Dan, Gee and Rachel Atherton are delighted to announce the launch of their new bike brand Atherton Bikes. The siblings will be working with renowned suspension designer Dave Weagle, using pioneering additive manufacturing technologies combined with carbon fiber tubing to "create our ultimate range of bikes". Entrepreneur Piers Linney will co-found the company with the inaugural Atherton Bikes range to be sold in 2019.

The Atherton Bikes brand has been a lifetime in the making, so to speak, as Dan built his first bike in 1992 when he was just 10 years old. But more recently, the family's dream of pushing bike development as hard as they push their riding has become irresistible. Dan Atherton commented, "It's always been a dream of mine that we'd ride for our own bike company. We've ridden for some big brands and are proud of the role we've played in the development of DH bikes from Commençal to the Trek Session and trail bikes like the GT Sanction. We've always really enjoyed the process, from working with the designers in the early stages to testing and refining prototypes on the World Championship course. But because of the way the sponsorship system works, we would soon be starting from scratch with a new brand"

"I'm hugely grateful for all the opportunities the system has given us - we all are, but for us it's always been about pushing the boundaries of the sport. Back in 2003 we set up Atherton Racing to do things the way we wanted to, from building our own tracks to producing edits like the Atherton Project and events like Red Bull Hardline. Now feels like the right time to put our hearts and souls into a range of bikes we've designed and built," Dan continues

Gee continues, "We will start with what we do best and focus on high quality products that are designed to be ridden aggressively! For 2019 we will be riding our own prototype bike and we plan to launch this DH bike along with a range of trail bikes. We are working with some amazing guys formerly of Robot Bike Co. and they will be an integral part of our start-up, they are just as passionate about the technology and its potential to disrupt the industry and shake up the big companies as we are."

The Athertons met Ed Haythornthwaite, one of the founders of Robot, when he was Dan's World Cup mechanic in 2006 and their enduring friendship was the catalyst for this project. Ed's understanding of what works on a bike and his passion for improving the rider experience are the foundation for the development of the entire product range.

Ed's collaborators, Ben Farmer and Andy Hawkins, both come from aerospace and Formula 1 backgrounds and are experts in composite materials and additive manufacturing (3D metal printing), which allows full customization to any bike frame.

Gee on the manufacturing process, "The additive manufacturing process is so responsive that we have been able to test and customize a number of prototypes that ride like the finished bike; this constant cycle of innovation means that we can develop our bikes much faster and that every production bike purchase will be the equivalent of a top modern development."

Rachel on her dreams, "The dream has always been to ride our own bikes, and additive manufacturing bikes are so exciting and groundbreaking - the ultimate bike! Throughout our career we've been proud to represent our country and support the next generation of cyclists, so the fact that we can distribute our new brand through a UK-based company is just incredible and is the icing on the cake for us!"

athertonbikes.com