Atherton bikes, what’s the latest news.

Ed probably left because

Wonder what’s going on there as Companies House says he’s no longer a director, but he’s listed as being in the team on the pitch deck.

The name on the downtube wouldn’t put me off but the price and the CDT-project aesthethics potentially would.

When it was first announced I did think they should have just gone into reaonably priced aluminum-framed MTBs with excellent geometry. There was still a decent gap in the market then IMO, but it’s closing up more recently.

^^^ This.

I can’t imagine one of these will be cheaper than a Geometron, and when you think that a snip over £3k gets you a G1 frame with EXT shock, custom tuned for you and configured to suit, the Atherton bike will have to offer something really special in terms of performance and support.

who knows about why Ed left, perhaps he had just agreed to stay on for a year to help them set everything up, and that’s done.

I hope the project succeeds, there’s no reason why it can’t, the bikes (as Robotbikes) got almost universal praise from reviewers, from what I’ve seen of them they look great, and ride really well. It’s great to see a mountain biking race team transfer itself to making bikes.

When it was first announced I did think they should have just gone into reaonably priced aluminum-framed MTBs with excellent geometry. There was still a decent gap in the market then IMO, but it’s closing up more recently.

Like;

https://www.privateerbikes.com

Yes, and there are a few more decent options now too.

They wouldn’t have had to go that cheap even. They could have done a lighter frame with DW link and LLS geometry and sold direct to consumer a bit cheaper than the big brands.

Still, there’s probably a reason that everybody isn’t doing something like that. Must be harder than it looks from the outside.

I like the bikes but agree with some of the points above (as if they care ha ha). I feel like an Atherton branded bike should be a ‘bike for the people’ not a boutique bike that hardly anyone racing can afford. A modern day 2006 Giant Glory! the sort of bike you see at the races because they are ‘cheap’ and they work. Give it progressive geometry, parts spec that favours brakes over gears, and reasonably overbuilt frame that can take a good beating. It feels like the person who buys an Atherton it’s current form are going to be middle-aged, loaded and will ride it around Follow The Dog.

Interesting turn of events………

Atherton bikes seeking around £600k in crowd funding investment

You can invest for as little as £11

keep up at the back 😉

So…

what proportion of the £600k target will be raised from the STW massif?

£600k is the total amount, most of that has already been raised from angel investors, with a (small) bone seemingly being thrown to the MTB community, presumably for more publicity.

Well I’ve registered, be interesting to see what levels of funding they pitch it all at and what you get for the price. The £11 doesn’t interest me but if they have an option around the £1-200 mark I’ll be looking at it properly. I loved the tech behind RobotBikes and had a good chat to them up at Fort William back in 2016, seeing as this is essentially the same company I’ll be happy to take a small punt on helping them do well.

si77
So…

what proportion of the £600k target will be raised from the STW massif?

£11.00…….

what proportion of the £600k target will be raised from the STW massif?

£500 + vat?

It’s a shame Gee isn’t competing at the sharp end of the downhill on an Atherton bike. I think that would generate a lot more interest in the crowd funding.

It’s a shame Gee isn’t competing at the sharp end of the downhill on an Atherton bike. I think that would generate a lot more interest in the crowd funding.

IT’d be quite interesting to see him on something else, just to compare if it’s him or the bike.. I think that must be going through peoples minds when considering buying one…

Charlie is doing better than him on it, but still only ‘OK’ in a context of the sport, not setting the world on fire on it.

I wonder though how much of a factor it plays in peoples decisions, do people buy the bike that the top racers are riding ? Are Santa Cruz and Commencal dominating market sales in the DH bracket for example ?

I wonder though how much of a factor it plays in peoples decisions, do people buy the bike that the top racers are riding ?

It probably helps that the bikes the top riders are racing on are not using additive / 3D print technology and the bikes don’t look unfinished. I’ve seen an Atherton bike in the flesh and I certainly wouldn’t buy one. The bike I seen looked a bit industrial and thrown together. So many other nicer finished options out there for way less money and risk!

If they are struggling to sell 50, they’ll certainly not be selling 7500 in 5 years! Info on their website is super vague too, doesn’t really give you a sense of security when spending that amount of money.

do people buy the bike that the top racers are riding ?

Historically, yes. Orange, Trek, Specialized, Santa Cruz have all had bikes blow up in popularity because of a winning rider.

Are Santa Cruz and Commencal dominating market sales in the DH bracket for example ?

Definitely. The bikes you see at races, uplift days and resorts always reflect the most successful race bikes of recent years. V10’s, Supremes and Demo’s are everywhere. No one is riding a Polygon or a Radon or something.

Investment opportunity, but still private company, making selling your investment… potentially difficult.
I don’t think I would be banking on this making me much money ever. I guess you would possibly do better investing elsewhere.

That being said, like all these things, its a guess and a gamble, maybe Atherton bikes goes big time, sell loads, and your investment turns out brilliantly.

For me, not really seeing the gap they are filling, and for some time, not a lot seems to have happened, so, either a great time to get in, or just chucking some money to help/feel part of it?

I still don’t get it. Having just visited the website, it would still appear that I can’t actually buy a bike. Isn’t that the point of Atherton Bikes?

Perhaps this is the understated marketing strategy and longest teaser campaign of the century but I doubt it.

Why start a bike brand when you don’t have the means to actually make a bike, and when your own equity is on the downward?

