…but we kind of got there by the summer
There’s a lot happened in the shop since the turn of the year.
After a successful 30 odd years in charge, and latterly ownership, Ian and Carol sailed off in to the Turkish sunset for a life of raki and saksuka (and judging by Strava, pretty much riding every day) while the shop was taken on by the team behind Honda and Triumph Newcastle. Not exactly strangers to the shop, one of the team (er, me) started working in Cycle World at 14 as a Saturday lad and I kept working there on Saturdays all the way through college.
A lot of things have changed over the past six months: new systems, new website, a fairly extensive refurb and we’ve brought in new brands like Scott and Pivot – and one more to follow. Some things thankfully haven’t changed: Chris, Paul (Rocker) and Stephen in the workshop remain as does Giant and Orbea. It was already a great team, with great brands.
The parking hasn’t changed either, it’s still a bit of a nightmare, but I think after years of chasing the lights around the one way system, hoping to find a space outside, I’ve given up and now we just head straight to St Mary’s Car Park. It’s a two minute walk, secure, and you can pick up a saveloy dip on the way back to the car park from Dicksons.
The cycle trade has changed a lot in the past 10 years, and we know we can’t compete on scale with Wiggle and Chain Reaction (hell, even they don’t know how to compete with each other) for parts, accessories and clothing. It’s not just the prices, it’s the huge range they stock.
Instead, we’ll continue focusing on bikes, servicing and great service while having a small but effective range of the things that matter most to cyclists, most often. Tyres, grips, saddles, lube, common tools, gloves, helmets – that kind of thing. If we stock them, it’s because we have ridden and rate them.
Come in and say hello and check our our new website. If you haven’t been for a while, then there’s a lot to see 🙂
A shop blog... 