What Reynolds Technology does

Reynolds Technology Limited is a Birmingham, UK-based designer and manufacturer of butted metallic bicycle frame tubing, founded in 1898 as the Patent Butted Tubing Company. Its core technology is the butting process invented by Alfred Milward Reynolds in 1897, which thickens tube walls at the ends to reinforce joints while reducing weight in the middle sections. Reynolds produces tubing in steel alloys (931, 853, 631, 725, 921, 520), titanium (3-2.5Ti and 6-4Ti mandrel-butted to tighter tolerances than typical industry standards), aluminium, and magnesium, and has invested in a Desktop Metal 3D printing system (2020) for stainless steel and titanium dropouts and complex frame components. The company holds the original butting patent (now expired) and has built 125+ years of brand equity around precision tube manufacturing and 100% recycled steel sourcing.\n\nReynolds sells B2B to independent custom frame builders and bicycle manufacturers worldwide via direct sales from its Birmingham HQ, a regional distribution hub in Aveiro, Portugal (launched April 2023 for EU customers), and a US distribution partnership with Torch and File in Portland, Oregon (since 2014). Its primary customer segments are custom frame builders and e-bike manufacturers; cargo bike manufacturers are a secondary segment served by 56mm CrMo tubing. Quote-based pricing is distributed via email price lists, with periodic volume discounts. In June 2023 Reynolds launched the Rey-Drive e-bike package, integrating Mahle X20 drive systems with Reynolds dropouts and a Restrap battery bag to address the custom steel/titanium e-bike market.

Name

Reynolds Technology

Legal name

Reynolds Technology Limited

Website

https://reynoldstechnology.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Reynolds Technology is a 125-year-old Birmingham-based manufacturer of butted steel, stainless steel, and titanium bicycle frame tubing, serving independent custom frame builders and e-bike manufacturers worldwide through direct sales and regional distribution hubs in the UK, EU (Portugal), and US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bicycle Frame Tubing and Components Manufacturing

NAICS

Motorcycle, Bicycle, and Parts Manufacturing (336991)

SIC

Motorcycles, Bicycles & Parts (3751)

akta.pro primary industry

Frames, Chassis & Structural Components Manufacturing (IMACAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bike Parts & Components Retail (CRAMAHAB)

Keywords

• Bicycle frame tubing
• Butted steel tubing
• Titanium bicycle tubing
• 3D printed dropouts
• Custom frame building

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Bicycle Tubing Sales: Sale of butted steel, stainless steel, titanium, aluminium, and magnesium bicycle frame tubes to custom frame builders and bicycle manufacturers. Products include complete tube sets and individual components. 2021 saw largest turnover for over 12 years.
2. E-Bike Component Systems (Rey-Drive): Complete e-bike package including steel/titanium dropouts, external battery bags, extender cables, and integration with Mahle X20 drive systems for custom steel and titanium e-bikes.
3. Merchandise: Reynolds branded merchandise including 125th anniversary items, apparel, enamel pin badges, and commemorative products sold through dedicated merchandise website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Reynolds Technology designs and manufactures butted metal bicycle frame tubing in steel, stainless steel, titanium, aluminium, and magnesium alloys for sale to custom frame builders and bicycle manufacturers worldwide. The portfolio spans named steel grades (853, 631, 725, 931, 921, 520), titanium grades (3-2.5Ti, 6-4Ti), 3D-printed stainless and titanium dropouts, the Rey-Drive e-bike integration package (Mahle X20-based), and complementary components such as T47 bottom bracket shells and Chameleon disc dropouts.

