Personalised Precision: The Pearson Bike Building Process

When it comes to building your perfect Pearson, our in-store customers benefit from more than 160 years of experience. So do our online ones.

pearson custom built road and gravel bikes

We believe there are always opportunities to improve, to evolve. It’s why the bicycle remains one of the wonders of human design; fundamentally the same machine for a century and a half, it has only ever developed incrementally.

Much like Pearson in fact. As a guiding principle, Pearson is proud that unlike those from other bike makers, our machines don’t come from a box. Never have, never will. Instead, we build them carefully and lovingly by hand to ensure each and every component is suited to the individual bike and the individual rider.

PEARSON BIKE FITTING

The process starts with Pearson House Design (PhD), our in-house geometry system and the foundation for all the bikes we build. Tested over thousands of fittings in our Sheen studio, PhD has provided perfectly fitting bikes for several pelotons-worth of happy customers. Painstakingly recorded using state-of-the-art technology, the fit data we gather allows us to determine details such as bar width, stem length and stack height (the number of spacers beneath the stem).

This data also informs the height and position of your saddle, both fore and aft. As your bike starts to take shape, we’ll add your choice of groupset (mechanical or electronic) and your preferred wheels (choose from hand-built Pearson alloys or various depths of Pearson carbon wheels). 

With these basics established, we can then think about assembling your dream machine; in fact, it’s probably more accurate to say we don’t distinguish between ‘basics’ and ‘extras’ because, as part of our not-from-a-box philosophy, each component is as important as every other. At Pearson, the type of tyres you prefer matters as much as your choices of handlebar tape and bar ends. 

The next phase is to gather everything in our build shop. This is where our philosophy really comes into its own; yes, some of those components do arrive in boxes (our suppliers have to ship them somehow) but every new Pearson bike is assembled one part at a time, piece by carefully chosen piece.

Now, we understand that visiting our studio isn’t an option for everybody. That’s why we offer the same service online, with a virtual-fitting process that adheres just as rigorously to our fitting methodology. To start this virtual fitting, we ask our customers 10 simple questions about themselves and their cycling preferences. 

pearson shift carbon road race bike

With these fundamentals established, we can then dive into details, information that helps us build the fullest possible picture of a rider’s cycling life and wellbeing. For example, your age, height and weight will provide general parameters for overall sizing but to give you the best possible experience, we also factor in shoulder width, flexibility, leg length and general physique.

pearson precision bike fit forge carbon road bike

Every Pearson bike is designed to create the optimum riding position. So, while generally that means a more comfort-orientated set-up, we also cater for those cyclists who enjoy an extreme-aero stance. That’s why we also ask customers about any injuries they may have picked up; it could be something as simple as recurring back or neck pain, or more complex issues. Lastly, we consider shoe size and type, as this will help inform the choice of crank length (anything from 165 to 175mm). 

pearson precison custom carbon bike building

Every order is unique and built for one customer only – that’s you. Once your build has been completed, we’ll get in touch to let you know the bike is ready. You can either come to the store and pick it up or we’ll ship it, ‘ride-ready’, to a convenient address. And when we say ride-ready, we mean absolutely ready to ride. If, however, you would prefer to have an expert run you through specific details, we can also deliver it to your local bike shop (we’ll check in advance the shop meets the same high standards Pearson demands in our own workshop).

pearson sheen store

We appreciate all this might seem a bit ‘belt and braces’ but that’s another reason we’ve been in business so long. In the unlikely event of any teething troubles, we also offer a six-week check-up on every bike we sell. Simply drop by the Pearson store and a member of our team will check your bike over and, should you need it, recommend any necessary adjustments. That’s six weeks after you’ve taken delivery, or 42 days of potential riding. Why do we do this? Because we want you to be happy with your bike every time you ride it. (Even if that’s not as happy as our mechanics were building it.)

To start your new dream Pearson bike build, start a live chat, drop us an email or call us at +442086422095 today.

 

 

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