125-year-old Chater Lea label to be revived and produced in the UK

British cycling, car and motor cycle maker Chater Lea has announced its return to the cycling segment and to UK manufacturing.

Founded in a nine-storey factory in Banner Street, London in 1890, the 125-year-old brand shut its doors in 1987.

Announcing its return, the firm sent out a notice saying the time was right to revive a classic.

“Few have missed the growth in popularity of road cycling. Be it commuters in urban centers or weekend warriors on backroads, interest in cycling is growing and is now the largest sports category in the world,” said the mail. “Second, with the advent of advanced manufacturing the opportunity to once again build beautiful, world-class products in the UK is opening up in ways few imagined. Finally, British design and engineering in the aerospace, automotive and motorsport industries lead the world. Our vision is to restore cycle component manufacturing to this list.”

Early prototypes have been produced and meetings with manufacturing partners have been completed, while materials supply is being negotiated.