In gear for a new challenge

In gear for a new challenge - Coventry Telegraph

ONE of the UK's oldest bicycle manufacturers has started a new venture which could boost an iconic bike brand. Stratford-based Pashley Cycles has joined forces with Alex Moulton Bicycles to create The Moulton Bicycle Company. It will manufacture, market and distribute the Moulton and Pashley TSR ranges of bikes. Pashley Cycles and Alex Moulton Bicycles have collaborated for the past 12 years, with Pashley manufacturing the Pashley-Moulton TSR range. Together, the two companies employ more than 50 people. Pashley Cycles, set up in 1926, is England's longest-established cycle manufacturer, producing more than 150 models of handmade specialist bikes. Moulton Bicycles, based in Bradford-upon-Avon, was set up by Dr Alex Moulton in 1958, leading the world in design and manufacture of full suspension small-wheeled, high-performance bikes. More than half of the company's output is exported, with the brand particularly sought after in Japan and the Far East. Adrian Williams, managing director of Pashley Cycles, said: "The Moulton Bicycle Company has a substantial order book and a waiting list of some 15 months for particular models. "So, the task will be to increase production output and at the same time open up new markets which should not be difficult as these superbly engineered cycles are much admired worldwide." Dr Moulton, who becomes president of the new company, said: "This new initiative will allow us to increase our market penetration and reduce our supply times. "This will enable us to develop new marketing programmes, strengthen the enviable reputation of the Moulton brand and ensure our bicycles remain at the forefront of the small wheel bicycle revolution." Paul Bennett, corporate partner at Black Country law firm George Green, who advised on the new venture, said: "Pashley and Moulton are two legendary brands in UK manufacturing. "What is more, they are two of the very few remaining true bicycle manufacturers left in the country, as they genuinely hand-make the cycles here, rather than just being an assembly or import-distribution-only operation. "Their focus on quality, design and engineering shows that, done properly, there is still a worldwide market for British hand-made goods."