A FAMILY of world champion mountain bikers have set up a high-tech manufacturing plant in Powys making top-end bicycles.

Siblings Dan, Gee and Rachel Atherton have spent their lives competing in downhill racing, holding a total of 49 world cups and eight world championships between them.

Their latest venture is establishing a manufacturing plant in Machynlleth to produce bikes using technology derived from Formula 1 and the aerospace engineering sector.

The project has become a reality after two years of crowdfunding, and has been backed by Dragons’ Den star Peter Linney and Development Bank of Wales’ angel network, Angels Invest Wales.

The family is scheduled to launch a new website selling its range of high performance mountain bikes on January 18.

The frames for the bikes take 16 hours to build using 3D printing in titanium, making Atherton the first British mountain biking brand to use this manufacturing process.

Around 100 bikes have already been sold to customers around the world, with the team hoping to build approximately 300 bikes in 2022.

County Times: Gee Atherton in action. Picture by Dan Griffiths.Gee Atherton in action. Picture by Dan Griffiths.

Dan Brown, chief executive officer of Atherton Bikes, said: "I started working with the Athertons around fifteen years ago, building a brand around the family as we toured the world winning World Championships. It had always been a dream to set up a bike company with the Atherton name on it.

“We started using Formula 1 technology and aerospace engineering to make mountain bikes in Wales which was exciting for us and our desire to do things differently.

“The bikes take about three months to build and are made to order so there is no waste. They’re sustainable, built to last and are a work of art.

“The money we raised helped us to set up the facility in Machynlleth and bring the 3D printing machine in-house. It allowed us to scale up staff and get us to the point where we are about to launch the website.

“It was important for us to base our manufacturing in Machynlleth, an area with so much mountain-biking heritage where two of the three Atherton siblings make their home and where we already established Dyfi Bike Park, the heartland of our brand and the perfect test centre for our bikes. The benefits that we can bring to the area are a huge motivator for all of us.”