The U.K. has produced many top-tier cycling pros over the years. Names like Geraint Thomas, Bradley Wiggins, and Chris Froome are just a few of them. That is due, in large part, to the fact that the U.K. has a long history in the sport of cycling. However, the U.K. is also home to one of the oldest and most respected cycling brands in the whole cycling industry: Ribble. The builder creates every kind of bike imaginable, and the company’s offerings are deep and wide across the various cycling disciplines.
Ribble builds road, gravel, Hybrid, and electric bikes. These are just the main categories because Ribble branches out by adding bikes, for instance, to the road category with race bikes, gravel, and what it calls CGR (commute-gravel-road). So, if you’re looking for a bike to tackle a specific area of cycling, Ribble Bicycles can probably build and customize it for you.
About Ribble Bicycles
Ribble Bicycles is a builder firmly rooted in British cycling culture. It was launched by what the company’s website states was “…an enterprising gentleman with a passion for cycling and all things bike related…” Ribble Bicycles gets its name from the river that runs through the area, including the Ribble Valley, an area that contains some of the best parts of the country for cycling.
When it first began in 1897, Ribble focused exclusively on building steel bikes. The builder gained enough recognition to eventually sponsor the British Olympic cycling team in 1956. But what made the company a well-known entity is that it was the first bicycle builder in 1985 to become a “market-leading Direct To Consumer (DTC) brand.” If consumers wanted a Ribble bike, they could respond to an advertisement in Cycling Weekly by calling the company directly and placing an order.
But cycling is a sport that always changes with the times. After 95 years of building only steel bikes, Ribble began to build bikes out of aluminum, then carbon, and, eventually, from titanium materials. It also sponsored many pro teams despite all its changes in ownership over the years.
Ribble Bicycles Today
128 years later, Ribble Bicycles continues to live by its mission statement, which is “to design the best performing bikes at every price point.” The company says it does that by using the best research and design available, along with the newest technology, advanced materials, and the most updated bike building techniques.
And with its history as the first mail-order cycling company, Ribble also continues to innovate the way in which it sells its bikes and accessories. The company not only specializes in digital commerce, but it also attempts to mirror the online experience in its physical stores.
In its Clitheroe showroom, for instance, Ribble lets customers “touch and visualise the effect of their personal spec customisation. It also boasts Europe’s largest indoor high-resolution 4k video screen… [where] customers can experience the full customisation of BikeBuilder and the personalisation of CustomColour, with the support of friendly and knowledgeable experts.”
Last Thoughts
Ribble Bicycles is an iconic British cycling brand. The fact that it first made its bicycles available via mail order and now digital commerce has solidified its reputation. Plus, not to mention its connection with British cycling and the many pro teams it has sponsored.
Ribble is a full-fledged builder and cycling retailer. It offers every bike you can think of (and some you can’t even imagine). Few builders in the cycling industry offer as many types of bikes as Ribble. Its unique vision in building steel bicycles, and its innovation in the retail space, will, most likely, keep its name on the lips of cyclists for a long time to come.
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