Somebody is either giving them duff advice, or they have the misplaced self confidence to do it their own way, but what worked on the racing circuit doesn’t necessarily translate into business.

I have spent Atherton money and more on frames in the past, but always from reputable brands with good reputations for warranty support long into the future. Spending that much on an unproven bike from a brand this flaky would be a huge leap of faith, and not one I would be prepared to take.

As an investor, other than the really big corporates (Trek, Specialized and Giant), I don’t see many people having made huge amounts from running bike companies. It would be an emotionally justified punt, not a cold hard investment decision. As a result, I also don’t see much of an opportunity for a sell-off in the future.

Investment opportunity, but still private company, making selling your investment… potentially difficult.

This is from the FAQ section of the website.
When you invest in equity you buy a percentage or share of a business. Hopefully the business you have backed goes on to make an ‘exit’ (by via a sale to another company) at a higher value than when you invested, and you will get a return on your investment and make a profit.

Atherton Bikes is a private company, which means it doesn’t trade on a stock exchange. This means you can only sell Atherton Bikes shares when a ‘liquidity event’ occurs., that is when the whole or part of the company is sold, it lists on an exchange, or it sells a major asset such as a brand.

Suggests to me that the plan is to try to make the company a viable going concern then sell it on.

Exactly, but its not in your control.
You cant decide ‘now’ is the right time, or I need to liquidate some of my assets ‘now’

Fine if you go into it eyes open, and this works for you. For me, in my situation, it doesnt.
*bookmarked for when in 3 yrs time Atherton bikes is sold to GIANT and your £11 investment is work 11k 😉

Target hit in just under half an hour…

I failed the questionnaire lol

I bunged them some cash, not because I’m wanting a financial return but because I like the design and manufacturing side of what they are doing.

Also chucked them some money – not a huge amount, but it all adds up.
I really hope they can get the bikes produced in sufficient quantity and quality to get them selves out there a bit more.
I’m all for innovation in engineering and also something different in MTB.

Got the email this morning while I was just about to go out on the bike, came back and they’ve smashed their funding!! Still put £54 in as I won that on the lottery last week so if I lose it it doesn’t really matter, if I gain it’s money towards bike stuff.

Be interesting to see how quickly they do grow now after this crowdfunding, they are completely different to the rest of the market and have a unique setup. Be fun to watch it all ‘from the inside’ as it were too.

Decided to take a £2k punt on it. Could be a decent investment.

It’s a weird one. Invest because you like the project, but you can only make money if they sell out or go public. Neither of those things have been historically good for bike companies, with the heart usually ripped out of them.

I think if I’d done it (which I haven’t) it would have been for a low amount just to help them out and to feel a little ‘invested’ in their progress.

Any ongoing costs to buying some shares? Was looking at 20 shares so I’m thinking tax relief will be non-existant (not a problem), but any ongoing costs as an owner of shares in a private company? Is my 83 quid all I’ll be paying until they sell out and I get money back on the shares I own (not expecting that to happy any time soon).

1 year and haven’t sold 50 units and in 5 years going to sell 7500 ?

I wouldnt spend the kind of money they are asking for, on a brand that is clearly in difficulty. (unless people dont think that asking the public to donate money is odd)

As an investment, it’s like throwing money onto a fire. No, at least a fire warms you up.

So the bikes are really the advert for the brand yet their performance seems a bit below the competition?

eddiebaby
Full Member

So the bikes are really the advert for the brand yet their performance seems a bit below the competition?

Are you ignoring the two World Cup wins last year on purpose, or have you forgotten?

JP

I wouldnt spend the kind of money they are asking for, on a brand that is clearly in difficulty. (unless people dont think that asking the public to donate money is odd)

Having read the documents and actually been very close to investing, I would say that the company is attempting to expand rather than being in trouble. Of particular note is that a £1,000,000 R&D loan has been secured, dependent on £500,000 being raised in this *share issue. Just short of £900,000 has been raised so far which suggests that there is plenty of interest in the brand.
What put me off in terms of an investment (rather than just giving money to support a business) is that, as mentioned in other posts above, I can’t really envisage a situation where a successful small bike company is bought for a significant amount by an established name.

*my words

1 year and haven’t sold 50 units and in 5 years going to sell 7500

I don’t think that 3D printed Ti & carbon tubed bikes will be the bread an butter of those 7500, they are also looking at kids bikes and ebikes, which is where, I think, the sales will come from.

I don’t see how they will be able to sell it for a significant sum in the future because the only thing they have to sell is the name. They don’t own the ip for the manufacturing technique and anyone can commission Dave Weagle to design the rear suspension and kinematics so what would a future buyer be getting? I just don’t see how selling it on is a realistic exit strategy.

Anyone on here invested enough ££ to get the free frame and personal coaching session with an Atherton deal?

Why would they need to spend £1m on R&D?

Isn’t that the only bit they’ve actually done so far?

Why would they need to spend £1m on R&D?

Isn’t that the only bit they’ve actually done so far?

I’m assuming it’s for phase 2 R&D for more accessible mass production type bikes, testing/approval costs, salaries for R&D staff etc.

If you work on the usual basis that a staff member costs a business about 2.5 times salary, and there’s a £200k salary bill for a few designers/engineers, that’s instantly £500k real costs sunk, before you look at sampling, materials, all the hidden costs of the R&D process like couriers, travel, admin time cost etc etc.

All of a sudden the £900k grant from the Welsh government isn’t actually that massive.