The name Pearson will be better known to many as the oldest bike shop in the world. It is after all still owned and run by the Pearson family and is a staple of the London cycling scene.
But that name, that dates back to the 1800s, went through a transformation at the beginning of the year. Pearson is now a bike brand with big ambitions while the shop in East Sheen has been renamed as Forge 1860 in a nod to it's routes as a blacksmiths.
The Pearson bike range currently includes one gravel bike, the On and On, which I tested in 2023 - riding it across Scotland on the new Kirkpatrick coast-to-coast route - and two road bikes; the aero, race-focused Shift, and the endurance-focused Forge. Named in a nod to their history.
