Andy & Peter on assembling Ridley bikes: "I'm proud to work on a bike you see on TV"

For Andy Philips and Peter Drijkoningen, every Ridley bike tells a story. As Assembly Specialists at Belgian Cycling Factory, they are among the last people to work on a bike before it leaves the factory. Over the years, they've seen the assembly process evolve from individual craftsmanship to a highly efficient team effort. One thing, however, has never changed: the pride of building a product that inspires cyclists around the world.

"I'm proud to work here," says Andy. "We're building a beautiful product that regularly appears on television and in the media. Whenever I see a Ridley bike somewhere, I always think: maybe I built that one."

From individual craftsmanship to teamwork

When Andy started at Belgian Cycling Factory, every assembler built an entire bike from start to finish. "Back then, everyone worked on their own bike," he recalls. "If you ran into a problem, you solved it yourself." Today, the assembly department looks very different. Bikes move through a structured assembly line where each workstation focuses on a specific part of the process. That transformation required careful planning and close collaboration across the team.

"We completely redesigned the way we work," Peter explains. "We had to determine how to divide the assembly process into logical steps, how to organise the different work zones and how to make every bike easily accessible throughout the entire process."

Better together

Breaking the assembly process into smaller steps has made the department more flexible and easier to train. "Training new colleagues has become much more straightforward," Peter says. "People can learn each station step by step, which means they can quickly become part of the team, even without years of experience in bike assembly."

But according to Andy, the biggest difference goes beyond efficiency. "Today, everyone works together—not just within the assembly line, but across all departments. If something needs to be improved, we solve it as a team." That collaborative mindset benefits not only the employees, but also the bikes themselves.

"Through teamwork, you help each other improve," Peter adds. "That ultimately leads to higher quality. We all share the responsibility of delivering every single bike in perfect condition."

Building bikes with pride

For both Andy and Peter, the greatest reward comes after a bike has left the factory. Whether it's a professional race broadcast, a local group ride or simply spotting a Ridley on the road, they know that behind every finished bike stands the craftsmanship of dozens of colleagues working towards the same goal. "When you see one of our bikes out in the world," Andy says, "there's always that feeling of pride. You know you played a part in building it."