Cycling HQ - looks interesting.

[Vantage]

Looks like a care home for elitist plebs with too much money.
No thanks.
As for people who have no space to wash their bikes.....been there, done that. It's called a bath tub.

 

[ianrauk]

That had me pressing 'stop' too

Me three.

Also, picnic benches. Yes OK. nice view of a big truck and industrial warehouses.
But.. fair play to them and more power to their elbow to get it working.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

I watch Mapdec vids and Paul seems like a genuine bloke. This does look like the classic case of trying to find a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist. You can indoor train at home, get advice online and from other cyclists, meet at a coffee shop and take your bike into a mechanic. You never need to do all these things simultaneously and therefore having a one stop solution that houses them all in one place is pretty unecessary.

Fair play to him though for trying to do something different. Sadly it feels as though bike shops are dying a death, I used to have 5 independent shops within a 20 mile radius. I now have one.

 

[Boopop]

I like it as an idea. He wants a place to socialise with other cyclists. I'd like that too. Obviously you could say that that's what you do while riding bikes, but it'd be good to have a place to socialise outside of doing the sport itself. Somewhere for talks, training sessions, watching pro races together, award ceremonies. I'm surprised so many people here don't like the suggestion.

 

[All uphill]

I like it as an idea. He wants a place to socialise with other cyclists. I'd like that too. Obviously you could say that that's what you do while riding bikes, but it'd be good to have a place to socialise outside of doing the sport itself. Somewhere for talks, training sessions, watching pro races together, award ceremonies. I'm surprised so many people here don't like the suggestion.

Fair enough, and I get that there will be people who ride bikes who are into the social side. I wish them well.

I ride a bike to get away from talks, training sessions, races, award ceremonies.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I like it as an idea. He wants a place to socialise with other cyclists

Used to exist like the cycling club huts at Henham. But times move on. A country pub will do me for socialising when on bike.

 

[Boopop]

Fair enough, and I get that there will be people who ride bikes who are into the social side. I wish them well.

I ride a bike to get away from talks, training sessions, races, award ceremonies.

Plenty of people need training sessions to keep riding their bikes - there's so many who want to learn basic maintenance skills and aren't well versed with how to use youtube to learn. In person tutorials from an experienced person are confidence inspiring. I didn't mean training as in turbo trainers, however that's useful too.

Then there's all the talk of lack of male role models for young men in the news in the past few days, along with the decimation of youth clubs in the past decade or so. I'd have loved to learn how to take care of bikes as a teenager, no-one taught me.

 

[All uphill]

Plenty of people need training sessions to keep riding their bikes - there's so many who want to learn basic maintenance skills and aren't well versed with how to use youtube to learn. In person tutorials from an experienced person are confidence inspiring. I didn't mean training as in turbo trainers, however that's useful too.

Then there's all the talk of lack of male role models for young men in the news in the past few days, along with the decimation of youth clubs in the past decade or so. I'd have loved to learn how to take care of bikes as a teenager, no-one taught me.

You're right; all important points.

I was thinking and commenting too narrowly.

 

[VinSumRox]

Surely the ultimate solution is a LBS with a cafe attached?

 

[classic33]

Some interesting ideas there. Bike shops often already have café's, which Mapdec don't at present. The bar/hang-out space is there in some cases - there's Mamil in Brighouse* near me - so they're looking to add that in.

The idea of a training space in what appears to be quite a big warehouse moves it from just being a shop and into somewhere where cyclists arrive, not necessarily by bike, spend time and hopefully money. Those two don't necessarily link together and the market they're aiming for is quite mid-top end.

My guess is the challenge is trying to make all that profitable. Their location puts them at the north edge of Kendal and that isn't as accessible as a central point, but is likely to be cheaper to operate. Having the space where bike fitters / sports therapists could base themselves works as long as it's financially viable for all.

*Also in Halifax town centre for the last four years.