BORN TO BE CHILD

BARNEY TRAVELS TO THE POSH SOUTH TO GET RAD WITH BIKES MADE FOR YOUNG FOLKS A THIRD HIS HEIGHT.

WORDS AND PICTURES BY BARNEY MARSH

EARLY RIDER

Henley-on-Thames is a town best known for rowing. As such, it’s perhaps not the first place you might think to look for a bike company – but there are secrets here, nestled in the rolling hills of Oxfordshire. Secrets pretty much smack bang in the middle…

Betty sits proud out front, initiating the welcome party.

Early Rider as a company might strike you as an unusual choice for a We Work Here article. It initially built its reputation on quality wooden balance bikes, for one thing. In fact it doesn’t make anything that’s designed as an adult bike, but it embodies a spirit and ethos we can all recognise. And as for wooden balance bikes – well, exclusively working in wood was a while ago; there’s much, much more to it than that now.

Test fleet at the ready.

Walking up to Early Rider HQ, which is in an old converted sawmill, the first thing you see is a ’50s ice cream trailer, which I later learn is called Betty. She’s apparently a stalwart at the various shows the Early Rider crew find themselves at. And next to Betty is a very fine looking Harley Davidson motorcycle, sporting the latest in ‘aged chic’ finishing detail. Not your average bland corporate company then.

Every office should have a Star Tea Maker leader board.

Let’s look through the keyhole.

Stepping inside the building reinforces this view – all artful lighting, wooden floorboards and exposed beams. There are boxes stacked in piles. There are neat rows of small bikes and bits for them all over the place. Balance bikes, pedal bikes – very small, yes – but mostly with commendably knobbly tyres. One or two of them have simply enormous seatposts so that bigguns can ride them (I try; it’s hard to maintain your dignity and the aura of hard-nosed journalist type, so I soon stop again). There is an adult fatbike in one corner. A downhill bike in another. Several BMXs. Another huge (and very new and clean looking) motorbike. I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting, but I don’t think this was it – a cookie cutter operation this is not.