Why are Britain’s cycling distributors collapsing?
In recent years, several well-known names in the UK cycling trade have entered administration, liquidation, or ceased trading. Moore Large, 2Pure, The Martlet Group / i-ride, Greyville Enterprises, and now Saddleback all show how much pressure has built up inside Britain’s bicycle industry.
At the end of May 2026, Saddleback, one of Britain’s premium cycling suppliers and distributors, entered administration and ceased trading with immediate effect. But its collapse did not happen in isolation.
In this video, I look at the wider problems facing UK cycling distributors after the pandemic bike boom. During Covid, demand for bikes, parts and accessories rose quickly. Supply chains were slow, delivery times were long, and many companies ordered more stock to keep up. But when that stock finally arrived, demand had already weakened.
The result was overstocking, heavy discounting, squeezed margins, cash-flow pressure, and a much harder trading environment for suppliers and distributors.
I also look at the Bicycle Association’s market data, which shows that the UK cycling market started to grow again in 2025. So if the market is recovering, why are distributors still failing?
This video explores what the collapse of Saddleback and other UK cycling distributors tells us about the future of the British bicycle industry, independent bike shops, brand distribution, and the changing structure of the cycling trade.
Topics covered:
– Saddleback entering administration
– Moore Large and the post-Covid stock problem
– 2Pure and distributor debt
– The Martlet Group, i-ride and Orro Bikes
– Greyville Enterprises and pressure on parts distributors
– UK cycling market recovery in 2025
– Why suppliers and distributors are still struggling
– What this means for bike shops and the future of the bicycle industry
If you are interested in the cycling industry, bike shops, bicycle distributors, cycling business news, or the future of the UK bicycle market, this video explains the wider picture in simple language.
5 Comments
The de minimis regime means that all goods imported into the UK that are worth less than £135 are exempt from customs duties, the European Union has cracked down on this. Apparently the UK is having to wait until 2028, in the meantime I estimate this unfair damages my business by about 30% 😢
Many UK distributors are awful at marketing, communication and delivery. Clunky old websites, lack of email marketing, poor support material…
Priced themselves out of the market
And planetx had to be rescued
too many businesses competing with each other, oversupply from covid and too much focus on racing bikes not lifestyle/useful bikes.