News / Bike Bristol
Bike Bristol opens first bricks and mortar shop in former deli
A company that has been helping people to take up cycling for five years has opened its first bricks and mortar shop on Church Road.
The new premises that was recently home to Poco Deli is ideally located across from St George Park, where Bike Bristol founder Sam Marsh runs lessons to teach children – and adults – to gain confidence on two wheels.
With the coffee machine and deli counters now replaced by workshop space and tools, the shop will provide a base for Sam to carry out repairs and services, hire out bikes and sell items.
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But more than that, the cycling enthusiast, who lives in St Anne’s, is keen to create a hub in which people feel comfortable popping in for advice.
“We want to be an inclusive and friendly place for people to pop in. And also, we want to be a family specialist, so if people want to ask about fitting a child seat or something, we are here,” Sam tells Bristol24/7.
Bike Bristol has opened its first bricks and mortar shop on Church Road
Sam set up Bike Bristol in 2019 in order to help more people, and especially children, to cycle. The company quickly became specialists in ‘learn to ride’ courses and have gone on to diversify the business by offering mobile repairs using a customised cargo bike and trailer, as well as running a bike rental scheme.
Speaking about the importance of encouraging young people to cycle, Sam says: “The younger you can get kids cycling, the better. If they don’t get it early on, I think sometimes there’s this big gap. So I do teach adults who perhaps fell at that first hurdle and then they’ve not gone on a bike again until they’re 30 or 40.
“There’s the transport benefits of not having to rely on buses or your parents to give you a lift and then the obvious benefits of helping the climate as well. It’s also good fun for them.
“We’re based just opposite the park so it’s a good place to support people in there.”
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Bike Bristol can often get children who have been trying for months and years to learn to ride a bike on two wheels in an hour or two.
The new shop gives Sam the space to be flexible, so he will look at selling bikes and accessories, as well as hiring them out for people who want to take a ride on the nearby Bristol & Bath Railway Path.
Bike Bristol has been running bike repair workshops in St George Community Centre, just down the road from the new shop, and might look at running similar courses or drop-in sessions in the near future.
“It makes a nice space for a handful of people to come in,” says Sam, gesturing round the compact but airy shop as he brainstorms its future possibilities.
For now at least, he is also able to offer people a hire bike to use while their bike is being repaired. For Sam, it’s all about creating a hub for the community and getting more people cycling.
“We want to be an inclusive and friendly place for people to pop in,” says Sam Marsh
All photos: Ellie Pipe
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