| Muddyfox | |
| Type: | Subsidiary |
| Industry: | Bicycle, textile, footwear |
| Predecessors: | --> |
| Successors: | --> |
| Founders: | --> |
| Hq Location Country: | England |
| Area Served: | United Kingdom |
| Products: | Bicycles |
| Owners: | --> |
Muddyfox (formerly Muddy Fox) is a bicycle manufacturing company based in Basildon, England. The company specialises in mountain bikes, also producing road, hybrid, and BMX bikes. Muddyfox also has a clothing line for cycle sport that includes sportswear (jerseys, jackets, trousers, shorts, gloves). Protection gear and accessories include helmets, sunglasses, pumps and bicycle parts.
Muddyfox is currently a subsidiary of Frasers Group (formerly, "Sports Direct Int.").[1]
Muddy Fox was founded by the serial entrepreneur Aristidis Hadjipetrou and Andrew Lawson after spotting a gap in the market in the UK for off-road bicycles with stronger frames and chunkier tyres which offered the user more versatility and range, following from the success of developers in America like Gary Fisher[2] The company developed a successful marketing campaign, predominantly aimed at non-cyclists,[3] based around a yellow background with black fox paw prints and were instrumental in reimagining the style of off-road cycling in the UK. Their innovative advertising included the world's first television commercial for a mountain bike,[4] with print adverts focusing more on the outdoor riding locations, rather than the bike's appearance and specifications.
There had been a massive boom in bicycle sales in the 70's,[5] so instead of entering this established market Ari and Drew exploited the emerging trend from the US of All Terrain Bikes (ATBs) - specifically the Mountain Bike. Despite being initially dismissed as a joke in the UK,[6] and only selling 20 bikes in their first year, the company soon dominated the UK mountain bike scene, with a 50% market share by 1987, selling 20,000 units.[7] Within two more years annual sales were approaching 100,000.Initially manufactured in Japan by Araya, prices were high - around £500.[8] It was always the intention to produce quality bikes at the high end of the market, however, moving production to Taiwan in 1984/85 made them more accessible with a price drop to £300. With the introduction of a more affordable model, mountain biking in the UK exploded with their most popular model, the Courier. Ironically, this was seen more as an urban icon than a serious off-roader, as reflected by its name - .
By the early 1990s Muddy Fox had expanded to Europe, North America and Australasia and were moving into South America and the Middle East. Despite this huge success, a stock market crash brought financial trouble, eventually leading to a buyout.
The company has been a brand of Universal Cycles since 2001, itself since 2009 a majority-owned subsidiary of Sports Direct (current Frasers Group),[9] and produces Silver Fox bicycles for bigbox retailers such as Argos.