Beloved bike brand saved after falling into administration

Orange Bikes has secured its future and will move forward with a more streamlined operation under its original owner, after it filed for administration at the end of December.

The West Yorkshire company will continue under the ownership of Ash Ball, and has acquired its frame building partner Bairstows Sheet Metal, which had also been in administration, reports BikeBiz. This will allow the company to both manufacture and assemble its bikes under one roof, it says, with a new facility situated two miles away from its original headquarters.

The British manufacturer, which is based in Halifax and founded in 1988, produces a number of gravel bikes as well as the mountain bikes it is best known for. It has also produced road bikes in the past.

"Thanks for sticking with us!" Orange told social media followers. "We finally have the good news you've been waiting for.

"After a restructure of the business and its associated companies we are pleased to announce that Orange Bikes is set to continue under the ownership of Ash Ball.

"We’d like to thank our customers, friends, colleagues and peers for all their support during this challenging time and welcome them along for the ride in this next great chapter of Orange Bikes."

The first sign that things had not been right at the company came in late December when it announced that it would close down its Factory Racing team for the 2024 season, although it insisted it was not going anywhere.

However, only four days later it filed its intention to enter administration.

The company's most recently published accounts, covering the year to November 2022, revealed long-term debts of almost £475,000.

Cycling Weekly has approached Orange for confirmation as to whether any of the 44 jobs the administration had hoped to preserve were lost.

The beleaguered cycling industry, still suffering from the effects of a post-covid glut of stock as well as inflated costs, has witnessed numerous companies enter administration in the past 12 months. Distributors such as Moore Large, 2Pure and Fli are no longer trading as a result.

At the end of October, major online retailer Wiggle Chain Reaction Cycles entered administration, with a buyer still yet to be announced.