October 31, 2022
In Issue 115, we take a deep dive into the history of longstanding British brand, Ribble, as it reaches its its 125-year anniversary
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“Is this too much? Too far?” is the message that pops up on Ribble CEO Andy Smallwood’s mobile phone. It’s from Jamie Burrow, ex-professional rider and current head of product at the British brand. Smallwood is quick to type his reply. The message is simple and direct: “No,” he sends back.
It’s this exchange that somehow sums up Ribble’s very ethos. It speaks of the risky, exciting and fearless strategy that this bustling bike brand from the heart of the north-west of England has taken on since it came under Smallwood’s direction in 2017. It encapsulates the working relationship between Smallwood, an involved and hands-on CEO, and Burrow, the bicycle-obsessed mastermind behind Ribble’s range. It hints at more pioneering innovation to come from the brand, and is an example of how Ribble keeps evolving: they aren’t afraid to do things differently.
But it hasn’t always been this way. In its rich 125-year history, Ribble, like most companies, has had moments where it has got lost trying to navigate through the murky waters that can be found in the bicycle manufacturing industry. However, it’s a brand which – through the grit and determination that the north of England is famous for – has come out of the other side glittering, and with optimistic and broad aims for the future.
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To tell the true story of Ribble, though, we must start right at the beginning, and where else than in the Ribble Valley? Deep in the industrial revolution of the 19th century, it was here the brand was born, as a manufacturer of bespoke steel bicycle frames which provided a more practical solution to the penny-farthings that then dominated the market. It was from this bright idea that led Ribble, innovators from the start, to become a household name in the bicycle industry, quickly becoming the desirable brand for both amateur and professional cyclists.
The story of the brand’s pioneering nature doesn’t stop with the production of steel frames, either, it carries on deep into the late 1980s, when Ribble became a market-leading direct-to-consumer brand. Burrow…