News & Events

Monday 26th June 2023

Reynolds Newsletter – Summer ’23

The Val Bike Prototype

In this Summer Reynolds Newsletter, we are excited to launch our Rey-Drive package, which made its big debut at the Eurobike Show in Frankfurt. Our solution for UK and EU custom builders to make a custom-built steel or titanium e-bike with a light, high-torque electric motor assist to help you flatten the hills!

Tried An E-bike Yet?

With the popularity of e-bikes skyrocketing, at Reynolds we have spent the last few years diving into the concept of e-bikes and how we could make a system that would benefit our custom builders. We started this project back in 2017 as part of the Niche Vehicle Network and have spent the years since researching and learning about motors, batteries, controllers, and how we could integrate this into what we do now.

Why have we seen such a boom in e-bike production and usage? Although there has been a huge boom in the cycling industry for non-electrified bikes over the last few decades, e-bikes can be used by an even wider net of people. Regardless of how fit you are, if you are a pro or a beginner, e-bikes allow riders total freedom.

reynolds-newsletter-summer-23

Whether you are wanting to improve your fitness by embarking on longer rides, avoid sweating up big hills on your way to work, or just want a way to get from A to B that is both environmentally friendly and less physically taxing, e-bikes are a great option! They have truly come a long way, becoming much lighter, more efficient, and overall, less bulky in size.

That said, some people are still put off e-bikes. They can be very heavy, have a bulky appearance, and lack the ride quality, flair, and aesthetic appeal of a steel-framed bike. We were looking for a way to electrify the elegant frames Reynolds tubing is famous for.

Reynold’s is very excited to be launching Rey-Drive, the complete package for custom frame builders in the UK and EU to give their customers a custom steel or titanium frame with a discrete, high-performance e-bike package.

What Reynolds Will Be Offering

We have partnered with Mahle to develop a launch system that will integrate with custom builders’ designs, using their design and fabrication knowledge, and integrating it with an E-drive system that riders will enjoy using.

Our Reynolds package of parts will complement the Mahle X20 system, allowing custom builders the freedom of design that they are used to with our tubes. There are 3 main parts to the Rey-Drive system:

Steel and Titanium dropouts: These house the Mahle drive connector unit, are available both machined and 3D printed, and run standard 12/142 as well as SRAM UDH.

External frame bag: We partnered with our friends at Restrap to create this bag, which houses the battery and motor, and has a 490mm length. It is suitable for frames with a top tube over 490 in length. This external system offers a neat package for those wanting to electrify more traditional-looking frames.

Extender cables: These give frame builders complete freedom, allowing them to run the cables either internally through the downtube and chainstay to the drop-out, or externally from the battery pack and down the seat tube. 

Reynolds’ partnership with Mahle enables us to offer the X20 system to custom builders as part of the complete package, including all the optional accessories, and bespoke configuration of the Mahle phone app.

Learn More

How Will This System Benefit Our Customers and Frame Builders in the UK and EU?

We are very excited to be launching Rey-Drive, our solution to offer custom builders the option to create and fabricate an e-bike to suit their riding style, by integrating our tubing with the Mahle X20 system and Reynolds specifically designed parts. This package allows frames to go from a standard 12*142mm system into an e-bike with only a few changes.

Below you can see our lightweight prototypes that showcase this system and we have also made a video explaining how the X20 system works, and some insight into the parts that come as part of the REYDRIVE package.

The Val Bike Prototype
The Ben Bike Prototype

Some of the key highlights of the Rey-Drive system include:

In case you were wondering about Ben Bike and Val Bike – at Reynolds prototype frames tend to get named after the original frame builder. In these instances Ben Yarnold (Teme Cycles Islabikes) and Valdemiro in Portugal  (and credit to Lee Cooper for his revisions!).

Watch Video

What’s Next?

To find out more and learn how you can order your Rey-Drive package, contact our team.

Technical and sales support (UK-based staff):
Tom Cleverly: tc@rtl.cc
Martin Shepherd: ms@rtl.cc
Dave Merrifield: dm@rtl.cc
Keith Noronha: kn@rtl.cc

Customer service:
Emma Malone: em@rtl.cc
Pedro Sant’Ana: ps@reynoldstechnology.eu

spring-newsletter
From left: Tom, Pedro, Paulo, Emma, Martin, Keith & Dave

Reynolds Merch

In the next few weeks, we have a selection of exclusive goods that we will be adding to our merchandise shop. This includes embroidered 853 tees and sweatshirts and some lovely 3 and 4-panel cotton cycling caps being made in Europe.

In the meantime, we still have a variety of items to celebrate our 125th anniversary, in stock and ready to ship worldwide!

Embroidered caps (left), and 853 T-shirts (right)

Our Mission Statement

For all of our merch, we will be using recyclable paper and card packaging from sustainable sources for posting all products, and delivery to the local post office will be by foot or bike.

Our apparel is sourced from suppliers who have high standards for their workers, use certified organic cotton, and are Fair Wear Foundation members. Wherever possible we source products made or finished in the UK. Any plastics or other packaging material from our suppliers are reused or recycled.

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