00:00 Hi, my name's Sam, Digital Reporter for the Lancashire Post, and come with me as I head to Ribble Cycles,
00:07 one of the leading UK bike manufacturers, as I speak to their CEO about the origins of the company,
00:14 as well as the successes they've had over recent years.
00:22 Yes, it all began here in Lancashire, down near Preston Dock. We were established in 1897, so just over 125 years old now.
00:31 We started off by manufacturing our own range of bicycles out of steel tubing back in the day,
00:39 and we've stayed true to our roots ever since then. Still based locally, still based near Preston,
00:44 still assembling every single bike that we produce.
00:47 My first involvement with the Ribble brand came over 30 years ago. So when I was a young teenager,
00:53 I was an aspiring racing cyclist, and looking to the best riders of the day,
00:59 and kind of wanting to emulate them and watch them race with them, etc.
01:04 And when I was looking at what bikes were arriving, a lot of them were on Ribbles.
01:08 So my first proper race bike, over 30 years ago, was actually a Ribble bike, not unlike this bike here,
01:13 which is actually one of our team bikes from the 1990s.
01:17 So yeah, I started my racing career on a Ribble that I saved up for, bought the frame,
01:24 and actually custom coloured it, and then specced it up as the best I could afford it,
01:29 to be with my money from part-time jobs, etc.
01:32 And that was my pride and joy for quite a few years, as I embarked on what was a short, but racing career.
01:40 So I got hooked on cycling, and Ribble was a key part of that.
01:44 So it's amazing now, 30 years plus later, to be leading the brand forward. It's really exciting.
01:49 Yes, we do road bikes that are the most aerodynamic, advanced road bikes in the world,
01:59 up to £10,000, that are capable of winning the biggest races in the world.
02:03 But equally, we also do bikes that are very accessible, bikes that are e-bikes, for example,
02:08 major hybrids, which can be used for trails, on or off roads, for commuting or just leisure purposes,
02:15 for every cyclist really. So yeah, we definitely have a range now which caters for everybody,
02:19 all the way from your budding Tour de France winner, all the way through to somebody who's just riding for leisure,
02:24 and going out with family or commuting purposes. So yeah, there's a bike for everybody.
02:29 It may or may not be surprising to know that many of our world or Olympic champions have started,
02:35 or have ridden ribbles at some point during their career. So people like Chris Borden, Bradley Wiggins,
02:41 Geraint Thomas, quite a few of today's star riders have at some point began their careers on ribble bikes.
02:49 So yeah, I think we have a very strong place in the racing heritage of British cycling.
02:58 Our race teams, our bikes, they compete all over the world in our products, so our audience is worldwide.
03:03 And yeah, any one of our bikes can be shipped anywhere around the world via our website.
03:09 So yeah, we also have what's, from a customer contact point of view, we also have what's called Ribble Live.
03:14 So Ribble Live is a one-way video link up where they get access into this actual showroom that we're standing in now.
03:19 And they can see the, have access to one of our experts. They can also see the product first hand.
03:26 They talk through the optionality, they talk through the design of the bike and the specifications,
03:30 so again, wherever they're based around the world, real time, if you're talking to our experts,
03:35 have an immersion into the showroom and to really get the best possible bike experience wherever they are in any country.
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