, and riding style.
Our road frames include Enve fork, headset, 44mm head tube, choice of standard or oversized tubing, standard 68mm threaded bottom bracket, cable guides and stops, and choice of decals. We also have a variety of upgrade options below to customize your new frame.
Additionally, we can select a custom component package to match your specific riding style and budget.”
Website: cyscocycles.com (website is not working, and their last tweet was back in 2017, it seems Cysco Cycles is now out of business)
Other manufacturers
A B C D E-F G-H I-J-K L M N-O-P-Q R S T V-W Y-Z
* According to the Wikipedia, “boutique manufacturing is a method used for the custom production of certain products in limited quantities by hand or with a restricted level of automation.”. (Boutique manufacturing on Wikipedia)
- The new LeMond bikes are coming, and they will be carbon - July 27, 2020
- HERO Trails: Summer 2020 is even better if on your mountain bike in the dolomites - July 23, 2020
- HERO summer 2020: the HERO spirit is back - July 18, 2020
Condor Cycles?
I believe you missed Passoni – http://www.passoni.it/collection.php
Here’s a few missing builders in your list of pretty high stature:
Spectrum – https://www.spectrum-cycles.com
Passoni – http://www.passoni.it/collection.php
Peter Weigle – https://m.facebook.com/groups/46124473021/?ref=group_header&view=group
Steve Potts – https://www.stevepottsbicycles.com
Thanks for the message, Michael! I updated the posts (I already included the Steve Potts cycles, though).
CBT Italia should be added to the list. Their Necer is pure beauty (especially white).
Thanks for the comment, Stefan! Added.