Mountain bike drivetrains are complex systems. This means that not all parts are compatible with each other. Chainset or gearset, single or double chainring, eleven, twelve or even 13 sprockets, chain or belt drive? Finding a purely European solution among the various systems is almost impossible - but only almost! Even those who want to ride a brake built in Europe don't have much choice. As hydraulic disc brakes are extremely small components, there are very few European brakes. On our BIKE PROJECT: EUROPE we decided in favour of an Alutech frame with German Pinion gearbox. Sram manufactured the matching chain in Portugal. The unique project bike is decelerated by a brake system from Magura. With our ready-made Europa-Bike we finalised the projectbut not the search for mountain bike manufacturers from Europe. The current list of European manufacturers of drivetrain parts and brakes therefore contains some exciting latecomers.
More and more mountain bike parts from Germany
It is noticeable that more and more small companies in Germany are producing exciting shifting parts for mountain bikes. New additions to our list of European parts manufacturers include Fraezen. In the Allgäu region, the young label not only mills derailleur cages, but also pulleys and chainrings from aluminium. Both Cyber Cyclesas well as Unique revive the retro chic and sell steel cranks for MTB, made in Germany. Radoxx Although it does not sell its own parts, it mills aluminium crank arms and gearbox covers, for example, as contract work. Lightweight construction specialist THM has carbon cranks from Germany on offer and Carbonice mills chain guides and derailleur pulleys in its own country. HaigRip builds eye-catching custom platform pedals in Baden-Württemberg.
There are also some rather unknown manufacturers to discover in other European countries. Comprehensive our list for the BIKE PROJECT: EUROPE previously only manufacturers from member states of the European Union, we have now expanded the overview to include non-EU countries. In the British wheel centre Dward Design for example chainrings and bottom brackets. Produced in Poland Alugear also chainrings. Hope is known for its colourful milled aluminium parts from Great Britain. Also Unite mills on the island and has a similarly wide range of drivetrain parts and pedals. The gear hubs from Kinderay are created in Norway.
Hardly any news gets the bike community as excited as new disc brakes from Europe. The range of products on offer used to be very clear, but has expanded somewhat in the past year. Hope has been building brakes and brake discs in the UK for many years. Intend boss Cornelius Kapfinger now also has brakes on offer again. The inventor was also responsible for the development of the legendary Trickstuff Diretissima brake. Speaking of Trickstuff: After the sale to DT Swiss, things have been quiet around the German brake manufacturer. At Eurobike, however, Trickstuff showed some interesting experiments with titanium 3D printing. OAK Components from Regensburg has now added a brake lever for TRP brakes to its range. Although not in an EU member state, but in Switzerland 612 Parts with its very own brake.
These shifting parts and pedals are manufactured in Europe
Our lists are not exhaustive and we look forward to receiving your additions. Do you know where other brakes, shifting parts and pedals are produced in the EU? Then send us an e-mail: j.timmermann@bike-magazin.de
Manufacturer / Company headquarters / Production site / Remarks
- 3x3 / Adelmannsfelden (DE) / Adelmannsfelden (DE) / Gear hub
- 77designz / Billerbeck (DE) / EN / Chain guides
- Absolute Black / GBR / Opole (PL) / Chainrings and chain guides made from German aluminium
- Actofive / Dresden (DE) / Dresden (DE) / Cranks and chainrings
