EVERY RIDE COUNTS.

Remember that time as a kid, when you picked up your bike and started to explore your hometown? You tried new roads, visited new places and even challenged yourself to try and beat the best time. As you got older, that feeling of freedom and ease became all the more important. Riding your bike became an escape, an adventure or even a healthy outlet to make you feel alive. It became your hobby, your full-time sport, your ticket to a clear head.

We want you to experience that feeling over and over again.

Either as a high-performance athlete focussing on speed, or when you’re riding your daily commute. Even when you’re going for a ride to get your Sunday morning coffee, alone or with friends. Your bike needs to perfectly fit your way of life and bring you the enjoyment we all felt at a young age. At Ridley, we create the best bike for you that will make every ride count.

Anywhere, anytime. Every ride counts.

PERFORMANCE. The bike for your ambition.

Ridley makes bikes that are exceptionally innovative. Form follows function. Our R&D engineers give their absolute all to investigate and push the limits of lightweight, aerodynamics, comfort and durability. Going from the fastest road bike to the most comfortable commuter bikes. By testing our bikes in our own wind tunnel, we keep working towards the best bike possible. Ergonomics are key when it comes to designing a professional road bike. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. No two riders are the same, and every millimetre counts. Our technological experience gives us the opportunity to expand our offer to a wider audience. Want to become a gravel explorer? Or what about the next road champion? Even if you’re just enjoying your bike to your local bakery, we create your perfect bike.

EXPLORE. The bike that brings you freedom.

Whether you’re a high-performance athlete, you enjoy an occasional bike ride alone or with friends, or you travel around the world to explore any adventure: your Ridley bike makes you thrive. It makes you enjoy your ride. Its ease helps to clear your head and its outstanding technology brings you further than you could ever imagine. With Ridley, you experience true freedom to enjoy your life the way you want to. Your freedom improves your well-being. It is your priority to take care of yourself. Just as it is our priority to create the best bikes in the world for everyone to enjoy. We don’t take shortcuts. And neither should you. We pride ourselves in knowing our bikes will add life to your days. So never cancel a planned ride. Enjoy the potential your bike brings you. Every ride counts in bringing you happiness and energy.

We believe that every ride counts. It makes a difference in your well-being, whether it is to improve your physical performance or just to clear your head. A good ride makes you feel alive.

IDENTITY. The bike that fits your personality.

Make your bike unique and completely your own. Our configurator lets you create the bike you want. Choose your favourite colours and design, add a groupset and finalize your bike with all the components you need. The potential is endless since the choice is yours. At Ridley, we know that no bike fits all. If you truly want to make every ride count, it’s crucial to have your bike built the best way for you to enjoy and meet your goals. When it’s all about performance and aero- dynamics for you, it might all be about comfort and joy for the person next to you. Want to have a sleek, neutral design that enforces your minimal way of living? Or do you want your bike to be as remarkable as yourself? One thing’s for sure: we won’t be the ones stopping you from creating a bike that will perfectly fit your personality. Dream it. Build it. Ride it.

BELGIAN. The bike from the heart of cycling.

Ridley bikes are developed in the heart of cycling: Belgium. Bike racing plays such a key role in Belgium’s heritage and culture. Just walk down any street in Belgium on a Sunday afternoon, peek into a random window and you’ll most likely see a bike race on the TV. Belgium is also host to many of the world’s most famous bike races such as Tour of Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Every cycling enthusiast knows about the Tour of Flanders, with its cobblestones and steep, short climbs. A race with 25.000 turns and a whopping hundred times more spectators. We are a family that’s extremely passionate about bike racing, straight up to our CEO who grew up in the bike racing world. The development of a new bike is still done at our headquarters in Flanders. The most beautiful bikes are still painted and assembled every day in the same Belgian factory. We also send our pros and testers every month over Belgium’s worst cobblestones and steepest climbs. Small country roads, braking, accelerating, dodging potholes and full acceleration on that unexpected, perfect bit of asphalt. Rain, wind, cold and sometimes a bit of sun. There is no better testing environment than the roads of Belgium. Our Belgium.

OUR HISTORY.

Born a cycling enthusiast

Our founder and CEO Jochim Aerts grew up in the small town of Balen, at the top of Flanders. In this region, cycling is part of the culture and there is a big race somewhere nearby almost all year round. So, like many children in cycling-mad country, Aerts fell in love with cycling at an early age. He dreamed of becoming the new Eddy Merckx, drawing inspiration from his older brother who developed as a talented promising rider. At fourteen, Aerts rode his first race, but when he turned nineteen, he realised that he needed to fulfil his dream of making a name for himself in cycling in a different way.

Race Productions

Aerts founded Race Productions and started his work in his parents' garage. He gains experience in frame construction and painting Bioracer bikes.

Establishment of Ridley

The Ridley brand sees the light of day. The name refers to film director Ridley Scott, who had made a blockbuster with ‘Alien’. Meanwhile, the garage became too small and the Ridley company moved to a factory building next to the E313 in the province of Limburg. From the outset, Ridley made substantial investments in research and development, playing a pivotal role in pioneering innovations in cycling, including the increasing significance of aerodynamics and the adoption of carbon bikes.

First world champion

Step by step, Ridley is gaining prominence and the brand is also reaching the pro peloton. In 2002, Mario De Clercq is the first of many cyclo-cross world champions to start riding the brand. The Telenet-Fidea partnership follows in 2004. Ridley becomes world champion with Bart Wellens, Erwin Vervecken and Zdenek Stybar.

Green jersey in the Tour de France

After conquering cyclocross, Ridley is also growing into a well-known brand on the road. In 2005, it becomes bike sponsor of the Lotto team. The riders ride the ‘Noah’, a bike Jochim named after his first son. A year later, Robbie McEwen shines in the green jersey on the Champs-Elysées at the end of the Tour de France and Ridley is known from America to Australia.

Other teams

The collaboration with the late Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal is off to a start and is the beginning of an impressive collection of titles. Furthermore, Ridley is bike supplier to Team Katusha, Vacansoleil-DCM and WM3 Energie, among others.

Belgian Cycling Factory

The company is moving to a larger plant across the E313 in Beringen. A few years later, the Bike Valley Experience Centre opens there. In 2017, Aerts acquires bike brand Eddy Merckx Bike and Race Productions changes its name to Belgian Cycling Factory (BCF).

World hour record

The collaboration between BikeValley's wind tunnel, the Lotto team and Ridley is paying off. Victor Campenaerts achieves the world hour record thanks to the innovative tools. This way, BikeValley becomes a place where top riders from all over the world come in search of marginal gains.

Today

Ridley offers bikes for road cycling, gravel, mountain biking, cyclocross, time trials, triathlons, track cycling, and e-bikes. Bikes are assembled and packaged at the Beringen site or a factory in Moldova. BCF has over 1000 sales points in Europe. Belgian Cycling Factory now employs over 180 people globally, producing up to 400 custom bikes daily, distributed in 60 countries. Yet, the ambition is not satisfied; like the most ambitious cyclists, Belgian Cycling Factory aims to improve every day. 
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