The men hunched over benches in a former stable block in the small town of Bradford-on-Avon, near Bath, belong to an exclusive group: people still making bikes from scratch in the UK. They work for Moulton Bicycles, a maker of small-wheeled bikes with distinctive steel-lattice frames that is one of several specialist UK manufacturers betting on quality, design and customer service to help withstand brutal conditions in the global market.
Pearson acknowledged that larger brands were selling performance bikes for 30-40 per cent below Pearson Cycles’ prices. But he said the company, which had invested in its online offering, was betting enough customers were willing to pay for its superior customer service and different designs. “We realise that there’s a definite demand for our bikes across the UK and abroad,” Pearson said.