- Alugear / PL / PL / Chainrings and pulleys
- Capgo / Leinburg (DE) / DE / Shift cables
- Carbonice / Denkendorf (DE) / Denkendorf (DE) / Chain guide and pulleys
- Carbon TI / Brescia (IT) / Brescia (IT) / Crank spider, chainrings
- Ceramicspeed / Holstebro (DNK) / DNK / Bottom bracket, tuning parts
- Classified / Antwerp (NL) / NL / Combination of derailleur and electric hub gears
- Cyber Cycles / Jena (DE) / Jena (DE) / Steel cranks
- Dward Design / Wheel centre (GB) / GB / Chainrings and bottom bracket
- Effigear / Maclas (FR) / Maclas (FR) / Gearbox
- Fasi / Northeim (DE) / EN / Care products, shift cables
- Fraezen / Leutkirch (DE) / Leutkirch (DE) / Chainrings, aftermarket cages and pulleys
- Gates / Denver (USA) / GB / Some belts from GB
- Garbaruk / Krakow (PL) / Krakow (PL) / Tuning parts
- Gebhardt / Èeská Kamenice (CZ) / Èeská Kamenice (CZ) / Chainrings
- HaigRip / EN / EN / Custom platform pedals
- Hope / Barnoldswick (GB) / Barnoldswick (GB) / Cranks, chainrings, bottom brackets, chain guides, derailleur pulleys
- Hopp / Berlin (DE) / Berlin (DE) / Small carbon tuning parts
- HXR Components / Seynod (FR) / FR / Easy Shift crank system
- Ingrid / Fossombrone (IT) / IT / derailleur gears without own chains and shifters
- Intend / Freiburg (DE) / Freiburg (DE) / Cranks
- Kinderay / NOR / NOR / Gear hub
- Leonardi / Madrid (ES) / Madrid (ES) / Cassettes, crank handle
- Magped / Aldrans (AT) / Aldrans (AT) / Pedals with magnetic mechanism
- Seagull / Katharinenberg (DE) / Eisenach (DE) / Cyfly crank system
- O-chain / Varese (IT) / IT / Crank spider to eliminate pedal kickback
- Pedal plate / Amstelveen (NL) / NL / Pedal plates for clipless pedals
- Pinion / Denkendorf (DE) / Denkendorf (DE) / Gearbox
- Power2Max / Waldhufen (DE) / DE / Powermeter
- Radoxx / Rimsting (DE) / Rimsting (DE) / Milled aluminium cranks on order
- Revolute / Kassel (DE) / DE / Gear hub
- Rohloff / Fuldatal (DE) / DE / Gear hub
- Rotor / Madrid (ES) / ES / derailleur gears without own chains
- SB One / Munderkingen (DE) / DE / Chain tensioner, platform pedals
- Six pack / Vogt (DE) / DE / Composite pedals
- Specialities TA / Sissonne (FR) / FR / Chainrings
- Sram / Chicago (USA) / Coimbra (PRT) / Chain production in Portugal
- Stronglight / Saint-Etienne (FR) / FR / Chainrings
- Paw / Schwoich (AT) / Schwoich (AT) / Pedals
- THM / Duvenstedt (DE) / EN / Carbon cranks
- TIME / Chicago (USA) / Coimbra (PRT) / Pedals
- Titanium / Hamburg(DE) / Hamburg (DE) / 3D printed titanium click pedals
- Unique / Leipzig (DE) / Leipzig (DE) / Steel cranks
- Unite / GB / GB / Cranks, chainrings, chain guides
- Wippermann / Hagen (DE) / Hagen/Kirchlengern (DE) / Chains
Circuits from Europe: parts with rarity value
The range of mountain bike drives is dominated by Shimano and Sram. Shimano is the largest manufacturer of bike parts in the world and produces in Singapore, Malaysia, China and Japan. The American giant Sram has its largest production sites in Taiwan and China. In addition, smaller manufacturers such as L-Twoo (China) Microshift or TRP (both Taiwan) to gain a foothold on the market. Only two derailleur systems are actually manufactured in Europe. Rotor not only manufactures cranks and chainrings in Spain, but also a hydraulic 13-speed shifting system with rear derailleur, shifters and its own cassette. The latter requires a special freewheel standard. The matching chain is not supplied by Rotor itself, but by KMC (Taiwan) with the X12 model. The Italians from Ingrid produce exclusive derailleurs, cassettes, cranks and chainrings in small series, but have so far focussed on shift levers and chains from Shimano and Sram. Campagnolo also produces in Europe, but with the Ekar series has a gravel bike, but no mountain bike gears on offer.
