US – 1816Cycles

US

The three of us grew up on bikes. It was our mode of transport to reach our destination, be it school, a friends house or the local sweet shop. The bike wasn’t just a tool to get from A to B, it formed a major part of our play, more so than football or computer games and this play resulted in becoming quite proficient at executing killer skills, jumps and eventually racing.The bike has always remained our passion and whenever we have any spare time or a pass from our partners, you will find us riding.2 Engineers and a Designer by trade, we find ourselves joined by our passion for everything cycling with a remit to create the very best bikes in the world.Jonty, Tink and Stuart.

STUART

I was born on 2 wheels. Bikes have always been my thing, from BMX to MTB, Racing and now Gravel. As a kid it was my mode of transport and favourite toy, continually buying, tinkering, and upgrading them. Nothing’s changed since then.

My pace has slowed with age and my self-preservation increased when hurtling down a gnarly descent but my love for 2 wheels has not withered.

My other passion is design and when I wasn’t on my bike, I had a crayon in my hand. I graduated from the RCA in 1993 and have worked in performance sportswear ever since, designing and developing some of the best sports apparel for leading brands.

I understand brands and the value they have and relish the opportunity to develop something unique and cutting edge. This is why I got involved in 1816 after testing the first prototype and being blown away with its ability to perform on and off-road.

Stuart

TINK

I’ve always liked to go fast, whether that’s been on 2 or 4 wheels. As a kid, when not in school I was riding bikes and building jumps in a disused quarry. This grew into downhill mountain bike racing and ultimately through a series of off-road duathlons, triathlons and sportives, club level road riding and adventuring, I found gravel.

Growing up it was obvious I was going to study design and engineering of some sort and I met Jonty whilst we studied for a Masters in Industrial Product Design. My career has involved product development at the pinnacle of supercars, motorsport and consumer electronics. All of these have involved travel and I’ve been extremely lucky to learn the best way of exploring a new country or community is on a gravel bike.

The seed of 1816 came about on Jonty’s wedding day (!) when we were discussing not being able to find the bike we wanted to buy, and with our design, riding and development backgrounds, set a challenge to make our own. We didn’t originally set out to create a brand but the bikes performed well, looked great and people started asking after them.

I’ve used all generations of 1816 prototypes and customer spec bikes on major multi-stage gravel events and recces around the world but just as much enjoy speccing a customer’s ride and building in the workshop at home.

Tink

JONTY

I have spent my whole life on two wheels – scrambling in fields as a child, racing schoolboy motocross, shredding trails, racing supersport motorcycles and national cyclocross. My passion has always been to be on the best equipment for the job, but that might not have always reflected reality.

I trained as an Industrial Designer at Coventry University where I met co-founder Tink, and we became life-long friends due to our love for bikes, cars and going fast. We set up 1816 to create bikes that merge classic design with a focus on speed.

Jonty