Jorvik Tricycles The Story Behind The Brand

James Walker, CEO and founder of Jorvik Tricycles, talks about the business story behind the brand. 

Since its launch in 2014, the business has enjoyed sustained growth and celebrates annual revenue of around £5 million. In the last ten years, the business has grown from designing and producing tricycles in James’ front room to becoming one of Europe’s electric tricycle producers, selling around 4,000 units in 2023.

Having steadily risen in popularity before the pandemic, e-bike sales over the last few years have rocketed across Europe, with COVID-19 influencing changes in travel behaviours. Throughout the pandemic, Jorvik saw a large increase in interest, at one point managing to secure 1.2 million sales in just two months. Post-pandemic, sales have continued to increase at an average of 20% year on year as the number of people interested in exploring the outdoors and focusing on their health and fitness increased.

Jorvik Tricycles are shipped worldwide. The company’s aims remain simple: to provide reliable, well-designed tricycles at prices that people can afford to help people experience the joy of three wheels.

The company, which has thirteen employees, was inspired by James looking for a tricycle for his father after a Parkinson’s diagnosis challenged his love of traditional bicycling. James’ father was struggling to get outdoors, and James was determined to help. Faced with limited choice, outdated designs, and no budget-friendly options, he decided to build his own, and it was a roaring success.

What started as a passion project fuelled by love became a business enterprise, and Jorvik Tricycles was born. Since then, James has been designing, building, and selling quality adult electric tricycles, celebrating the stability and joy of three wheels.

As a startup, Jorvik Tricycles was a self-funded business, financed through personal savings. More recently, Jorvik Tricycles has received funding from HSBC for the development of the new showroom and bespoke indoor test track in Wheldrake.

Since launching a decade ago, Jorvik Tricycles has built up a huge network of customers, many of whom are in touch with James and his team on a regular basis. Jorvik Tricycles’ primary customer is aged 40 or older, with the oldest user of a Jorvik Trike being 102! Ages 35–54 make up 59% of the customer cohort, but a quarter of users are also aged between 18 and 34.

Interestingly the 18-34 category has increased year on year, growing from 14% in 2019 to over 25% of the company's customer base in 2023. It's all good news for James as he looks forward to further growth.

James Walker Photo: Jorvik Tricycles

FAQ
 
What is the pricing?

Prices range from £2,699.00 for the JET-E to £4,599.00 for the Dual Battery Electric Mountain Trike. Payment plans are also available through Klarna and Divide-Buy, offering customers the option to split purchases into three interest-free instalments or up to 12 monthly payments starting at £40 per month. The first instalment is payable on the completion of the order, with further payments made monthly.

 What sort of range do they have?

The Jorvik Tricycles portfolio currently boasts 15 models, all of which can be customised by selecting preferred colour and power options, as well as accessories such as baskets and pet beds. All tricycles are designed at York HQ, where every component is selected based on a balance of safety, functionality, and safety. From lightweight and rust-free aluminium alloy that is three times lighter than steel to finely tuned brakes that can engage with a single finger, each model is designed to create the very best riding experience.

If the battery goes flat, will it be extremely heavy to ride unassisted?

Jorvik Tricycles are very easy to ride without electric assistance. Customers are regularly surprised by how lightweight and easy the tricycles are to ride without assistance.

What is the battery charging time? What kind of battery is used? Well-known supplier?

Every Jorvik Tricycle is powered by lithium-ion batteries with Samsung or LG cells. These are carefully selected, industry-leading batteries that are made to last for the long term. Battery charge lasts between 30-35 miles and takes between 5 and 6 hours to charge from flat to full.

Can the battery be taken off for charging indoors? Or at least away from the bike.

All Jorvik batteries can be taken off the Trikes and charged indoors, as well as charged on- or off-frame. Jorvik’s dual-battery Tricycles, such as the JMT-11 and JMT-13 models, come with two batteries, giving users between 60 and 70 miles to explore, as they can swap batteries when needed. They reach a maximum speed of 15.5mph.

How much pedal effort is required? Can the bikes travel on battery power alone, or is some form of pedal assistance needed?

Very little pedal effort is required to pedal tricycles without electric pedal assistance.

As a rider pedals, the motor provides an extra boost of power to the wheels to make pedalling easier and reduce the effort required by the user. There are varying levels of pedal assistance: low, medium, and high. The rider can choose this based on the level of assistance they require. To maximise the electric battery life, pedal assist should be used at the right point in your cycle. This means using low levels when riding on flat surfaces and increasing the level of pedal assistance when cycling up an incline.

Is the top speed limited to 15 mph assisted?

To conform with Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPC) regulations, pedal assist has a maximum speed of 25 kph (15.5mph), compared to the throttle’s top speed of 5 kph (4mph). The throttle is a walking aid and is not designed to carry the rider up hills and steep terrain.