Brilliant curveball.
It's good, I think, they were doing itneresting and innovative things with technology in bike manufacturing so I'm glad they're able to continue.
Hopefully they'll offer a more 'trail' type bike sooner rather than later.
Good on them 🙂
*like*
Great news
Brilliant curveball.
Exactly. Kudos for them keeping this under wraps so well.
Always loved the RobotBike stuff and was disappointed to see this thread and now this!
Good to hear Weagle is still involved too.
Linkage is still secret it seems.
simons_nicolai-uk
I’m guessing most Robot customers would have taken a regular ‘off the shelf’ geometry so you’re then into a simple question of whether the manufacturing process gives any real world riding benefits (which seemed doubtful) or produced a bike that appealed visually. (and I think the look of the bike was probably pretty marmite).
I was keen on recreating my G16 as one of their frames - same geometry rebuilt in lighter carbon did appeal. That said, I'm not sure if the mix of Ti and carbon ends up with a bike that's basically the same as aluminium.
Looking at the insta' post from Dan, it looks like they'll be running Trickstuff brakes.
Always fancied a robot bike with DW link - currently on a Ibis Ripley v2. May look a lot closer when they design and release a trail bike 🙂
Looking at the insta’ post from Dan, it looks like they’ll be running Trickstuff brakes.
Yeah, it’s all over trickstuffs insta.
Arghh, I really wanted a Robot r130 but I thought it was too late and I've talked myself into an Ibis, I always thought that a custom geometry DH bike was the best application of the Robot system.
.
Doesn't help their product looked like something off of the 90s. I'm not trying to be harsh... genuine observation. Can't see how anything high end can he viable unless it's pretty.
I don't get what all the hype was about. Reminds me of those terrible Raleigh special product titanium bikes with the bonded tubes.
Doesn’t help their product looked like something off of the 90s. I’m not trying to be harsh… genuine observation. Can’t see how anything high end can he viable unless it’s pretty.
I don’t get what all the hype was about. Reminds me of those terrible Raleigh special product titanium bikes with the bonded tubes.
Can't stand all the "swoopy tube" s*** so the Robot aesthetic is a breath of fresh air. Think it looks bang on and wish I could afford one.
Can’t see how anything high end can he viable unless it’s pretty.
Heard of a Porsche Cayenne or Bentley Bentayga?
I don’t get what all the hype was about.
Did you look into it, other than just what it looks like? Doesn't appear so.
Can’t see how anything high end can he viable unless it’s pretty.
Explain Ellsworth then!
Be fair hols, those are all old designs. The new stuff is much ni...oh.
That second Dare is almost the same as mine was. It actually rode exactly as good as it looked.
I always thought that Tony Ellsworth’s Labrador Retriever designed his bikes.
I always thought that Tony Ellsworth’s Labrador Retriever designed his bikes.
I just assumed that they'd bought a shipload of random parts and got some monkeys to play around until they found some parts with holes that lined up.
I always liked the look of these apart from the down tube stickers but the coated finish on the DH bike looks even better.
A quick look on companies house website shows they have gone pop- into voluntary liquidation, left a few debts behind.
Looking at the insta’ post from Dan, it looks like they’ll be running Trickstuff brakes.
Yeah, a rumour is they pi$$ed of Hope so were dropped. Funny seeing the blacked out Hope cranks on the bike though.
Personally not a fan of the Robot Bike look but interested to see how this bike pans out.
But no financial backing from historical sales of bikes, no big vehicle sponsor, just Red Bull and some components, (okay I'm belittling a bit), but they must have amassed some serious funds now to support their racing - I'm impressed, a bold move.
But no financial backing from historical sales of bikes, no big vehicle sponsor, just Red Bull and some components, (okay I’m belittling a bit), but they must have amassed some serious funds now to support their racing – I’m impressed, a bold move.
Just a multi millionaire business tycoon...
