Classic British steel bike maker Temple Cycles set to close after 12 years in business

Bristol-based bike maker Temple Cycles is set to close after more than 12 years in business, with its two shops also shutting down.

The company specialises in manufacturing steel-framed bikes, selling them either online or from its Bristol- and London-based shops, but will close down, with all its premises already listed as closed online.

However, the company’s website and social media accounts are still live, and though most models are listed as sold out, orders for frame sets, parts and accessories are invited in a Facebook post as recently as Tuesday, November 10.

That was the same day local news site, Bristol 24/7, reported that the company’s owner, Matt Mears, had emailed investors that their money would not be returned and the business would be winding down.

The closure follows two crowdfunding campaigns, first in 2017 and again in 2022.

“You put your money and trust into Temple, and I’m very sorry that the business hasn’t delivered the outcome we hoped for. I know this is disappointing news,” Mears wrote, according to Bristol 24/7.

In the email, Mears explained the company had experienced issues with their supply chain along with rising costs for materials and energy, saying: “It’s an exceptionally difficult time to run a bicycle business.”

"We’ve worked hard to turn the business around while managing persistent pressure on cash flow. We substantially reduced overheads, launched new products, relocated our headquarters and opened a new showroom.

"Our electric bike performed well, but this was offset by weaker sales elsewhere.

"The business also has existing debt commitments, and I don’t see a realistic route to generating the profits and cash reserves needed to meet them. Taken together, I no longer believe the current model offers a realistic route to a sustainable business," Mears said in his email.

Bristol 24/7 also reports that Mears hopes to continue in the bicycle industry, using his experience in another business focussed on parts and accessories.

Mears launched Temple in 2014 while still an engineering student at Bristol University, the business making a variety of steel-framed bikes, mostly using tubes from compatriot company, Birmingham-based Reynolds. Their range includes regular road bikes, gravel, hybrid and city bikes, alongside E-bikes and even step-through frames. As recently as April 2026, Temple opened a new workshop and retail on the outskirts of Bristol.

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