Then, of course, there is the big alternative, made in the EU: the gearbox. Either integrated into the rear wheel hub, as with Rohloff, 3x3or Revolute (all Germany), or built into the frame, as with Pinion (Germany), resp. Effigear (France). Effigear and Tout Terrain also offer gear lever solutions. However, special grips are required for gearboxes with standard twist grips. The frame must also be designed to accommodate a gearbox. In conjunction with encapsulated drives, many manufacturers rely on power transmission via belts. The American market leader Gates Carbon Drive has a production site in Scotland, but most belts come from non-European countries.
These brakes and accessories are produced in Europe
Manufacturer / Company headquarters / Production site / Remarks
- 612 Parts / Kriens (CH) / CH / Brake
- Brakestuff / Amtsberg (DE) / Amtsberg (DE) / Brake discs
- Braking / Etoy (CH) / Brake and discs
- Capgo / Leinburg (DE) / DE / Brake pads
- Carbon TI / Brescia (IT) / Brescia (IT) / Bresscheiben
- Danico-Biotech / Kelkheim (DE) / Worms (DE) / Bio brake fluid
- Formula / Prato (IT) / IT / Brakes
- Galfer / Barcelona (ES) / Barcelona (ES) / Brake discs and pads
- Goose-Bikeparts / Kernen (EN) / EN / Tool for pushing back the brake pistons
- Hope / Barnoldswick (GB) / Barnoldswick (GB) / Brakes and discs
- Intend / Freiburg (DE) / EN / Brakes and brake discs
- Magura / Bad Urach (DE) / Hengen and Hülben (DE) / MT5 and MT7 models partly from DE
- OAK Components / Regensburg (DE) / Regensburg (DE) / Brake lever for Magura and TRP
- RG Components / IT / IT / CNC brake lever for Formula
- Trickstuff / Freiburg (DE) / Freiburg (DE) / Brakes
Few MTB brakes from Europe
The brake system is one of the smallest components on a bike. All hydraulic disc brakes are built according to the same principle: the master piston in the brake lever is connected to the slave pistons in the brake calliper via a line. Two or four of these slave pistons are usually used on mountain bikes. The bodies of brake levers and calipers are made of aluminium, magnesium, plastic or carbon. Forged aluminium is predominantly used for brake callipers due to the heat generated. Brakes contain numerous small parts such as bearings, seals, plastic parts, levers, pistons, cylinders, pins, springs, valves, pins, olives, banjos, screws, covers and, of course, brake fluid. Most manufacturers use mineral oil or DOT as the brake fluid.
Of course, the brake system also includes the brake disc, which is attached to the two wheels using a two-part Shimano centrelock screw connection or six individual Torx screws. Then there are the four or eight brake pads for the front and rear brakes, which include carrier plates, springs, screws and locking pins in addition to the pads themselves. Screws, washers and adapters are needed to attach the brake system to the frame or fork. In total, the components of two brakes add up to hundreds of small parts. Brake manufacturers do not produce all of these parts themselves, but purchase most of them from suppliers. Similar to Suspension forks and dampersmany of these small parts come from Asia. They are produced there in large quantities at low cost. There is no such thing as a complete brake system that originates 100 per cent in Europe. But there are products that come closer to this utopia than others.
Of the 27 member states of the European Union, only two produce hydraulic disc brakes for mountain bikes. In addition, there are the brakes from Hope and 612 Parts from England and Switzerland respectively. Brakeforce One (Germany) no longer builds brakes. European raw material prices for the steel required for brake discs have been extremely high, and not just since the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis. Only Brakestuff, Intend (both Germany), Carbon-Ti, Braking (both Italy), Hope (Great Britain) and Galfer (Spain) manufacture brake discs in Europe. The discs from Formula, Magura and Trickstuff currently come from Asia.
Jan Timmermann
Editor
