Neil FitzGerald and Mark Reilly started working together back in the early 90s in SE London under the brand Omega. Mark already had a name for himself as a maverick, designing ground-breaking frames, but it was Neil with his background as a foundry patternmaker and industrial prototype modelmaker, who brought these designs to life.Ā
āI would set the frame jig up from the sizes Mark had taken from a customerās fitting and proceed to hand cut and file the bike mitre before drilling for bosses and gas vents. If it was a lugged frame we were making, Iād clean up the lug and file them to a point. Iād tack the frames in place on the jig before handling them over to Mark to braze in the vice, while I started on another.... My specialty was sculpting the fillet brazed joints to create a flowing transition between the tubes.ā
Back then it was beautifully crafted, fillet brazed steel frames and smooth tig welded aluminium frames for racing, but it wasnāt long before Mark fell in love with the āmagicalā properties of titanium.Ā
When Omega relocated to Brighton, Neil stayed local and continued my model making path before entering the world of F1 motorsports as a patternmaker and subsequent model maker for the wind tunnel aerodynamics department at Williams McLaren and Mercedes.
The carbon fibre knowledge he gained from F1 lead him back to bikes and he rejoined Mark. First as Enigma, then Nerve in 2014 which morphed into Reilly Cycleworks. By which time, Neil and Mark were dedicated to creating beautiful, handcrafted titanium frames based on Markās renowned frame geometries. This love of titanium is still the backbone of Reilly today.
Despite Markās untimely death in 2021, NeilĀ was keen to steer Reilly to a new future. He appointed Chris Ratcliff as Business Development Director. With a nod to Reillyās rich framebuilding heritage, it was time to forge a different direction which came with the launch ofĀ Fusion, a Ti aero road bike and Reflex a gravel race bike. Both have garnered huge acclaim amongst reviewers and the public alike.
Chris and Neil continue to take Reilly forward with new and exciting offerings in the pipeline.Ā
Chris can be contacted on chrisr@reillycycleworks.com
To contact Neil, probably best to send a pigeon as heās not overly keen on modern technology.
For any sales related enquiries, you need Phil aka the fountain of all cycling knowledge. Contact Phil on sales@reillycycleworks.com
'Field Sales bod' Petra keeps Reilly stockists in the know.Ā If you would like toĀ Petra to visit your store contact her on petraw@reillycycleworks.com
Workshop Manager Adam, with Stuart and Isaac, are not just skilled mechanics, their creative flair ensures the finishes on all frames are heart-stoppingly lovely. Contact Adam on adamm@reillycycleworks.com
Anna joined Reilly in 2022 to market the range of Reilly bikes to a wider audience. She works closely with Reilly graphic designer Gus who makes everything look prettier. Contact Anna on annak@reillycycleworks.com