Tbf, I’m not convinced Hope would have wanted the competition. It couldn’t have ended well.
There would have been endless comparisons with the HB160 before you start on how picked over decisions to use one component but not another would be. And from Robot/Atherton’s POV, I’m sure they wouldn’t want to be too tied to Hope.
Going to be interesting to see how an MTB celeb branded company works out shifting a high cost product.
I always kind of cringe when folk like Hoy, Wiggins and Pendleton try and build brands out of their name. To be fair to Boardman he’s actually done pretty well out of it, but the brand is still a bit naff isn’t it?
Kind of think/hope the Athertons might be able to buck that recent trend, but guess we’ll see.
Oh I just found out about this from some stw article.
Looked like a possible future Turner replacement to me.
Nothing on Twitter either.
Branding is a funny thing. I started this thread because I was genuinely about to place an order for a Robotbike.
I do have a lot of respect for the Athertons but I can’t ‘associate’ with them or the kind of riding that they do. Despite being the same product as Robotbike, the fact that it has their name on the down tube is a deal breaker for me.
A bike brand can be somewhat rider and discipline agnostic. But a bike branded with a rider’s name has more narrow and direct associations. I am not a downhiller.
Is that a fickle and shallow reason not to buy an Atherton frame when it is ultimately the same tech and construction as a Robotbike frame? Maybe a bit, but at the same time it is all part of the equation.
But the decision to name the brand Atherton rather than keep Robotbike, or indeed call it something different altogether is quite polarising. Some will love it, some won’t. I just want to reiterate that I have the greatest of respect and admiration for all involved. They are amazing riders, and seem nice. The creative, technical and commercial partners are all amazing at what they do. Downhill just isn’t the side of the sport that appeals to me, and I would rather not have a downhiller’s name on a trail bike, particularly long after their career is over.
The decision not to call the bike brand something different (yet still have the same backers and ownership structure) was clearly calculated to leverage the Athertons’ name, but in this case it has backfired for me. A new name would have broadened and lengthened the bikes’ appeal. I just couldn’t see an Atherton road bike or cross bike or gravel bike or hardtail or short travel bike having the same relevance as a long travel bike does. And from a commercial perspective this will undoubtedly limit their potential market given that the technology has this capability and these are probably bigger markets than downhill bikes alone.
And so sadly, I am out!
Tbf, I’m not convinced Hope would have wanted the competition. It couldn’t have ended well.
There would have been endless comparisons with the HB160 before you start on how picked over decisions to use one component but not another would be. And from Robot/Atherton’s POV, I’m sure they wouldn’t want to be too tied to Hope.
I was only thinking about the HB160 and this when I read the announcement.
Cover the logos?
Sure. Spend the best part of £4K on a bike from a brand you don’t associate with and then stick Gorilla tape all over it. Seems quite a reasonable solution (said nobody ever).
BTW what happens to the Robotbike debt? Does the new company pay the previous creditors or does this Phoenix rise debt free from the ashes?
Going to be interesting to see how an MTB celeb branded company works out shifting a high cost product.
Hmm after a year or two you use the branding you’ve built on the high end pimp stuff to shift something with a lower price tag. Entry level 🙂
BTW what happens to the Robotbike debt? Does the new company pay the previous creditors or does this Phoenix rise debt free from the ashes
Hmm was it robot bike ltd 🙂
Spend the best part of £4K on a bike from a brand you don’t associate with and then stick Gorilla tape all over it.
Or... Get the bike you want, get some professional decals done (with robots logo on, if you like, invisiframe do a great job at this) so it allows you to ‘associate’ with it. Whatever that means.
Good luck getting one for £4K though.
Athertons a totally different legal entity so effectively it’s tough shit to anyone owed by Robot Bike.
It’s the joy of a limited company, Course behind the scenes you could make amends to keep previous suppliers goodwill etc.
