A SNEAK PEEK AT THE ATHERTONS’ NEW ALLOY BIKE RANGE
Atherton Bikes had an amazing 2023, with Rachel Atherton’s triumphant return to racing, team rider Charlie Hatton being crowned world champ, the brand’s 500th sale and the launch of the benchmark-setting AM.130 (see p28). The main thing holding them back has been the cost of hand-building bikes from titanium and carbon fibre – so, they’re releasing an alloy range, and you’re the first to get a look!
“Right from the launch of the bike company five years ago, we had this vision for a more accessibly-priced range,” says Atherton Bikes cofounder Dan Brown. “We wanted to bring all the great stuff we’ve learned from our ‘halo’ range to the core MTB riders, the people we see at Dyfi Bike Park every weekend. To make a strong, durable, high-quality ride that would be in reach for a lot more people.
“All the characteristics of the A-range – perfect fit and geometry, playful ride feel – will be carried through into this new S-range, but rather than titanium and carbon fibre, we’ve used aluminium. The bike on the front cover is our final prototype. We’re getting ready to start production and are agonisingly close to being able to launch our online sales.”
Take it away now
If you’re on a tight budget, don’t get too excited. ‘More accessible’ doesn’t mean cheap – the frames will still be made in Wales, in an innovative way. “Building in-house is really important to us,” says Dan. “Partly because it gives us greater quality control, and partly because we’re so passionate about helping to develop this fantastic area we live in.”
The ‘S’ in the name stands for subtractive manufacturing ( removing material), as opposed to the additive manufacturing (3D printing; building up material) used to create the ‘A’ bikes. “We’re still using lug-and-tube construction, but instead of using carbon tubes joined to titanium lugs, the new range is 100 per cent aluminium. The lugs are made for us, externally, using CNC machining – a cutting-edge application of an established technology.”
As well as giving the bikes a unique look and utilising the knowledge built up over the past five years, lugged construction allows the brand to use 7075 aluminium, which has much higher fatigue performance and ultimate tensile strength than weldable alternatives such as 6061.
Ready for release
Atherton Bikes
