Pearson, a London-based brand with a claim to being one of the world’s oldest bike makers (founded in 1860), is aiming to shake up the direct-to-consumer bike-sales model with a new service.
With all bikes built to order and the brand's ‘white glove’ delivery method, Pearson looks to be offering something distinct from the competition.
We’ve all become familiar with the standard direct-to-consumer model pioneered by Canyon and Ribble. This model enables us to buy premium bikes at a price way below the high street, because it cuts out a layer of distribution costs by selling directly.
Direct shipping has its downsides, though. Your bike will arrive in a box, with some assembly required and knowledge needed in order to set it up correctly. You are also buying unseen.
Fitting is key
Pearson, however, wants to do things differently, with its origins as a shop that has been building and fitting bikes to customers since it was established.
The standalone bike brand says it wants every bike it sells to start with a bike fit. That can be through the network of Pearson dealers or your own fit.
Pearson will give you £200 cashback if you book a fit through The Bike Fitters mobile bike-fit service or provide your data from a previous fit.
Built to commission
Pearson then takes the fit data and builds the bike to order. That means it doesn’t offer a ‘stock’ version of its trio of bikes.
Instead, Pearson offers a range of levels, starting at Shimano 105 and rising to Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and SRAM Red AXS. Within those tiers, the bikes are built with contact points based on fit data and customer preference.
Pearson says that while its bikes are available at all levels, each bike, irrespective of price, comes with key components chosen for quality.
That means bottom brackets ranging from stainless Hope units to CeramicSpeed on premium models. All four bike models get CeramicSpeed SLT headsets as standard.
Wheels are provided by Pearson’s wheel partners Ere Research, with options from entry-level alloy through to carbon aero wheels with carbon spokes.
Pearson has no minimum buy-in for its built-to-order offer, saying the same service is provided for 105 bike buyers as premium Dura-Ace Di2 customers.
The range
Pearson's quartet of bikes starts with the aero-race optimised Shift EVO.
The Shift has been in Pearson's range for a couple of years and was developed and tested at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub. The new EVO has a carbon layup to reduce weight and enhance drivetrain stiffness.
It also gains a new suite of finishes and is available with SRAM AXS drivetrains for the first time.
Next in line is Pearson’s Forge, a fresh take on the fast endurance bike, with geometry based on data from more than 3,000 professional bike fits.
Pearson’s gravel bike, the On and On Adventure, features fork mounts, mudguard eyelets, and a third bottle mount under the down tube to reduce weight. The prototype Pearson showed us seemed to omit that, but Pearson remained tight-lipped about any other details on the forthcoming addition to the gravel range.
White glove delivery
Pearson is aiming to stand out from the crowd with its delivery service. You won’t receive your bike in a cardboard box; instead, once the bike is built, Pearson will hand-deliver it.
Trained staff will take care of the handover, provide any tweaks to the fit and ensure the bike is set up perfectly.
Each bike comes complete with everything you need to start riding, including a Pearson Torq wrench to make maintenance easier.
Warranty wonder
In what is says is another bike industry first, Pearson has introduced a transferrable warranty.
Pearson CEO Scott Davies says: “We found it strange that the bike industry only upheld its warranty for the original owner. That’s something that doesn’t happen in the automotive industry, so we introduced a transferrable warranty.
“If you wanted to sell your bike a few years down the line, then providing you registered your bike when first purchased, you can then transfer the warranty to the new owner via our database."
