Scribe Cycling: Northern Ireland’s Handbuilt Carbon Wheel Newcomer

In the bustling competition of the UK wheelset market, a small brand from Belfast, Northern Ireland, is quietly building a solid reputation—Scribe Cycling. Without large-scale marketing campaigns or the halo of a professional racing team, Scribe relies on solid product quality and genuine customer service to steadily grow a loyal fan base.

Brand Story

Scribe Cycling was founded by Jonny Sherlock in Belfast. Sherlock is himself an experienced cyclist and wheel builder who spent years providing handbuilt wheel services to local riders. After accumulating enough experience and reputation, he decided to launch his own wheelset brand.

The name Scribe comes from the Old English word for “copyist,” symbolising a dedication to detail and precision—just as medieval scribes painstakingly copied classical texts word by word, Scribe’s wheel builders carefully craft each pair of wheels spoke by spoke.

Northern Ireland may not be the first place you’d associate with the cycling industry, but precisely because of this, Scribe carries a unique “edge innovator” character—not caught in the mainstream whirlpool, allowing it to focus more intently on refining its products.

Product Line

Carbon Road Wheelsets

Model	Rim Depth	Weight (Front + Rear)	Internal Rim Width	UK Price	Estimated Taiwan Delivered Price
Carbon 35	35mm	1,380g	21mm	£999	NT$42,000
Carbon 50	50mm	1,450g	21mm	£1,099	NT$48,000
Carbon 60	60mm	1,520g	21mm	£1,199	NT$52,000

Aero Series (Advanced Carbon Wheels)

Model	Rim Depth	Weight (Front + Rear)	UK Price	Estimated Taiwan Delivered Price
Aero Wide 44	44mm	1,350g	£1,399	NT$60,000
Aero Wide 56	56mm	1,420g	£1,499	NT$65,000

Alloy Road Wheelsets

Model	Rim Depth	Weight (Front + Rear)	UK Price	Estimated Taiwan Delivered Price
Race	28mm	1,580g	£499	NT$22,000
Sprint	25mm	1,650g	£399	NT$18,000

Gravel Wheelsets

Model	Rim Depth	Weight (Front + Rear)	UK Price	Estimated Taiwan Delivered Price
Gravel Carbon	35mm	1,420g	£1,099	NT$48,000
Gravel Alloy	25mm	1,650g	£449	NT$20,000

Scribe’s Core Values

Handbuilt Assembly Quality

What Scribe is most proud of is its handbuilt assembly quality. Every pair of wheels is hand-laced by experienced wheel builders in the Belfast workshop.

The assembly process includes:

1. Quality inspection of carbon rims and components
2. Precise calculation of spoke lengths
3. Manual spoke lacing and initial tension adjustment
4. Repeated tension balancing and truing adjustments
5. Stress relieving
6. Final quality inspection and dynamic balancing

The entire process takes 2-3 hours, far exceeding the speed of a factory production line.

Component Specification

• Hubs: Standard DT Swiss 350, with optional upgrades to 240 or 180
• Spokes: Sapim CX-Ray (premium aero spokes)
• Nipples: Sapim Secure Lock alloy

This component specification is quite similar to Hunt, but Scribe’s handbuilt assembly quality is an additional bonus.

Customer Service

Scribe’s customer service is one of the brand’s biggest differentiators. As a small brand, every question you have receives a fast and personalised response. On social media, Jonny Sherlock frequently answers technical questions from riders personally.

Scribe vs Hunt

As two D2C wheelset brands both from the UK, the comparison between Scribe and Hunt is inevitable:

Comparison Item	Scribe	Hunt
Headquarters	Belfast	Surrey
Scale	Smaller	Larger
Assembly	Handbuilt (UK)	Partially handbuilt/partially factory
Hubs	DT Swiss 350	DT Swiss 350
Carbon Wheelset Price Range	£999-1,499	£799-1,699
Brand Recognition	Lower	Higher
Customisation	Limited	Limited
Customer Service	Extremely personalised	Professional but more standardised

In short: if you’re after the lowest price, Hunt is usually cheaper; if you value handbuilt quality and personalised service, Scribe may suit you better.

Northern Ireland’s Cycling Culture

Northern Ireland may not be a cradle of cycling culture like Italy or France, but the region offers a unique riding environment—rolling hills, beautiful coastlines, and changeable weather. A brand that grows up in such an environment naturally demands more from its wheels in terms of durability, all-weather performance, and reliability.

Scribe’s product design reflects this—without obsessively chasing ultimate lightness or extreme aerodynamics, it strikes a pragmatic balance between performance, durability, and price.

Taiwan Buying Guide

Purchase Channels

Scribe sells exclusively through its official website (scribecycling.com), with international shipping available to Taiwan.

Cost Estimate (Using Carbon 50 as an Example)

• UK Price: £1,099
• International Shipping: ~£45
• Currency Conversion (1:40): ~NT$45,760
• Customs Duty and VAT (~10%): ~NT$4,576
• Total Delivered Price: Approximately NT$50,000

Things to Note

• Shipping time is approximately 10-14 days
• Warranty claims require shipping back to the UK for processing
• Hub components are available in Taiwan (DT Swiss)

Who Is It For?

• Riders who enjoy supporting small brands: Scribe represents the fine tradition of handbuilt wheels
• Riders who value assembly quality: Handbuilt wheels typically offer better quality than factory production lines
• Riders who don’t chase the lowest price but care about craftsmanship: Slightly pricier than Hunt but with greater handbuilt value
• Gravel riders: Scribe’s gravel wheelset options are solid and well-reviewed

Summary

Scribe Cycling isn’t a brand that makes headlines, but it’s the kind of brand you grow to love once you get to know it. Starting from a small workshop in Belfast, it builds pair after pair of trustworthy wheels with craftsmanship and sincerity—that’s the Scribe story. In a commercial world obsessed with scale and speed, Scribe reminds us that some things cannot be rushed—like craftsmanship, and like trust.

Related Reading

• Boyd Cycling: The Small but Beautiful American Handbuilt Wheels
• Hunt Bike Wheels: The Value-for-Money Revolution of UK Direct-Sales Wheelsets
• A Tour of Australian Wheelset Brands: The Southern Hemisphere Power of Craftworx and XLR8
• Scope Cycling: The New Choice for the INEOS Team