Achielle

Achielle have been building steel bicycle frames by hand in Belgium since 1946. Three generations on, they still cut, braze and paint every frame themselves in their own workshop, then finish it with the best European components and assemble the whole bike under one roof. The result is a city bike built to be ridden every day for years rather than replaced — classic in looks, quietly modern underneath. The Oscar and Olivia are where most people begin.

The Achielle range

Every Achielle starts as raw steel tube and is made to order, so a model is a starting point rather than a fixed article — frame colour, rim colour, handlebar and finishing kit are all yours to choose. The two we recommend first are the Oscar, on a classic diamond frame, and the Olivia, its straight-top-tube step-through sister. Both share the same low-maintenance heart: a Gates carbon belt, a Shimano hub gear and hydraulic disc brakes.

Made, built and assembled in Belgium

Most bicycle makers assemble frames built elsewhere. Achielle do the opposite. In their workshop in Pittem, they draw and cut the steel tubes, braze the frames by hand, and paint them in their own paint shop — the same family running the same craft across three generations. It is slow, deliberate work, and it earns the 'Handmade in Belgium' label the bikes carry. What you feel on the road is a steel frame with a little give in it: comfortable over cobbles and broken tarmac in a way aluminium rarely is.

The best of Europe, on one bike

Achielle build the frame and then look outward for everything else, choosing European parts with a reputation for lasting: Brooks England saddles and grips, Busch & Müller dynamo lighting, AXA, Spanninga and more. On the Urban models that means a Gates carbon belt in place of a chain — no oil, no marked trousers — a sealed Shimano hub gear you can shift at a standstill, and hydraulic disc brakes that work the same wet or dry. It is a city bike designed to be left outside, ridden through winter, and largely forgotten between services.

Classic looks, made to order

Achielle sit somewhere between the light, quick porteur bikes of Paris and the upright, sturdy omafiets of Amsterdam — early-twentieth-century lines brought up to date. Because each bike is built to order, you are not choosing from a shelf: there are around thirty frame colours, a choice of handlebars and stems from upright to sporty, and a finishing kit to match how you ride. Tell us how you will use it and we will help you spec it.

Achielle at Flying Dutchman

We keep Achielle at our Camden, Notting Hill and Hackney shops, and our workshop builds and services them in London. Because every bike is made to order, the best first step is a conversation and a test ride — come and try the Oscar and Olivia, talk through frames and colours, and we will order yours built exactly as you want it. Achielle is also eligible for the Cycle to Work scheme.

Frequently asked questions about Achielle

In Belgium. Achielle cut, braze and paint their steel frames by hand in their own workshop in Pittem, then assemble the complete bikes in-house — a family firm now in its third generation, building since 1946. The bikes carry the 'Handmade in Belgium' label.

A handmade steel frame, made to order, dressed in European parts chosen to last. On the Urban models — the Oscar and Olivia — that means a Gates carbon belt instead of a chain, a sealed Shimano hub gear and hydraulic disc brakes: a bike you can ride daily, leave outside and largely forget between services.

Achielle make both. At Flying Dutchman we focus on the pedal-power (non-electric) Oscar and Olivia, which have no motor — lighter, simpler and lovely to ride on the flat-to-rolling terrain of most London journeys. Achielle also build electric and cargo models; ask us if that is what you are after.

Yes — every Achielle is built to order. There are around thirty frame colours, a choice of rim colour, handlebars and stems from upright to sporty, and a finishing kit to suit how you ride. Come in and we will help you spec it.

Frame shape. The Oscar has a classic diamond frame you step over; the Olivia has a straight-top-tube step-through you step through. The drivetrain, brakes, lighting and components are the same on both — choose by how you like to get on and off.

Yes. Our workshop builds every Achielle to order and services them afterwards, at our Camden, Notting Hill and Hackney shops. The bikes are eligible for the Cycle to Work scheme.