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“Riding the Skyelander for the past two years and on numerous tours in Europe has been an absolute joy. It is comfortable enough for riding all day and sturdy enough to carry whatever you need it to and over even the worst roads and tracks. It is the bike that has made me really fall in love with touring and I can’t wait to take it on more adventures”
Peter Bowles, UK
“The Stanforth Skylander is a beautifully balanced and comfortable bike. Simon provided a fantastic service, listening to my requirements and then advising on the best alternatives. He then built me a fantastic custom bike which I am sure will last me for many years. Great bike and great service, thank you”
David Thompson, UK
“The Skyelander is worth every penny. On my rides last year I found a very smooth and fast bicycle on a variety of surfaces, I even found myself using my Skyelander to commute to work just for the pleasure of riding it, I can feel it was built from experience and a passion for touring.”
Matias, UK
“My Skyelander is amazing , I've not had to do any adjustments to it at all.
To be honest I pick the Skyelander out a lot over all my others to ride”
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Rachel Madge, Wales
“As a keen cyclist with very little technical knowledge Simon’s prompt and supportive service was a great help with choosing the fine details.
Excellent service from ordering to delivery and the bike feels part of me and rides like a dream”
John Ellis, UK
“ I wanted a bike that would fit me perfectly for touring trips and general fitness, had a UK made Reynolds steel frame with a range of colours and hand built with my choice components.
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I chose the Skyelander from Stanforth bikes as it fitted the spec perfectly and Simon was fantastic, his knowledge and experience ensured i got the perfect bike fitted to my 6’ 5” frame. My Wife wants one now!”
Andrew Tubridy, UK
“I've just finished the first 1000 miles on my Skyelander Rohloff. The bike fully loaded makes perfect sense, I love it. I can ride it all day without feeling broken like I was with the Dawes Galaxy it replaced”
Simon Brandwood, UK
“I contacted several custom builders of touring bikes who had been recommended to me, and was impressed the most by Simon.
Despite me not being very knowledgeable about the technical side of bikes, he listened to everything I was looking for and his subsequent input, advice, communication and manner were hugely helpful.
This made for a really enjoyable design and ordering process, and resulted in two different but great Stanforth Skyelander touring bikes which my wife and I love cycling.”
Kenny & Maggie, Edinburgh
“The Skylander has been everything I wanted from a touring bike, thanks in large part to Simon’s guidance and the care he took on getting the specification and set up just right for me.
The result is a joy to ride: extremely comfortable on long rides on both paved and unpaved surfaces, with the Rohloff giving me that much needed help in easing the more challenging climbs”
Richard Jaggard, UK
“"I recently purchased a Skyelander from Simon Stanforth. My wife and I do a fair bit of touring and long day rides. I wanted a bike, preferably British manufactured not just British assembled, that was an easy all day ride with the capacity to carry luggage if needed but still sprightly enough if unloaded.
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From the beginning Simon was a pleasure to deal with and sorted out my requirements perfectly. My Skyelander has bar end shifters and Ryde Sputnik 700c wheels.
The ride has that lovely springy steel quality that deadens bumps and it doesn’t tire you out. Mine is in Reynolds 631 and even so it’s quite light compared with another bike at home which is a 725 It’s the first set of bar end shifters I’ve had but I adapted to them without difficulty. They are simple and easy to repair of course and have an unexpected bonus that you can rapidly go up or down several gears in one motion. My wife has a triple Tourer that has ST I shifters and indexing the front derailleurs is often problematical. That’s not any problem with the friction shifters.
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When I got the bike back home I examined it and I cannot fault the build quality. The paintwork is excellent and many little details to protect the bike have not been overlooked.
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I’ve now done some hundred mile days on it and several shorter day tours. I was particularly surprised how well it climbs. The rigidity of the frame seems to aid my admittedly somewhat leisurely pedaling motion and so far I’ve not had any trouble on the steepest hills, or at least no more than you’d expect😄
I’ve got the excellent Restrap luggage which fits very nicely although for day tours I just use a small Altura bag. It doesn’t seem to mind what weight it’s carrying and I might get a rack and pannier set before we do a long tour, although so far the bar bag and seat pack have sufficed nicely. The bike has as many mounting points as you could possibly want for luggage!
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In conclusion, I’m delighted with this bike and really look forward to getting it on some longer tours.”
Roy Glover, UK
“I’ve had the Skyelander for a whole year now and it has met and surpassed my every expectation (and they were pretty high). With 3,500 miles under my belt, I still get the same buzz that I did on day one - you have really done me proud”
Kevin Mallone, UK
“When I decided to purchase a touring bike two years ago, I did a significant amount of research and Stanforth Bikes was the company that ticked the boxes for me. Once I had phoned and spoke with the incredibly knowledgeable and helpful Simon Stanforth there was no doubt in my kind that this was where I would purchase my touring bike. Having made that decision Simon offered wise advice throughout the whole process listening to what I required and making suggestions. I ended up with the Stanforth Skyelander made to my specifications based on advice from Simon. I have been delighted with my Skyelander in the intervening eighteen months. The bike is a wonderful ride as stands or fully laden. Simon continues to be a source of advice and help. I am looking forward to many more years exploring the United Kingdom and Europe on my Stanforth Skyelander. To anyone interested in purchasing a touring bike, my advice is to look no further than Stanforth Bikes and Simon.”
Jonathan, UK
“I’m so enjoying the bike.It’s a great and comfortable ride”
Bruce, UK
“The bike is great. 11,000km so far and still going strong”
Clive, UK
“The Skyelander has been my winter training bike riding about 130 hilly miles a week and now done 2 week long tours on it. It rides and handles beautifully and I find the geometry of the frame perfect. V comfortable and I can ride it all day every day. It attracts much admiration from discerning cyclists who know what touring is about.”
Greg, UK
“We are loving your beautiful bikes”
James & Louise, UK
“It's fabulous, and I haven't had to alter anything at all on the set-up!”
John, UK
“I just felt really physically connected to the bike; it’s got a great feel & responsiveness, but is so comfortable. The brakes are a league beyond my previous ones.
The frame is just perfect - every time I changed my hand position I smiled at how it felt.
Also, I really like the wider tyres. I followed a “Bikemap” route with some allowance for a few cycle paths. Some were a bit muddy/slippery, but no problem at all with this bike. It goes like a dream.”
Ben, UK