A BRAND-new bicycle company based in Raglan has been launched, aiming to improve heavy, clunky and poorly-designed childrens’ bikes.

Monmouthshire businessman and engineer Andy Lloyd is the man behind Black Mountain Bikes, a company that specialises in innovative and ingenious children’s bikes that grow with your child.

Andy, who lives near the Skirrid mountain just outside Abergavenny, became frustrated with the bikes that he had bought for his own young family. They were heavy and clunky, poorly designed, and most annoyingly of all, his ever-growing children soon grew out of them!

His ‘eureka’ moment came when he was on a business trip to Munich. He had the idea of a bike frame that could get bigger, to grow with your child. He quickly scribbled his ideas down on the back of the inflight magazine, and on his return home went to his garden shed and set about the task of transforming his rough sketches into working 3D models (‘mules’ as they are known). These were first made in Lego and then out of foam board, then finally Andy welded-up some steel working prototypes. Though rough and ready, these early working models encapsulated all of Andy’s ‘growing’ ideas – the elements would go on to be called the Epok suite of technologies – and his ‘eureka’ moment had transformed into a worldwide patent.

That was eight years ago now, and since then engineer and bike nut Greg Hampton was brought on board to turn Andrew’s ‘mules’ into something that could be successfully manufactured and sold. The company’s first two models, the Pinto and Skog, are aimed at three to eight-year-olds, but plans are afoot to extend the range through to teenagers and maybe beyond.

The company, which has now grown to five employees, moved into its new premises in Raglan, which includes a showroom and shop, in February of this year.

The official launch was mid-April with bikes starting to ship to customers this week. So far, more than 70 per cent of the company’s first orders have come from mainland Europe.

“We set out to develop the ultimate kids’ bikes, designed 100 per cent for the growing, learning young rider,” says Andy. “These are high–end, quality bikes”.

For more, visit blackmountain.bike