FORGE 1860. A New Name for the World’s Oldest Bike Shop.

Introducing Forge 1860, the new name for Pearson’s high-performance cycling store. Located at our Sheen venue, just a few pedal-turns from the riding mecca of Richmond Park, Forge 1860 provides customers with a very special cycling experience; the opportunity to see, touch and crucially test-ride the latest Pearson range, plus bikes and equipment from other premium brands who share our pursuit of excellence.

Offering the superlative advice and premium custom builds that have kept Pearson at the heart of performance cycling for more than 165 years, our store has been conceived to help every customer maximise their riding experience. 

We’ve chosen the name ‘Forge’ in recognition of our heritage. Forge 1860 continues the Pearson tradition of both a family-run cycling business and the world’s oldest bike brand, all underpinned by the Pearson name, your guarantee of quality. 

It’s a pedigree that dates back to our founder (and ancestor), Tom Pearson, who, in 1860, welcomed the first bikes into his blacksmith’s forge. Those bikes were penny farthings, Tom’s repairs of which helped establish Pearson’s reputation. And we’ve been offering the same exceptional service ever since. 

As proud as we are of our past, we’re hugely excited for the future. ‘Forge’, of course, is also the name of our premium road bike, featuring the most data-driven geometry ever created for regular riders. Similarly, our new store name is a statement of a continued commitment to innovation that has endured for more than 165 years. If we’ve learned anything in that time, it’s that the only constant is change. You might call it ‘evolution’. (Just ask Charles Darwin, whose game-changing theories on the subject were first published in 1859.)

And Pearson Cycles have evolved with the times, too. We were there when the first brakes arrived, in the 1870s; and then the first gears (1885), the advent of the derailleur (1928), not to mention aluminium bikes (1930s), plus all the other the other advances you now recognise as staples of modern Pearson bikes. Carbon and titanium framesets, electronic gearing, disc brakes, electric bikes, gravel bikes, electric gravel bikes...

The central hub in this ever-revolving wheel has been Pearson. And Forge 1860 will be at the forefront of future developments, too. Harnessing technology to create the very best riding experience, our store remains the home of our state-of-the-art bike-fitting studio. Creating proprietary geometry that benefits from fit data gathered from thousands of riders, our renamed store will continue to produce both the best ready to ride bike set-ups and custom builds.

Central to our new name is the fact that, in the age of ‘flagship destinations’ and ‘boutique emporiums’, we still think of ourselves as a traditional, old-fashioned bike shop. That’s why the new Forge 1860 store will still have Guy and Will Pearson on hand to advise.

In fact, a new addition to the in-store experience is a complimentary bike fit as standard with every bike purchased. Then, once we’ve guided you through selecting the right components, we’ll build your bike in our bespoke build shop. Offering ‘F1-level’ servicing, our team of superlative mechanics bring the experience and energy of the pit lane to your favourite bike. (Just not as quickly.)

Pearson’s exceptional service has been developed over five generations of stewardship by our family. Our Forge 1860 store will help us to continue supporting our customers, both local riders and those we welcome from further afield. In recent years, and during lockdown in particular, the need for a physical meeting place proved more vital than ever. We will therefore be a base for our customer community, the start and finish for our expanded programme of shop rides, as well as hosting exclusive events.

We’ll also be introducing that community to an expanded network, of both products and trusted suppliers. In addition to Pearson bikes, we’ll also be stocking some select brands, each carefully chosen for the same supreme levels of design and performance; these will include Lotus, Enve and Brompton. For the first time, riders will also be able to discover Pearson bikes at new partner stores in 2025 to be announced soon.

.