IN BRIEF
Saddleback, a distributor based in Yate, near Bristol, was placed into administration this week after 22 years in business. 42 jobs are being cut. The company had secured the UK distribution of Cannondale in late 2024 — a contract presented as transformative. In March 2026, during the deal’s “grace period”, Cannondale went with Pon.Bike UK. That same year, ENVE left Saddleback after fifteen years of partnership. The company did not withstand these successive departures.
It is a brutal end for one of the United Kingdom’s best-known bike distributors. Saddleback, based in Yate on the outskirts of Bristol for 22 years, has been placed into administration. According to The Times, 42 jobs will be cut. Staff were told on Friday 30 May that the company was closing its doors.
A landmark deal turned fatal blow
In 2024, Saddleback secured what looked like a decisive turning point: the UK distribution of Cannondale. During a visit to its headquarters in April 2025, journalists and industry executives found a company in full expansion — infrastructure in place, staff mobilised, an enthusiastic atmosphere.
The latest official accounts filed with Companies House, made up to 31 January 2025, confirm that momentum: gross margin rose from 16% to 25.8%, and the net loss narrowed to £1,566, against £1.7 million the previous year. The Cannondale partnership was then expected to “have a significant impact on revenue from February 2025”.
Cannondale leaves, the spiral begins
In March 2026, barely into the contract’s “grace period”, Cannondale switched. The brand moved its UK distribution to Pon.Bike UK. It was a shock for Saddleback — and for its 42 employees.
That same year, ENVE ended its partnership with Saddleback after fifteen years of collaboration. The US carbon wheel specialist accounted for a significant part of the distributor’s commercial identity. In March 2026, Princeton CarbonWorks did join the portfolio — but too little, too late.
An industry still fragile despite the recovery
Saddleback’s collapse comes against a backdrop of persistent fragility in bike distribution in Great Britain. The Covid boom generated massive orders, followed by a brutal correction and considerable overstocks. Several distributors did not survive that crisis in the years that followed.
The most acute period is now considered to be over — but the after-effects are still very much present. The brands in Saddleback’s portfolio will have to find a new British partner quickly. For now, they are left without a distribution solution in one of Europe’s most important cycling markets.
