Ribble Cycles

Ribble Cycles is one of the oldest bike brands in cycling, and has been producing frames in the UK since 1897.

History

Ribble’s long history dates back to 1897 when its first shop was founded in Preston near to the River Ribble, which the brand takes its name from. At this time the penny-farthing had made way for the ‘safety bicycle’ which is the origin of all modern bikes, and Ribble started by handcrafting steel ‘safety bicycle’ frames.

It proved to be a successful recipe that continued all the way to 1949 when ownership swapped hands for the first time to the Sandiford family. This heralded a new era for Ribble and a change of direction as it started manufacturing bespoke steel frames.

It quickly built a reputation both locally and nationally, leading to Ribble’s first major foray into the world of racing. It was a big one, becoming official bike sponsors for the British team competing at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. They then became official bike suppliers for the English team which competed at the Milk Race; the country’s largest cycling race running from 1958 to 1993.

The brand changed direction in 1985 once again under new ownership, becoming one of the market-leading direct-to-consumer brands and early proponents of mail-order retailing. Despite the new approach, Ribble still manufactured handmade steel frames up until the 1990s, but its attention soon turned to aluminium and carbon which had become the dominant materials. That led to the 7005 Audax, one of its most iconic bikes.

Fast-forward to 2017 and Ribble was under new ownership once again, and with it came fresh investment and new bike designs, including the Ribble Ultra TT. Ribble also placed more focus on electric bikes and now offers a range of e-bikes across its different models.

Did you know?

Pro cycling

Current sponsorships:

• Lifeplus Wahoo
• The Collective

Highlights:

• Ribble became the official bike supplier for the British Olympic team in 1956 ahead of the Melbourne Olympics. The team picked up one silver and two bronze medals across the track and road events.
• Soon after, Ribble became bike sponsors for the English team at the Milk Race. Between 1958 and 1993, the Milk Race was the country’s most prestigious event, open to only amateur riders between 1960 and 1984.
• In 2001 Ribble sponsored Ribble Pro Vision, a pro team competing in the British Cycling Premier Calendar series.
• Continuing its support of the British cycling team, Ribble sponsored the Ribble team (Ribble Weldtite from 2020) between 2017 to 2022.
• To celebrate its 125th anniversary, Ribble released three special-edition bikes in 2022 including the Ribble Ultra SL R 125, Ribble Gravel Ti 125, plus Ribble Allroad SLe 125, a prototype which wasn't available to the public. Each bike featured a unique and very eye-catching colourway.