Business

Bristows Cycles: Making Tracks 

Bristows Cycles: Making Tracks  1 2

[prev] …in popularity since the last recession. Prior to this we didn’t do much of it because some of the associated licenses are very expensive. If it costs you £1,000 to buy a license and you only sell three or four bikes a year from finance, it’s clearly not worth it. But in the last three or four years finance has really surged in popularity.

DID YOU BENEFIT FROM THE RECESSION, IN THAT MORE PEOPLE WERE TAKING UP CYCLING TO SAVE MONEY?
We did. And we’ve had two or three periods like that since the business started. If a family’s got two cars and they’re feeling the pinch, then it’s often the case that one of the cars gets sold and cycling becomes the second mode of transport to get the kids to school or to get to work or whatever. Recessions can benefit bike businesses in this way.

ELECTRIC BIKES ALSO OFFER A PAIN-FREE WAY OF GETTING TO WORK. ARE THESE BECOMING A MORE REALISTIC ALTERNATIVE TO DRIVING GIVEN CONGESTION LEVELS?
This is a big growth area, though nobody can tell at this stage where it will end. We’ve been doing electric bikes for about 10 years and during that period they’ve come on quite a way, from bikes with very heavy batteries to lighter-weight batteries with a greater range. Initially electric bikes were bought, on the whole, by people who weren’t fit enough, or at least weren’t fit enough to ride as far as they needed to. Nowadays we’re getting younger people buying the electric bikes, so where it used to be 45-year-olds plus, we’re seeing people in their 30s buying them. Customers are looking for something they can ride to work on and not arrive all hot and sweaty. And they’re certainly seeing the benefit of commuting by bike. Queueing to get into or out of town can take 20 to 30 minutes. By bike you are able to get from the outskirts of Peterborough into the centre in perhaps 15 minutes, so it’s a lot quicker.

WHAT SORT OF RANGE DO ELECTRIC BIKES HAVE?
It depends on the bike, but anything from 20 to 50 miles. This would be an assisted range – most of the figures are based on flat terrain, with no wind and an average weight of say 12-13 stone. It’s a bit like the official MPG on a car versus its real-world MPG! But the range has still come on in leaps and bounds.

AS WELL AS SELLING BIKES YOU CONTINUE TO SERVICE THEM. DO YOU THINK THIS INSTILLS CONFIDENCE IN YOUR CUSTOMERS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY CAN COME BACK TO YOU FOR A COMPLETE PACKAGE OF AFTERCARE?
That’s definitely part of the reason why people come to us. If they buy from us they know we can fix their bike if they have any problems. Whereas if they buy by mailorder or from one of the larger retailers they know that if it goes wrong they can’t take it back there to get fixed. As an independent business we know everything about what we’re selling, because we’re cyclists ourselves and we love what we do.

I GUESS THAT’S THE SECRET TO KEEPING YOUR CUSTOMERS HAPPY?
Absolutely. We offer our expertise to make sure that we get customers onto the right bike. Too many people go out and buy a bike without this advice and then realise once they’ve got it home they’ve got the wrong one. We make sure a bike is not just the right size, but the right type – it has to suit the purpose the customer wants it for.

DO YOU SEE THE BENEFIT OF THIS ATTENTION IN THE BOTTOM LINE? I GUESS YOU ARE BUILDING UP A LOYAL CUSTOMER BASE THAT KNOWS THEY CAN RELY ON YOU FOR SOUND ADVICE AND SERVICE?
That’s it. I think any shop exists by the top 20% of their customers who bring in 80% of the business. That’s what you rely on, and anything else is the cream on the top.

WILL YOU BE EXPANDING THE BUSINESS?
Whilst we did look at expanding, we’ve got a large chain opening up within a mile of us, so it’s a question of waiting to see what happens with that. And while there has been a boom in cycling, official trade figures show there isn’t any increase in the volume of bikes being sold, just that people are spending more on them. Recently there’s been a surge in new shops opening up, whereas perhaps 10 years ago a lot of bike shops were closing down. It’s a bit of a rollercoaster out there. For now we’re happy to stay as we are, offering a one-stop shop for all cycling needs and providing the same friendly advice and service that’s seen us through the last 40-plus years.

Bristows Cycle 46 Church Drive, Orton Waterville, Peterborough PE2 5HE. 01733 231755, www.bristowscycles.co.uk

Bristows Cycles: Making Tracks  1 2

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