UK distributor Saddleback collapses into administration

Saddleback

This article has been updated on 2 June 2026 with a comment from Wolf Tooth.

Saddleback, the British distributor of brands including Castelli, Chris King, Sportful and Silca, has entered administration after 22 years in business.

Escape Collective has learned that staff were told on Friday 29 May 2026 that the company was entering administration and that some 42 employees had been made redundant with immediate effect. Its website has, as of today (Monday 1st June, 2026), seemingly been taken down.

The Business Desk, which first reported the company's difficulties, said talks with its bank, alternative lenders and key suppliers had failed to secure the refinancing Saddleback needed to keep operating. However, entering administration does not necessarily mean the end of a business. The administrators can seek to rescue the company or sell it on, so some or all of Saddleback's operations could continue under new ownership – though for now, it has ceased trading and made its staff redundant.

The collapse follows the loss of two of Saddleback's largest distribution agreements, as Cannondale returned to a direct-to-dealer model under its parent company Pon.Bike in March 2026, and Enve ended its relationship with the distributor a month earlier, moving its UK service to a European partner based in Paris. Meanwhile, the company also added a new brand to its portfolio, as Princeton Carbonworks was announced in the week following Cannondale's departure.

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