No cycling boom around here

[Fab Foodie]

Tell me about it. I'm from Central Illinois, and remember when REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick, and Ronny Montrose all played at a pole barn at the fairgrounds, and afterward at a pizza place downtown.

They're probably doing much the same now ....

 

[toffee]

Is the so-called boom in cycling largely illusory?

I reckon it is in my patch of the north east - Tyne and Wear and County Durham.

There are no more cyclists now than when I returned to cycling about four years ago.

I use the C2C path a lot, which as a key national challenge route, one might expect to be busy both with locals and those doing the full ride.

Routinely, I can trundle up it for eight or 10 miles and only meet a handful of cyclists - and sometimes none - coming the other way.

My mate Chris has a good handle on this, he rides most days and manages my local bike shop.

He told me he sees fewer cyclists on his travels, and most of the shop's customers are regulars who have been using the place on and off for years.

I've less of a handle on roadie numbers, the handful of local clubs seem to survive OK, and there has been a couple of new ones open in the last few years, so that might indicate a small increase.

The guy who runs the bike shop in Leyburn, north Yorkshire, told me he saw a blip just after Le Tour, but most of those new roadies no longer ride, so he's back to his core of mountain bikers.

That there London is an exception, @ianrauk posted a report saying there are now more cyclists on Blackfriars Bridge than car drivers.

When I cycled a bit in the West End in the 1980s, it was me - on my Raleigh Marauder - a few couriers, but not many others.

Sales figures from Halfords - down - give a good indication of the national picture.

So apart from London, I reckon there are fewer cyclists compared to four or five years ago.

What are numbers like in your area?

You need to pop down to North Bucks, there's loads of them at the weekend/summer evenings.

Also watch out on the c2c in August when Mrs T and I will pass through .

Derek

 

[Hip Priest]

I would say that there was a huge increase in numbers a few years ago, peaking with Wiggo and the TDF / Olympics. Since then, the numbers have probably tailed off slightly, but are still massively higher than 10 years ago.

 

[MarkF]

I have noticed loads more families on a weekend doing the LL towpath, but I haven't noticed any increase at all in commuting, Bradford is very hilly. Not on "normal" bikes anyway, I have noticed a few electric bikes on my commute.

 

[ianrauk]

Sorry for the thread revival.
2 bike shops in Bromley have recently shut. Giant cycles in Bickley was the first to go. Followed by my local shop in Orpington Cycles UK. Which is a great shame as it was a great shop, 5 minute walk. Knowledgeable staff and a brilliant mechanic, Sam (who's now gone solo and mobile).

 

[Dec66]

Sorry for the thread revival.
2 bike shops in Bromley have recently shut. Giant cycles in Bickley was the first to go. Followed by my local shop in Orpington Cycles UK. Which is a great shame as it was a great shop, 5 minute walk. Knowledgeable staff and a brilliant mechanic, Sam (who's now gone solo and mobile).

I can't "like" that, obviously, but ta for the heads up. Shame.

 

[fossyant]

Overheads don't come cheap - I do wonder how mobile mechanics can even afford to do it. Realistically, you need to be earning £150 a day (going rate for plasterers etc) and that's a lot of puncture repairs.

 

[bladderhead]

I had a LBS that was really L and a really good shop. Knew what they were doing. They did cars as well. I was trying and failing to remove a cog. I went there and they sold me a device for removing a car's oil filter. I now know that this is a chain whip. I had hubs but I had no idea how to choose rims. I asked them and they built Mavic A119 for me. Shame they are gone.

It's a bit like when your favourite band becomes popular.

I saw UB40 before they released their first album.

 

[ianrauk]

Overheads don't come cheap - I do wonder how mobile mechanics can even afford to do it. Realistically, you need to be earning £150 a day (going rate for plasterers etc) and that's a lot of puncture repairs.

Indeed. I do hope it works out for him. But will there be enough customers out there to make the job pay? I sincerely hope so. As I said, he's a great mechanic and will be missed by those that frequented the shop.