Athertons Launch Their Own Bike Company With Dragon's Den Investor
PRESS RELEASE: Atherton Bikes
Dan, Gee and Rachel Atherton are excited to announce the launch of their new bike brand, Atherton Bikes. The siblings will partner with renowned suspension designer Dave Weagle and utilise ground-breaking additive manufacturing technologies combined with carbon fibre tubing to “create our ultimate range of bikes.”
Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Piers Linney will join as a co-founder of the newly formed company with the introductory Atherton Bikes range scheduled for sale in 2019. The Atherton Bikes brand has been a lifetime in the making with Dan building his first bike in 1992 when he was just 10 years old. But in recent times the family’s dream of pushing bike development as hard as they push their riding has become irresistible.
 | It’s always been a dream of mine for us to ride for our own bike company. We’ve ridden for some great brands and we’re proud of the part we’ve played in the development of DH bikes from the Commencal to the Trek Session and trail bikes like the GT Sanction. We’ve always really enjoyed the process, from working with the designers on the early stages through to testing and refining prototypes on the World Cup circuit. But because of the way that the sponsorship system works we’d soon be starting over with a new brand. I’m enormously grateful for all the opportunities that system afforded us – we all are, but for us it’s always been about pushing the boundaries of the sport. Back in 2003 we started Atherton Racing so that we could to do things the way we wanted, from building our own tracks, to producing edits like the Atherton Project and events like Red Bull Hardline. Now feels like the right time to put our hearts and soul into a range of bikes designed and built our way. |
| We will start with what we know best, focusing on high level product designed to be ridden aggressively! For 2019 we’ll race our own prototype bike and we’re planning to bring that DH bike to market, along with a range of trail bikes. We’re working with some amazing guys formerly of Robot Bike Co., and they’ll be an essential part of our start up, they are as passionate about the technology and its potential to disrupt the industry and shake-up the large corporates as we are. |
The Athertons met Ed Haythornthwaite, one of Robot’s founders, when he was Dan’s World Cup mechanic in 2006 and their ongoing friendship was the catalyst for this venture. Ed’s understanding of what works on a bike and his passion for improving a rider’s experience underpins the development of the entire range. Ed’s co-founders, Ben Farmer and Andy Hawkins both come from an aerospace and Formula 1 background. They are experts in composites and additive manufacturing (metal 3D printing) which allows for full customisation of every bike frame.
| The additive manufacturing process is so responsive that we’ve been able to test and adapt a series of prototypes that ride like the finished bike; this constant cycle of innovation means that we can get our race bikes dialled much more quickly and that every purchase of a production bike will be at the very forefront of this development. |
| “The dream has always been to race our own bikes, and the additive manufactured bikes are so exciting and ground breaking - the ultimate bike! Through our entire career we’ve been proud to represent our country and support the next generation of bike riders, so the fact that we can deliver our new brand through a UK based company is just incredible and the icing on the cake for us! We all believe that having the right bike for you and the stage you are at with your riding can transform your experience. Our big goal is to see kids, all mountain explorers, bike park shredders, racers and e-bikers enjoying our bikes – just saying that sounds mind blowing! This is a genuine start-up business that we are building from the ground up, it’s going to be a huge undertaking to bring our bikes to market, even with Piers on board to help us. Our learning curve is steep but the dream of bringing Atherton Bikes & our love for riding to everyone is about to be very real! |
Piers Linney said “As a rider myself I’m extremely excited to be working with the Athertons to deliver a new product range that meshes my enjoyment of MTB with my passion for new technologies. Exciting times ahead.”
More announcements on our race team, line-up and key partnerships in the coming weeks, follow Atherton Racing and Atherton Bikes on social media for all the latest.
Website: https://www.athertonbikes.com
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Athertons: Hold my beer
He’s obviously not “done” but the Athertons and Gwin are clearly lookin toward the future and positioning themselves for after racing. It’s a wise move, don’t know why people are so weird about it.
Gwins next step will be to buy the whole Redbull. Or make his own Energy drink. Jesus Energy. I can see it: Jesus Rampage... am I supposed to front flip a 100ft gap? Cam! have faith my son! Jesus gives you wings... and if you die, you die for Jesus - you will live forever...
I assume yours was a dodgeball reference...
Like for like
Rachel ATHerton
Gee athERTon
Dan athertOn
take my money..
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Is it Split Pivot, DW Link, Delta or the little known "Orion" suspension. Should we create a poll?
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www.instagram.com/p/BtEvXjtBk9T/?utm_source=ig_embed
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and the pic, i'm looking near the axle and it looks solid. without a pivot. did they confirm DW Link or DW6 yet?
www.instagram.com/p/BtEvXjtBk9T/?utm_source=ig_embed
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DISCLAIMER: Not really a race fan and don't follow it closely so it's possible for everyone but me to have known this was happening.
Here's the bike
thanks! nice live shot of the dh bike at the end there. good stuff and best of luck to the A-team!
Gee: Did you now!?
He would design a great bike for you if you did same.
Come to think of it, we need more DW interviews. He's a top lad. Funny as suit and very intelligent. Where have you gone DW?
Basically it's just a rebrand of RobotBikeCo.