Product overview

Reynolds Technology is a manufacturer of metallic bicycle tubing offering steel, stainless steel, and titanium tubes for custom frame builders worldwide. The core product line centers on butted bicycle tubing in various steel alloys (853, 631, 725, 931, 921, 520) and titanium (3-2.5Ti, 6-4Ti). The product portfolio extends to complementary components including 3D printed dropouts (stainless and titanium), the Rey-Drive e-bike package (integrating Mahle X20 drive system with custom dropouts and Restrap battery bag), Chameleon disc dropouts, and specialized gravel/cargo bike parts. Reynolds 125th anniversary in 2023 marks over 125 years of butted tubing innovation since the patent in 1897.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reynolds Steel Bicycle Tubing (853, 631, 725, 931, 921, 520) Flagship butted steel tube sets for bicycle frame builders, including precipitation-hardened 931, air-hardened 853 and 631, chrome-moly 725 and 520, cold-worked 921, and historical mar-aging 953. Sold to custom frame builders and bicycle manufacturers worldwide for road, mountain, gravel, touring, and cargo bikes.
• Reynolds Titanium Bicycle Tubing (3-2.5Ti and 6-4Ti) Premium titanium tubes including 3-2.5Ti seamless grade (Ultimate Tensile Strength 810–960 MPa, density 4.48 gm/cc) and 6-4Ti seamless ELI grade, each mandrel-butted to tighter wall-thickness tolerances than typical industry standards for consistent profile and weight.
• 3D Printed Stainless Steel and Titanium Dropouts Additively manufactured stainless steel and titanium dropout components with complex geometries not achievable through traditional tube manufacturing, including ISO-tested stainless versions and second-generation titanium dropouts for custom bicycle frames.
• Rey-Drive E-Bike System Complete e-bike drivetrain integration package combining Reynolds steel or titanium dropouts, an external Restrap 490mm battery bag, custom extender cables, and Mahle X20 drive system integration for custom steel and titanium e-bikes; adds roughly 3.2 kg to a custom build.
• Chameleon Disc Dropouts (LS402) Stainless 304 flat-mount dropouts (LS402) with interchangeable aluminium dropout hangers, compatible with thru-axle systems including SRAM UDH, sold as a complete disc-brake dropout solution for custom frames.
• T47 Bottom Bracket Shells T47 BB shells in 68mm, 73.5mm, and 83.5mm widths for custom bicycle frame building, supplied as finished components to frame builders.
• 56mm CrMo Tubing for Cargo and E-Bikes Large-diameter 56mm chromoly tubing for cargo bikes and e-bikes, offered in plain gauge (1.0mm) and butted (0.9-0.7-0.9mm) variants at 750–800mm lengths (up to 2m) to support heavier loads and larger integrated battery/motor systems.
• Reynolds 7005 Aluminium Tubing Reynolds 7005-series aluminium tubing for bicycle frame building, part of the company's broader multi-material portfolio that also includes steel, titanium, and magnesium.
• Reynolds MZM Magnesium Tubing Reynolds MZM magnesium tubing for bicycle frame building, completing the multi-material lineup that spans steel, stainless steel, titanium, and aluminium.
• 853 Steel Gravel Bike Tube Sets Gravel-specific 853 steel tube sets with larger down tubes for stiffness, chainstays with increased tyre clearance, and seat tubes compatible with dropper posts — supplied as tube kits for custom gravel bike builds.
• Reynolds Branded Merchandise Reynolds-branded merchandise sold through a dedicated online shop, including 125th anniversary commemorative items, apparel, enamel pin badges, and related accessories.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ferrous steel frames produce 17.2kg CO2e - lowest carbon footprint vs titanium (53.92kg) and stainless steel (59.44kg)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Columbus (Tubificio Columbus): Italian manufacturer of butted steel and stainless bicycle tubing, the closest historical competitor to Reynolds with overlapping product lines (XCr, XCr Stainless, Niobium) and an identical B2B custom frame builder go-to-market.
• Tange International: Japanese manufacturer of butted chromoly bicycle tubing sold globally to frame builders. Direct overlap with Reynolds on chromoly (520/725-style alloys) and a similar two-decades-long distribution footprint in the US market.
• Dedacciai: Italian producer of stainless steel bicycle tubing (e.g., Zero Uno, Elite, 25CrMo4) aimed at custom frame builders. Most direct competitor to Reynolds on the stainless side of the product line.
• True Temper (True Temper Sports): US-based manufacturer of steel tubing for bicycles, golf and other sports. Historical OEM and aftermarket supplier of bicycle frame tubes with overlapping alloy and butting capabilities to Reynolds.
• Ritchey Design: US cycling component brand that designs and sells its own butted steel handlebar, stem and frame tubing product lines. Comparable premium-positioned B2B-plus-DTC brand addressing custom builders and premium production builders.
• Kaisei (Hayashi Industry Co., Ltd.): Japanese manufacturer of butted chromoly bicycle tubing marketed under the Kaisei brand. Comparable B2B tubing supplier to Asian frame builders and a long-standing competitor in the same welded-steel-butted segment as Reynolds.

Broad incumbents

• Shimano: Massive Japanese cycling component maker with broad drivetrain, wheel and e-bike drive system portfolios. Indirectly comparable as the dominant B2B supplier shaping the bicycle component supply chain that Reynolds sells into.
• SRAM: US-headquartered cycling component manufacturer with broad drivetrain and e-bike (Hammerhead, Brose partnership) offerings. Comparable only as a much larger incumbent defining the B2B cycling components ecosystem Reynolds operates in.
• FSA (Full Speed Ahead): Global manufacturer of drivetrain, cockpit, wheel and e-bike powertrain components for bicycle OEMs. Comparable as a broad-line OEM supplier that competes for engineering specification slots on premium bike frames.

Emerging players

• Chris King Precision Components: US-based manufacturer of premium bicycle headsets, hubs and bottom brackets, known for in-house precision manufacturing and a strong brand among custom frame builders. Comparable as a small-batch, brand-led US/UK component specialist serving the same premium/custom segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/reynoldstubing
• Facebookfacebook.com/ReynoldsTechnology
• Instagraminstagram.com/reynoldstechnology
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reynolds-technology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Reynolds Technology