Venhill cables open their doors
How a one-man cable company became the pride of British motorcycling
When it comes to high quality cables there’s really only one British name, but if you ride too fast north out of Dorking you could easily miss it. Located in the same, humble, two-storey premises (on the left, just before the railway bridge) they’ve occupied since the 1970s, Venhill were born out of motocrosser Chris Ventress’s frustration with cable breakages. So he started making his own. Then friends began ordering from him and a partner, Colin Hill (hence the name) came on board. The rest, as they say, is history. Nearly 50 years on the company have expanded into hydraulic hoses and are now also the UK agent for Magura and more. But Venhill continue to hand-make their products entirely on-site and retain the same ethos of well-engineered replacement cables at their heart. Current operations manager Martin Bradfield is an engineering graduate who oversees the 15-strong team, many of whom are bikers, long-term employees, or both. Though straightforward in engineering terms (an ‘inner’, an ‘outer’, some fittings and that’s about it) Venhill’s cables are made to the highest possible standards. They come in a boggling array of variations and colours, too.
And although off-road sport was Venhill’s foundation, other areas have grown in importance. Whether for classics, modern classics (they support the revived RD350LC Pro-Am series) or the latest superbikes; other sports, such as road racing and speedway (Venhill sponsor 2016 British champ Danny King and two times world U-16 champ Kyle Bickley), or more global markets such as Europe, Australasia and North America, Venhill supply them all.
And though they now also do hoses, and the order book is healthy, Venhill still take pride in being able to treat their customers like the individuals they are.
“We’re unique in being able to supply matching colour hoses and cables,” says Martin.
“We’re growing steadily based on the reputation and quality of what we do. We’re happy to let the product speak for itself. “We’re now in the position where we can do batch work but we’re very flexible and can also give the personal, bespoke service as well. We’re very happy with where we’re at.”