Tom, if that’s genuine question rather than a clever bit of trolling, read this:
https://www.marketingweek.com/2008/10/01/ruth-mortimer-the-power-of-brand-association/
Whilst you like to think of yourself as a free thinking independent minded kind of chap, every brand trying to sell you things relies on brand association and even you aren’t immune even if you might not know it or like to admit it.
The Atherton name on the down tube is 100% about brand association. Welcome to the cynical world of sales and marketing! Somewhere in a meeting a conscious decision was taken about the brand name calculated to have the greatest sales and marketing impact. Atherton was the decision, and for me it hasn’t worked. For others it might.
As somebody who was about to buy a Robotbike, that decision has cost them a sale. They now need to hope that somebody who wasn’t going to buy a Robotbike is sufficiently attracted by the name to even maintain the sales line. And I guess they hope that even more people will be attracted by the name.
I would rather not have a downhiller’s name on a trail bike
I get that, though most riders see themselves as more Enduro or DH than XC so I expect some up-rad-ing of a rider's image works OK for them. Buy a trail bike that says I Do DH Too, etc.
So, if you remove/cover the name, where is the brand association?
I’m not saying that they haven’t deliberately chosen their name to sell the bike, but to discount what would be the EXACT SAME BIKE, save for a sticker, seems a little short sighted.
“Branding is a funny thing. I started this thread because I was genuinely about to place an order for a Robotbike.”
Judging by the amount of reviews, PR and so on for Robotbike over the last few years, yet the total dearth of posts from actual owners in that time (let alone ever seeing one in the wild), I suspect you were in a tiny minority.
Hopefully with the weight of the Athertons’ brand behind it they can be successful. A touring demo scheme or arrangement at a suitable bike park with a whole load of different geometry bikes would make a big difference - otherwise how do you know what custom geometry to go for? With DH focused bikes it’s as much about riding style as height and proportions to define what fits and rides best.
And that’s the calculated risk - if everything else is equal will the Atherton name sell more bikes?
I’m not saying that they haven’t deliberately chosen their name to sell the bike, but to discount what would be the EXACT SAME BIKE, save for a sticker, seems a little short sighted.
I haven't eaten a snickers (Marathon) since 1990 though so the name definitely matters 🙂
I always kind of cringe when folk like Hoy, Wiggins and Pendleton try and build brands out of their name. To be fair to Boardman he’s actually done pretty well out of it, but the brand is still a bit naff isn’t it?
Given how passionate Boardman is about getting people out on bikes I reckon he is probably really happy with the direction it's going, not so much naff but aimed at people riding bikes not cyclists.
otherwise how do you know what custom geometry to go for? With DH focused bikes it’s as much about riding style as height and proportions to define what fits and rides best.
For most of the punters a simple set of predefined custom geos would probably do, you could probably call the Small Medium and Large 😉 but you would need a complex program to let people get there on their own.
And that’s the calculated risk – if everything else is equal will the Atherton name sell more bikes?
How many did the original company sell? Given how rare they are in the wild it doesn't sound like a tough proposition.
“For most of the punters a simple set of predefined custom geos would probably do, you could probably call the Small Medium and Large 😉 but you would need a complex program to let people get there on their own.”
They had a thing on their old website that calculated the “right” fit for you but as it only asked height and arm span it was missing the leg, torso and femur length which all matter.
Running a company that designs, manufactures and sells fairly expensive things, I’ve found there’s a big issue when it comes to getting purchasers to commit to something they can’t test or return. Demoing similar bikes would solve that.
There’s one other issue, though it won’t matter with a DH bike - the current seat tube design puts a kink in it quite high up (where the linkage attaches). That’ll stop long dropper posts fitting for smaller riders.
It's funny - every time I go to a post about this news, I see loads of people saying it's ugly. I'm surprised. If you want a swoopy, curvy thing there are a million to choose from. If you happen to like straight tubes (as I do), this looks uniquely appealing!
