The recognition keeps rolling for Calibre Bikes 
Calibre Bikes have been recognised at the Retail Week Awards 2018 scooping The American Express Own-Brand Range or Product award. At GO Outdoors our main aim is to make the outdoors accessible for all and part of that is making sure that you can enjoy quality innovative products at the most affordable prices possible. This is exactly what we look for in our exclusive brands and Calibre Bikes is no different.
In 2017 GO Exclusive brand OEX captured the ‘Best Own Brand’ award at the Retail Week awards, and we’re hugely proud and honoured to have another GO exclusive brand in Calibre Bikes take home the same award in 2018 against big names like John Lewis, Lidl, Aldi and more. First of all, let’s take a look at what Calibre Bikes are all about:
At only 4 years old, Calibre is still one of the new kids on the block when it comes to cycling, but few other brands can match the team’s drive to push the boundaries of the spec available for affordable price points in a hugely competitive sector. This was first noticed when the brand launched the original Bossnut in 2015. A full suspension mountain bike that was stacked with the spec of a much more expensive bike. The press hailed it as one of the best bikes under £1,000, it scored a whopping 10/10 in MBR’s test and went on to be named their 2015 Bike of the Year.
The praise kept coming:
“10/10. Cons? None that we can think of.”— MBR Magazine
“5 stars. Totally resets the meaning of value.”— BikeRadar
The Bossnut would become the crown jewel in a range of bikes that looked to challenge the field at their price points and categories. Not ones to rest on their laurels, Mike Sanderson and the team behind Calibre wanted to see how far they could push this category. They went back to the drawing board and returned with the Bossnut V2, and as with any sequel, people couldn’t wait to see how it faired against its successful predecessor. It came out swinging and took best in class ‘Best Bike Under £1000’ in the 2017 Singletrack Reader Awards.
“Astonishingly good value… the geometry is bang up to date.”— Singletrack Mountain Bike Magazine
“Sorted suspension, bang-on-the-money geometry, under £1,000. In the mountain bike world, this is a hugely, hugely important bike.”— Dirt Magazine
“Add a single ring, budget dropper post, and some grippier rubber to this bike and you might think you were riding something that cost three, four, or even five times the price.”— Pinkbike
The team of enthusiasts behind Calibre lead by Mike Sanderson wanted to use their platform to help push grass-roots mountain biking. Thanks to them, GO outdoors got involved with helping fund a local free mountain bike trail at Lady Cannings in the Peak District, alongside this the brand welcomed their first official rider, a young ripper by the name of Kenzie Nevard, you can check out what Kenzie is all about below.
As Calibre continued to grow with an entry level bike in the Two.Two, the Crag and the Saw, an aggressive hardtail in the Calibre Line 10, An in-demand 29er in the Rake, the Dune fat bike and a limited edition beefed up Bossnut called the Beastnut among others, people were starting to stand up and take notice.
The bike industry is ever-changing, and soon enough other brands were looking to challenge the Calibre Bossnut’s crown, in a movement that can only benefit riders, everyone was trying to create the best bike possible for under £1,000. In an ever-changing industry, it’s important to keep innovating, and Calibre decided to take on the feedback on the bike press and their ever-growing loyal fan base and go one step further. So while everyone was trying to match the Bossnut and Bossnut V2, behind closed doors the Bossnut was evolving and in 2018 Bossnut Evo was born.
The future for Calibre Bikes is stacked with plenty more innovation with rumours of a production sequel to the Beastnut and even more. If you’re looking to see more from the brand, come and check out the bikes in our stores, or head to one of the MBR demo days at Forest of Dean and Dalby Forest in April and try one for yourself.
You can keep up with all the latest Calibre Bikes news on their Facebook page.
