Ralph Richardson
Ralph Richardson is the rider and builder behind Rå Bikes, based in the hills of North Yorkshire. With a background in downhill racing and a deep love for riding, he builds bikes by hand that are made to be ridden hard and last a long time.
He started young — riding, crashing, fixing, and modifying bikes with whatever was around. That turned into designing his own frames, and in 2013 he raced one of the first 29er DH bikes in the UK, a prototype he built himself.
Since 2017, Ralph has been building bikes full-time. He taught himself machining, welding, and CNC work from scratch. Most of what goes into a Rå frame is designed and made in-house, not pulled from a catalogue.
He builds for riders who know what they want, who value feel over fashion, and who need something they can trust when the trail turns rough. No hype, no lifestyle branding — just bikes that work, built properly.
Steel, yes — but not as you know it.
There’s steel because it’s easy. Steel because it’s nostalgic. Steel because that’s what small builders have always used.
And then there’s steel because it works better.
RA frames aren’t built from tradition — they’re built from purpose. Every tube, every joint, every material choice is made with intent. Not because it looks good in a brochure. Not because it feels artisanal. Because it rides better.
Built as a System, Not as Parts
Every material on a RA frame is chosen to work together — as a complete structure, not isolated components. It starts with strength — but the right kind of strength for the job.
→ Stainless steel where parts are exposed to the elements.
→ Shock-resistant steels like S355J2 for head tubes that take real abuse.
→ T45 carbon-manganese tubing for the main frame — not just for its aerospace lineage, but for its unique blend of formability, durability and ride feel. Strong enough to be welded without post-treatment. Ductile enough to shape and tune the frame like a suspension component in its own right.
Tubes With History, Shaped For Now
The tubes on a RA frame have their own stories long before they meet the welder.
The slightly rectangular seatstays? Formed from round tube on original tooling over 110 years old — recovered from the Midlands, now living quietly on the south coast. Originally developed for aircraft structures, the shape adds vertical and lateral stiffness without killing the natural twist and flex that makes a bike feel alive. It's also narrower than a round tube, giving more heel and tyre clearance.
These aren’t tubes off a shelf. These are tubes chosen, formed, and shaped to be part of a working system — to steer with precision, flex where needed, and carry the loads of hard riding without dulling the trail beneath you.
Modern Craft, Without The Buzzwords
3D printing has exploded in the bike world — sometimes because it should, often because it sells. At RA, it’s used when it earns its place.
Take the chainstay yoke. What used to be a 9-part fabrication — formed, bent, machined, welded, brazed — is now a 2-part printed stainless component. Lighter, stronger, cleaner, with integrated cable routing and more tyre clearance — without sacrificing repairability or longevity.
New technology is only as good as its execution. It’s not here to look futuristic. It’s here to make the bike better.
Joining Methods — Built To Stay True
Welding is TIG throughout — no filler piece aesthetics, no unnecessary complexity. It’s the strongest, cleanest, most consistent way to build these frames. Silver brazing is reserved for stainless inserts, for final precision.
Alignment isn’t an afterthought. It’s designed into the sequence. From the BB and main pivot sub-assembly to post-weld CNC machining of all critical faces — the goal is simple: minimal to zero post-weld cold setting, zero guessing. Just accuracy, built in.
Details You’ll Feel, Even If You Don’t See Them
The main pivot? 7 years in the making. Using headset-standard IS41 stainless bearings. Huge diameter. No play. Easy to service. Sealed from the weather. A detail most people won’t notice — until they realise their bike still feels tight after a season of mud, grit, and hard miles.
The tube shaping? Always driven by the suspension first, then the system around it. Clearance for modern shocks. Proper seatpost insertion. Low standover. Steering precision up front, compliance and give out back — tuned as a whole, not guessed tube by tube.
Longevity Is Everything
Every material choice, every joint, every design decision is about longevity — in every sense.
→ Strength to handle real-world abuse.
→ Serviceability, so it stays on the hill, not in the workshop.
→ Future-proofing, so standards and small parts never leave it obsolete.
→ And above all, making a bike worth keeping.
Steel, Done Differently
There’s no magic material. Carbon can be incredible. Aluminium too. But there’s something about steel — done properly — that still stands apart.
Most steel full suspension frames ride like steel hardtails with a shock bolted in. Soft. Springy. Charming, maybe — but limited.
A RA frame doesn’t ride like that.
It rides closer to a carbon race bike than any other steel bike out there — but with the feel, trust, and resilience only steel brings.
Not built for nostalgia.
Built for the ride.
