A NEW bicycle range named for the "beautiful and rural feel" of Ryedale has been created for the independent bike shop market.

The 'Ryedale' is a new family of women's bicycles created by Avocet, a UK-based company.

A spokesperson for Avocet said: "Ryedale is a diverse and beautiful area of spectacular scenery.

"Steven Walsh, chairman of Avocet, used to visit the district frequently as a child and has a real fondness for the area.

"When designing the initial concepts for the heritage range, Avocet wanted to develop a name that had connotations of the beautiful and rural feel that the bikes convey.

"Ryedale was chosen for this very reason."

Avocet is a distributor of bicycles, bicycle parts and accessories in the UK, and via a joint venture partner, in Germany. They also distribute e-Bikes in the UK, and support the independent dealer market with a range of branded products whilst also supplying leading retail chains mostly with own-label products.

Hero Cycles, the world’s largest bicycle maker by volume, has recently acquired a majority interest in Avocet, its first acquisition outside of India.