THE WOMEN OF HOPE
“I’ve not ridden for twenty years! I’m really nervous, but I wanted to support the rest of the girls and get out there for a bit of a pedal.”
I’m standing in one of the warren of rooms and floors that make up the Hope factory. That room and the people within it represent a small part of the production process that begins at design, goes through multiple stages of manufacturing and ends with dispatch to bike shops and customers globally.
There are almost two hundred employees at Hope, but of them twenty four are women. I’m spending the day talking to those two dozen; finding out more about what they do and their lives outside work before we set off on a short lunch-time ride from the factory doors. During the best part of a day, I hear life stories, jokes and gossip alongside excitement and trepidation for what’s to come.
What’s in a ride?
It’s a ride that means a lot, for a lot of different reasons. First of all, it will be the first work ‘social’ that many have had since covid. And for those who joined the company in the last two years, it will be the first time they properly meet colleagues who work in different parts of the factory. It’s also important because the ride represents the (re)launch of Hope WMN. And who better to celebrate that with than the women who are Hope? The ladies who are involved in every step of the manufacturing process, and without whom there would be no hubs, brakes, seatposts or any other product: the ladies whose absence would mean bills going unpaid, events missed and bins unemptied.
So, for an hour or two on a Thursday lunchtime, etching and cleaning, accountancy and carbon lay-up, assembly and packaging, HR and events are forgotten about. Twenty women stand outside the doors to the Hope factory; from apprentices not long out of school to employees of over two decades. Some are standing astride their own bikes, most are borrowing them for the lunch time spin. E-bikes and enduro bikes, gravel bikes and hardtails, all bedecked with stems and cranks and brake-levers in all the colours of the rainbow (or at least all the anodising options available). Helmets are adjusted and a few take a few tentative spins around the carpark, quietly reminding themselves of the basics. This isn’t a line up of pros; just real people, with real lives.
Life
It would be easy to imagine that everyone at Hope is a passionate rider, who is out on their bike every single day. We probably have more than our fair share of those, but there are also the regular cycle-commuters, the occasional family-riders, those who will reluctantly head out for a spin every now and then. There’s also the lapsed riders, too busy to squeeze in much time for pedalling between work, family and the rest of life.
“I’ve not really ridden much since my second child was born, there’s just not been time really.”
And there’s a few for whom riding simply isn’t part of their life, beyond working for a company that makes bike components. Some of them are excited to put their own handiwork to the test for the first time.
“It’ll be strange thinking that I’ll be using something I put together. I like it. I’m proud of my work anyway, but this makes it a bit more special.”
Walk around the factory, and you’ll hear ladies and men talking passionately about what they do; from the obsessive details, to the end result. In a world where we are used to so much of what we buy being made elsewhere, there is something magical about seeing the process of a handlebar or disc rotor come to life. You get the feeling there is something magical about being part of the process too; a jigsaw piece in a bigger picture.
This ride – any ride – is what the bigger picture really looks like. The simple pleasure of pedalling a bike with friends, and in this case, one that just so happens to have the best componentry that Barnoldswick has to offer.
Support
A cacophony of chatting and laughing ladies and clicking hubs rolls out through the back streets of Barnoldswick. The group is top-and-tailed by Claire and Hannah; who split their time between events and sales; the ride was their idea.
“We just wanted to celebrate all the women at Hope. Hope WMN will be about events and supporting women riders, but we wanted to thank and show off the wonderful women we have right here first.”
Cutting down ginnels out of town, there is constant chatter. There’s support; whether it’s help changing gear, or raising a dropper post. And there is heckling and racing up each small rise; breathless regathering at the top. The wild February weather holds off until we swing on to the canal for the return leg of the ride. Hail and fat raindrops whip at exposed skin. It’s a brutal day to be out on the bike, even for a short spin. But all around, there’s nothing but laughter and smiles (at least when the camera comes out).
Making the world go round
Back at the factory, over a brew and lunch in the boardroom, I look out over the factory floor with some of the ladies. A door cracks open and the hum of the CNC machines fill the room briefly as a couple of the lads come hunting for leftovers.
As the door closes, one of the women (who shall remain nameless) whispers to me as I’m packing up.
“Nothing would get done round here if it weren’t for us ladies…”.
You better believe it.
Whether it’s at Hope Technology, or the world in general, let’s hear it for the women.
Thank you to;
Words & Pictures: Tom Hill
