A SPECIALIST cycling company in Waddington is set to launch its own bike brand, and open a new retail shop, as popularity in the pursuit soars.

Protool Cycleworks will release a full range of bicycles, from beginners’ bikes, to top-end race bikes, including road, time trial and cyclocross bikes.

A new retail shop, in Whalley, is due to open in the next few weeks as well.

Co-proprietor Iain McClellan said: “We’re currently working on a project to launch a new bike brand at the end of June, start of July. We’re also opening a retail shop in Whalley because it’s just a workshop where we are now.”

The Ribble Valley company was established in 2010 by friends Peter ‘Spike’ Taylor and Iain after Spike left his position as head mechanic at British Cycling.

Over the last few years, the firm has worked alongside former racing cyclist and Olympic gold medal winner Chris Boardman OBE in developing some of the bikes and equipment used in the Olympic and Paralympic games, including the supply of wheelchairs for the British disabled rugby team.

Protool Cycleworks currently provides maintenance and race support for professional cycling team Rapha Condor-JLT.

Iain said: “I was in London last week, and Spike is away with them now doing races. We also have a lad in Korea helping the other half of the team.

“We’re very specialist, but we do work for a lot of amateurs who race, and do general repairs too. We have a child’s bike in at the moment.”

Although Protool Cycleworks’ background is in elite sport, Iain has noticed a huge surge in cycling’s popularity since the Olympic Games. “Just seeing the number of cyclists on the road, particularly first-time cyclists, it’s about 40 or 50per cent more than it was,” he said.

“The Olympics definitely reignited people’s awareness of cycling.”

Lancashire bike company Ribble Cycles reported its annual profits had rocketed 22per cent in the wake of Team GB’s eight gold medals in biking events last summer.