Life on the road
Before a Knightwood or Rufus Stone reaches your local shop, it begins a journey full of planning, logistics, and care. Each frame leaving Taiwan is prepared to meet our quality standards and is ready for riders to ride. The number of small details that have to be considered is bigger than you would imagine, and every one of them has to be dialed in and signed off
Our frames have been landing in shops across Asia, and the response has been incredible. Seeing bikes arrive at Rookey or Wood Village is a highlight for us, but there is so much that happens to get to this point. Bike production requires careful planning. Quality control, sampling, testing, colour and graphic selection, and batch planning all take time. Each detail is important to ensure the final product meets expectations. Then you have a 6-month lead time for production, and then shipping time after that. Patience is key, to say the least.
Shipping logistics can be complex. Some frames fly by air to meet urgent pre-orders, or for shops that are close to Taiwan. While others take the long route by sea to the UK and EU, which can take about six weeks, and there is generally always a delay of some sort. It is a balancing act between speed, cost, and protecting each frame during transit. Throw into the mix a bunch of unexplained red tape and shipping price hikes after a global pandemic, and things don’t get easier or faster.
The journey from factory to shop is a key part of the process when making frames. It’s the last piece of the puzzle and ensures that every Knightwood and Rufus Stone is delivered in perfect condition and ready to inspire riders.
The process of getting a frame from an idea in your head into a customer’s hand can be long and often with its challenges, but the satisfaction of seeing the frame come to life in a shop build, or when a customer puts their personal touch to that finished product, is worth every bit of work it takes to get it to that point.