They make no secret of the fact it's RobotBikeCo on the video here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA5F0Xv62BI&feature=em-lsp
Good because it's a cool coming together of a ton of awesome dudes.
Making their own bikes their own way.
On the downside, those robot bikes are prohibitively expensive and they look shit.
I would certainly consider buying an Atherton bike if they made something at the right price point that looked like a Capra or Nomad.
Given the choice of supporting some shareholders with no interest in bikes, or some real riders like the Arhertons? Not a difficult choice.
How would that then be them ‘making bikes their own way’
Hey guys, make that thing nothing like the thing you make, like someone else’s thing and for mega cheap and you have a sale!
I would love to support the Arhertons though. If they did what every other company does for models down the range, that being design them and have them made in Taiwan, the price would come down to something I could and would afford... If it looked cool.
I get it about them actually manufacturing their own bikes in the UK but how much are we talking about for one of those bikes? £5000 for a frame? I'm more of a £3000 complete kind of guy. That kind of puts me out of their customer profile with the lugs and tubes bike. I'd rather keep the bike I've got and buy a new R3.
However, if they did something like a Capra or Nomad with orthodox construction techniques I'd be all over it.
They absolutely should keep going with the bikes they speak of here, but they should also bolster the range further down with more normally prices bikes.
Not trying to be rude but aesthetics are pretty high up the list of must haves for me. One thing to be said of Made in China carbon or Made in Taiwan aluminium frames is, they look really good. Even if the overall aesthetic is not one you like personally, the formed tubes or organic looking mouldings look pretty great. Better than a straight gauge pipe. To me at least.
Look at Giant or Canyon. The frames look pretty special when you get up close.
The process of sintering etc the metal together just cannot produce the same mechanical properties as traditional methods, I am not sure how they are getting on with post heat treat but then all sorts of other issues come up too like tolerance being lost.
Additive does have a huge benefit over subtractive manufacturing though and that is the ability to produce complex shapes, in the case of the bike frame the additive ti lug is likely much stronger than required in its application so no issue there and to machine a double lap joint in those would be a nightmare.
You are not going to see a cheap version anytime soon though, but then that’s not the point of this project, you want an off the shelf bike there is more than enough choice already.
I think it’s a great thing to see @jaame I understand you would like to support them with a purchase but you just don’t fit into their target market, they don’t want to supply you with a Taiwanese frame that looks like all the rest, you have plenty of options for that, they have said what they want to achieve and it’s good to see it won’t be another boardman bikes.
I’m also on the new bike every 3 years train, I just choose to spend around $3500-$4000 instead, even with a good income. I’ve got other things to pay/save for!
Comment of the year? Practical, sensible and optimistic all in one. Perhaps the younger commenters always whinging over high priced bikes don't yet have a sense of saving bits over a long period for something they desire? If you can't simplify or eliminate something to save $20/month for a few years, then maybe you don't really need or want that high performing of a bike?
Brownie is a sharp cookie, their whole strategy is disruptive without being overtly so. It’s a good strategy, and if it works could really damage bigger brands here in the UK. High profile athletes - bike park for media creation and building a real connection to riders and consumers as a premier destination - now the bike to complete the whole set - bike park for press camps and events - riders prove bikes worth - brand builds quickly. Closed loop, removes vulnerability of current sponsorship climate. It’s brilliant, commercialises everything in a cool way and what I like most is that they’ve removed the pigeon hole that brands try to put suppliers and athletes into. They’ve shown they are more than just commodities and can play the business game too. It’s a brilliant F-U. Brownie brings the whole thing together. Good luck.
Atherton Bikes $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Not many MTB enthusiasts will ever see these bikes unless "breakthrough cost/manufacturing" procedures are also implemented.
Is gee to beatup up to do enduro?
Exciting times . Can't wait to see rach smashing it on a brit bike
of athletic competition. Now will be the ultimate challenge- running a
business together on top of competing!
Since you mentioned getting kids involved- will you be making affordable (alloy) bikes the wee ones can progress on, and move
up in wheel sizes, etc.?
DTC model or both?
Good luck & win big this year!
And good to see Dave Weagle on board. Perhaps that will lead to a more attractive design than the original Robot. And perhaps some development in non circular or tapered carbon-pipes? Or even go to a more traditional manufacturing process?
At least it seemed they go for full black, which is so much better than this dull grey vs black on Robot bikes!
Definitely method of creating a proper lastly legacy, hopefully it will be a huge success.
This is a new way to design using all material capability and less manufacturing process restrictions!!
www.pinkbike.com/photo/15266913
factoryjackson.com/2016/06/10/robot-bikes-r160-bike-check
Good shots of the bike here...youtube channel of their investor Piers Linney. Certainly looks like a similar build to the Robot bikes
www.mtb-news.de/news/2019/01/25/interview-ed-haythornthwaite-robot-atherton-bikes
Or was it nothing to do with the program. They just got Piers Linney involved a different way?
I am definitely a prospective customer in the near future...
Athertons, “hold my beer”.
Show us the biiiiiikes!
RobotSession anyone?
www.pierslinney.com/blog
all right there
Not all. Fortunately.
despite those issues, it shows a truly amazing level of douchery to drop any athlete under those circumstances, which is why i said what i said and stick behind what i said. entitlement isnt enlightenment.
)
- sorry i've always been a grandma's boy