Ribble Cycles are one of the country’s leading bike manufacturers, so I went to visit one of their showrooms to learn more about the company.
Ribble Cycles is one of the oldest brands in cycling and has been a leading innovator in the evolution of the modern bicycle since 1897.
The brand originated in Preston and, despite having showrooms across the UK as well as shipping worldwide, has always tried to stick by its Lancashire roots.
Ribble Cycles is one of the oldest brands in cycling and has been a leading innovator in the evolution of the modern bicycle since 1897.
The brand originated in Preston and, despite having showrooms across the UK as well as shipping worldwide, has always tried to stick by its Lancashire roots.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Hi, my name's Sam, Digital Reporter for the Lancashire Post, and come with me as I head to Ribble Cycles,
00:07 one of the leading UK bike manufacturers, as I speak to their CEO about the origins of the company,
00:14 as well as the successes they've had over recent years.
00:22 Yes, it all began here in Lancashire, down near Preston Dock. We were established in 1897, so just over 125 years old now.
00:31 We started off by manufacturing our own range of bicycles out of steel tubing back in the day,
00:39 and we've stayed true to our roots ever since then. Still based locally, still based near Preston,
00:44 still assembling every single bike that we produce.
00:47 My first involvement with the Ribble brand came over 30 years ago. So when I was a young teenager,
00:53 I was an aspiring racing cyclist, and looking to the best riders of the day,
00:59 and kind of wanting to emulate them and watch them race with them, etc.
01:04 And when I was looking at what bikes were arriving, a lot of them were on Ribbles.
01:08 So my first proper race bike, over 30 years ago, was actually a Ribble bike, not unlike this bike here,
01:13 which is actually one of our team bikes from the 1990s.
01:17 So yeah, I started my racing career on a Ribble that I saved up for, bought the frame,
01:24 and actually custom coloured it, and then specced it up as the best I could afford it,
01:29 to be with my money from part-time jobs, etc.
01:32 And that was my pride and joy for quite a few years, as I embarked on what was a short, but racing career.
01:40 So I got hooked on cycling, and Ribble was a key part of that.
01:44 So it's amazing now, 30 years plus later, to be leading the brand forward. It's really exciting.
01:49 Yes, we do road bikes that are the most aerodynamic, advanced road bikes in the world,
01:59 up to £10,000, that are capable of winning the biggest races in the world.
02:03 But equally, we also do bikes that are very accessible, bikes that are e-bikes, for example,
02:08 major hybrids, which can be used for trails, on or off roads, for commuting or just leisure purposes,
02:15 for every cyclist really. So yeah, we definitely have a range now which caters for everybody,
02:19 all the way from your budding Tour de France winner, all the way through to somebody who's just riding for leisure,
02:24 and going out with family or commuting purposes. So yeah, there's a bike for everybody.
02:29 It may or may not be surprising to know that many of our world or Olympic champions have started,
02:35 or have ridden ribbles at some point during their career. So people like Chris Borden, Bradley Wiggins,
02:41 Geraint Thomas, quite a few of today's star riders have at some point began their careers on ribble bikes.
02:49 So yeah, I think we have a very strong place in the racing heritage of British cycling.
02:58 Our race teams, our bikes, they compete all over the world in our products, so our audience is worldwide.
03:03 And yeah, any one of our bikes can be shipped anywhere around the world via our website.
03:09 So yeah, we also have what's, from a customer contact point of view, we also have what's called Ribble Live.
03:14 So Ribble Live is a one-way video link up where they get access into this actual showroom that we're standing in now.
03:19 And they can see the, have access to one of our experts. They can also see the product first hand.
03:26 They talk through the optionality, they talk through the design of the bike and the specifications,
03:30 so again, wherever they're based around the world, real time, if you're talking to our experts,
03:35 have an immersion into the showroom and to really get the best possible bike experience wherever they are in any country.