A small English company, Orange mountain bikes have come a long way and are now internationally known and respected.Based in Halifax, in Yorkshire, the company started with humble beginnings but has no developed so much that in recent years it has sponsored two world champions: Greg Minnaar and Steve Peat.
The recent financial crisis has placed a lot of emphasis on choosing British brands over foreign ones and brands are rarely more British than Orange mountain bikes. Lester Noble, one of the founders of the company was raised in Yorkshire and found his interest in mountain bikes as a young adult. In the early days he rode Muddy Fox bikes but fell out of love with the brand when he started to feel they were becoming preoccupied with urban fashion rather than serious off road biking.
At this stage, still before Orange mountain bikes came into existence, lester Noble starting designing his own mountain bikes. In the beginning he imported bikes from Taiwan to sell in the UK under the name of Tushingham bikes.Later when he met his now business partner, Steve Wade who is another biking enthusiast they decided to set up a business together. For starting a bike business, the engineering background and sheet metal business that Steve Wade brought with him was ideal.
To start with the two men worked together to assemble bikes from parts imported from abroad but later moved in to manufacturing their own. And so Orange mountain bikes was born, with a name taken from a shortened version of ‘All Round Range.’Nowadays all the bikes and frames that Orange mountain bikes sell are manufactured and assembled in Yorkshire, with the exception of the entry-level bikes.
Sponsoring high profile bikers really gave Orange mountain bikes a head start in making its name. Further exposure was brought about by the use of the Patriot bike by the Animal/Orange team on British downhill courses.It also prompted the creation of the 222 downhill bike which brought about a storm of publicity overseas.
Orange mountain bikes have evolved and progressed so much from their humble beginnings.They are a firm favourite with mountain bikers in England and abroad and are sold in twenty six countries worldwide.
