Taiwanese manufacturing is central to the bike industry – if you’ve designed something bikey and want to get it produced in quantity, the right shape and at a good price, Taiwan is where you go. For the most part, though, the design work is carried out elsewhere.

Which makes Element, brought to these shores by Riding high UK, somewhat unusual. Element is proud to be designed in Taiwan, and is now in its fourth year of producing frames and its own line of finishing components. It’s a family-run business (started by a veteran of industrial engineering who got into bikes) and is very much involved with the grassroots level of riding.

The website lists too many products to mention here, so suffice to say it’s worth heading over to www.ridinghighuk.com for a more in-depth look. Here, though, are a few highlights that have caught the BM crew’s attention:

More information at www.ridinghighuk.com