Born in the 1930s, Roy Cottingham was a talented cyclist before he trained as a pharmacist. As a top racer in the 1950s, at just 19-years-of-age, he was offered a chance to ride in the Milk Race, a premier event, but he didn’t compete.

He began to build bikes in the early 1960s and then became a partner in a cycling business in Rushden, with Ian C. Reid.

Ian Reid was a trained framebuilder and Roy learned the craft from him. Their works were in the old stable block behind the Queen Victoria Hotel. The two produced frames with their individual names but it didn’t prove as successful as Roy hoped.

Roy left in the late 1960s, leaving Ian to run the business alone. Ian continued to build fine frames, but then closed the shop.

Roy’s interest was sparked in 1985 and, he started the 'League International' for age-related cycle racing with ex-racer Peter Duker. He started to build a wide range of frames to order from his home. Initially, his frames were in demand but then his productivity dropped. Roy died in 1998.