Cycling News & Blog Articles

The Speedplay company was bought by cycling tech’ giant, Wahoo in September 2019. However, the pedals are still widely known as Speedplays… Before the Pedals Speedplay company owner and product designer, Richard Byrne spent a lot of time developing ideas before his mind turned to pedals. As well as a stationary (home) trainer, Byrne developed […]

The post Brand Focus – Speedplay appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Florida based brand Seasucker began in 2005. The family owned business started off making marine accessories for boats which used an innovative vacuum mount technology. Bikes Onboard In 2009 they realised that the mounting technology would be ideal for mounting bike racks on cars, particularly good for cars without roof-rails and gutters. SeaSucker began designing […]

The post Brand Focus – SeaSucker appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Are you prepared for riding in the Winter months? Here are our top tips for going into battle against the elements this winter… Mudguards If you are riding with others, or if you prefer to return home not caked in layers of grime off the roads, mudguards are your only option. The bigger and more […]

The post 15 Tips – Get WINTER READY!❄?? appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

German brand SKS started out over 100 years ago, in 1921. They manufacture a wide range of accessories for bikes. The company is proud to be producing goods in Germany. They have a staff of over 400 employees in their region, including around 30 trainees at any time, ensuring the future development of the company. […]

The post Brand Focus – SKS appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Back in 1994, Pablo Carrasco, an aeronautical engineer, and Ignacio Estellés, a lawyer, had a vision that it would be possible to revolutionise cycling technology simply through a new idea. The two friends shared a belief that they could develop a new pedalling system. This system would eliminate the ‘dead-spot’ bike riders have while pedalling. […]

The post Brand Focus – Rotor appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Founded in 1935 by Luigi Girardi, San Marco have been in business nearly 90 years. The company produce saddles by hand and hand finish them in its Italian factories. The company continues to be family owned and run. Sitting for Ages As a long established Italian brand, San Marco has a rich heritage within cycle […]

The post Brand Focus – San Marco appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

RockShox are the worlds’ leading manufacturer of suspension forks and rear suspension units. With 30 years of experience in the industry, they are the most experienced bike suspension manufacturer. The business played a pivotal role in the development of the early MTB boom in the early 1990’s and have been a played a consistent role […]

The post Brand Focus – RockShox appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Leeds based brand Restrap got started in a back bedroom in 2010. Founder, Nathan made himself some pedal straps, his mates wanted some too and before he knew it, Restrap was born. From Fixies The Fixe scene was booming in Leeds at the time, it even had its own Alleycat events and meet-ups. From supplying […]

The post Brand Focus – Restrap appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

In the 1980’s and 90’s there were several huge MTB brands emanating from the US state of California. These industry cornerstone brands really helped develop the burgeoning sport and captured MTB riders hearts all around the world. One of those brands was Ritchey. Early Years Tom Ritchey began making bike frames as a teenager in […]

The post Brand Focus – Ritchey appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Formed in Belgium in 1996, Ridley has grown rapidly to become a big brand and a worldwide force in bikes and framesets. Early Days Jochim Aerts had ben involved in the bike industry since 1990, working as a frame builder and painter for Belgian bike companies. Jochim hit out on his own in the late […]

The post Brand Focus – Ridley appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Kickstart the Business Over 50 years ago Andrew Renshaw and Henry Rosenthal used their names to create their company name, Renthal. Working from an engineering shed in Manchester, Renthal made trials bike handlebars at the time when trials bike riding was entering its golden-era in the UK. Growth From trials bikes, they added a motorcross […]

The post Brand Focus – Renthal appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

The range of bike lights available these days is dazzling. So for a relatively new company, such as Ravemen to enter the market, not only must they bring great quality, but also extra features to stand out against the competition. Experience Driven A group of bicycle industry professionals came together to form the company in […]

The post Brand Focus – Ravemen appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Canada is home to some large worldwide cycling brands. While Cervelo, Argon 18, Norco and Rocky Mountain produce a wide range of bikes, there’s one brand producing a range of parts, clothing and accessories just for Mountain Bikers – that brand is Race Face. Born by Mountains Race Face was started by a group of […]

The post Brand Focus – Race Face appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

When brand names are instantly associated with the products they sell, you know they are dominant players in their market. This is true of Polar. The company hails from the country also famous for Nokia phones and the Angry Birds phenomenon – Finland. 1970’s Revolution With over 45 years of experience in their area of […]

The post Brand Focus – Polar appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

As bike brands go, Praxis is a relatively new business, starting just 15 years ago. However, Founder David Earle had plenty of experience before starting up the manufacturing business. Previously working for large U.S. based companies such as Bontrager, Specialized and Santa Cruz, all fed into his knowledge. Providing the experience for his own venture […]

The post Brand Focus – Praxis appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Here at Merlin we are proud to be the official UK outlet for Crono shoes from Italy. High quality, hand-made shoes from a factory which have been focussed on producing the best sports footwear for almost 50 years. Whose Shoes? So why have Crono shoes ‘flown under the radar’ compared to other well-known brands? Well, […]

The post Introducing – Crono Shoes appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

The Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli are one of the oldest tyre brands. They began an experimental tyre production-run for velocipides in 1890 – just two years after Dunlop. Forza Italia Their first patented tyre was the Tipo Milano which sold well and was joined in 1899 by a racing specific version. Pirelli were at the […]

The post Brand Focus – Pirelli appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

It’s over five years ago that I headed out on Barden Moor with Tom Barras. It was a filthy day in August, wet and windy – definitely Yorkshire Dales summer weather. We were out taking some video and photos of the Merlin Axe – our first Gravel bike. I had known Tom for quite a […]

The post Q&A – With Spatzwear appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Entry level to mid-range gravel bikes are a great option for keeping the wheels turning through winter. “But, what about the rain and filth?” I hear you ask. Well, the great news is… Skin is proven to be 100% waterproof. If it’s just the thought of getting filthy that puts you off, then you are […]

The post Winter Gravel appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Boasting an extensive range of tools, lube and maintenance products, Pedros have become a brand which bike riders around the world rely upon. But who is Pedro? The Start Way back in 1989, two roommates, Bruce Fina and Andrew Herrick started the business. Bruce’s brother had developed a chain lube which their ride mates couldn’t […]

The post Brand Focus – Pedros appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.