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Men's Road Short Sleeve Jersey Jaffa

Building bikes and customer relationships since 1860.

Pearson is officially recognised as the world’s oldest bicycle business. In 2020, it is run by the fifth generation of the Pearson family, who strive to maintain the hard-won reputation established by our predecessors.

From our origins in a blacksmith’s forge to Pearson Performance, our state-of-the-art premises, that reputation has been earned by offering the highest quality products and service and by building long-lasting customer relationships.

At Pearson, we also believe cycling should be fun, a balm for body and soul. So, while we take cycling seriously, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. For all the precision and expertise that goes into creating our bikes and apparel, we give our products distinctive names, that in turn celebrate the quirks of our national character. By drawing on a diverse cast of characters, from William Shakespeare to 10cc, we hope to imbue Pearson products not just with quality and performance but with personality.

OUR HERITAGE

Lots of brands talk about heritage. At Pearson 1860, we have the pedigree to back it up. Since Pearson first opened for business, the world has certainly changed; two world wars; revolution in Russia; splitting the atom; female suffrage; the invention of penicillin and landing on the Moon. Pearson has seen plenty of change, too; where once we repaired penny farthings, today Pearson House Design (PhD) offers the very best in precision bike-fitting and building. So, it’s reassuring to know that, after 159 years, discerning cyclists continue to put their trust in Pearson.

WILLIAM PEARSON

GUY PEARSON

[TIMELINE]

1860

1889

1939

1965

1994

2012

TODAY

A new-look Pearson introduces high-performance bikes and apparel, part of three new capsule collections that reflect the full range of the Pearson cycling experience: Road, Adventure and Urban. The collections are named in recognition of our founding father: Pearson 1860.

152 years after Tom Pearson fired up the forge, Guy and Will launch Pearson Performance, in west London. Ideally situated for the cycling mecca of Richmond Park, it offers precision fitting, sports therapy and physio, and an in-house coffee shop.

The latest generation of Pearsons, Roger’s sons Guy and Will, join the firm.

Now steered by Arthur’s son, Roger, the Pearson brand diversifies into ‘racers and randonneurs’. In the 1980s, the shop is awarded ‘5-star Raleigh’ status.

By the outbreak of world war two, the business is in the hands of Harry’s sons, Arthur and Len. Both are exempted from the draft in order to produce bikes for the Home Front.

Tom is succeeded by his son, Harry, who makes the switch into full-time bike manufacture. Pictured here with the first-ever Pearson bike, the Endeavour.

Tom Pearson, a blacksmith, sets up a shop in Sutton, south-east England. Ideally situated for passing trade en route from London to the south coast, Tom’s metalworking skills soon prove invaluable for an increasingly popular mode of transport: bicycles.