Atherton Bikes has commenced production of its radical new carbon-fibre frames.
This new British bike brand is a collaboration between the famous Atherton mountain bike racing dynasty and former employees of Robot Bike Co.
After a year of prototyping and testing, Atherton Bikes is now busy fabricating its first series of production bikes.
The initial batch of 50 Athertons will be a blend of the brand’s 200mm downhill bike and its 150mm enduro bike frame.
What distinguishes the Atherton bikes, are their frame construction. The carbon-fibre tubes are lugged, instead of bonded into a single monocoque.
By using titanium lugs, Atherton bikes are not constrained by expensive moulds, which limited geometry customisation and sizing options, for individual customers.
The engineering resources deployed in the development of this Atherton 29er include some of the most recognisable names in mountain biking and composites.
Famed American suspension genius, Dave Weagle, was responsible for the rocker-link actuated suspension system. Weagle has designed some of the most celebrated suspension linkages in mountain biking history, with an uncanny ability to provide both firm pedalling platform, and excellent descending performance, over technical terrain.
Those titanium lugs are a work of art and the 3D-printing responsibility for them fell to Renishaw Engineering, a global leader in scientific instruments and precision metal printing. These 3D lugs are the secret to Atherton bikes being able to accommodate customer size and geometry requests.
What customers are offered, is the promise of a bike which looks very much unlike any other composite mountain bike, with an appearance that traces elements of a classic steel-lugged road bike.
The tube profiles and rider-specific build process brings custom carbon geometry to the market in a way never thought possible.
As one would expect from a boutique mountain bike brand, these Atherton bikes aren’t cheap. The 150mm Enduro bike, which rolls 29er wheels, is available as a frame only for £3,400. Atherton is offering build kits, from £5,500.
