Atherton Bikes are 5 years old today! The start-up has never made a secret of its grand ambitions, but the speed with which it has achieved some of these goals has caught the industry’s attention, especially after an amazing 2023 in which the women’s and Men’s elite victories on the market included the World Cup circuit and the electrifying gold and silver for Charlie Hatton and Andi Kolb at the Fort William World Champs. We take a look back at these rollercoaster years and celebrate a small British success story as they prepare for the next stage of their journey.
said Dan Brown, CEO of Atherton Bikes “It’s hard to believe it’s been five years – in some ways it feels like five months, in others it feels like a decade!”
When Atherton Bikes launched on January 25thTh In 2019, one of the industry’s best-kept secrets was revealed and the bike company’s accepted sponsorship model was upended when the Atherton siblings and their then-team director Dan Brown decided to “go it alone.” The team worked with renowned suspension designer Dave Weagle and Dragon’s Den’s Piers Linney to develop their ultimate range of bikes, leveraging groundbreaking additive manufacturing technologies and eyelet and tube design to deliver strong, perfectly fitting bikes.
Where the Athertons have taken the lead, others have followed with several World Cup prototypes now using stud and tube construction, but that’s not a development that fazes Dan Brown, he says “We knew our product was at the next level. The fact that the biggest brands in the world followed suit is just proof of this!”
It was a difficult time starting a new business. Among many more established businesses, Atherton noted that 2020 and 2021 were difficult and there were other, more personal setbacks, the biggest of which was Gee’s horrific accident while filming his Ridgeline series…
All in all, it’s been five years! Here are some of the highlights selected by the team:
January 2019: Launch day, a closely guarded secretJanuary 19th: The Atherton Bikes Company celebrates its birthday with co-founder and visionary Dan, who built his first bike when he was about 10 years old – cake guaranteedJune 2019:Rachel takes the young company’s first World Cup win aboard the AM200 prototype – still a full 29er bike and not available outside the race team at the time… “Winning at Fort William on our own bike was something to be proud of “I hardly dared to dream… but I dreamed about it every day!” Rachel Atherton July 2019: Rach is pushing hard to take another World Cup victory (her 39th) aboard the AM200 on a tough track in VallnordAugust 2019:Millie Johnset completes a hat-trick for the brand as she wins the Junior Women’s World Cup in Val di Sole – Mille’s first World Cup victoryFebruary 2020:The A150 and A200 are available for purchase to our first fifty customers. Some of them have since bought second or even third bikes from us/Atherton. This is the best acknowledgment there is: “My goodness, Atherton. The A200 is shown here in its original 29-inch format.”Dec 2020: Ridgeline 1 release: Gee’s first epic Ridgeline edit now has over 4 million views on YouTube alone, including 10 million in supporting content.This is probably the most impressive thing Gee has ever seen on a bike, absolutely on the edge of possibility.” – Dan Atherton
December 2020: Crowdcube Raise, Overfunding in 24 Hours – “a measure of the popularity of the brand and the support and trust that has helped us so much on our journey.”” -Dan Brown
July 2022: Market launch of the Mullet 200 M.The culmination of three years of feedback from some of the most legendary downhill racers, the love for “The Mullet” is unanimous… and customers agree…October 2022: Launch of the A130 “A trail bike you can officially take to the bike park”It’s the kind of bike you can jump on and pedal into the woods, and no matter what path you end up on, it’ll probably bring you a good time.” Mike Kazimer, PinkbikeDec. 2022: Enduro Mag best trail bike“The comfortable pedaling position ensures the best climbing performance despite the soft rubber mixture. Downhill, the bike inspires enormous confidence and combines intuitive handling, excellent control and excellent maneuverability. The AM.150 is undoubtedly the best trail bike of 2022!” – Enduro MagApril 2023 launch of the A170,Dan Atherton’s favorite bike of all time – seen here at the Gee’s Dolomites shoot! Designed by Dan at Dyfi, the 170 quickly took the industry by storm.For riding DH trails, Morzine steeps and a mix of natural enduro trails, I’m hard-pressed to think of another bike I’d rather ride.” – Mick Kirkman, MBRJune 2023: Rachel “becomes the fastest mother in the world with her 40th World Cup victory in Lenzerheide – then heads back to the pits to feed baby Arna, with the AM200M’s ‘confident’ ride coming to the fore…”June 2023: Andi Kolb had “the run of his life” and won the World Cup in Leogang in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. It is his first World Cup victory and the first elite men’s gold for the brand.August 2023: “Winning the World Championships was always the goal, but to win gold and silver so early in the company’s career was overwhelming. I’m incredibly proud of the team and of being the first British bike manufacturer to win the World Championship.” -Dan BrownDec 2023 AM 170 wins the reader-voted Singletrack Most Desirable Bike Award – this award says a lot about how far we have come in such a short time. Pictured gift from customer John K….
But Dan Brown, CEO, should have the final say “If you look back at the amount of work that has gone into the last five years, it is breathtaking. Our learning curve has been steep and we are very grateful to everyone who has helped us over the last five years, from partners like Renishaw and Angel and Crowdcube investors and our customers, this support has meant everything. I am very proud of us for building the bikes that make these wonderful moments possible and of the role we play in creating jobs in Machynlleth. This community has welcomed us with open arms, so it’s fantastic to be able to give back – especially in the current economic climate. We are 100% ready for the next stage of our journey.”
Coming soon: The team is hard at work on a new aluminum product that is scheduled to hit the market early this year.New Headquarters in Atherton – The new facility will enable the company to grow and scale in line with its ambitions.
