Bike shops feed a local economy

ALISON Paterson’s weekly Bike Shorts column urges people to shop local

BIKE SHOP: Support your local bike shop this festive season and help make your velo community strong.

BY THE time you read this we will have survived the great online disaster that is Black Friday online shopping con.

There’s no doubt that massive online suppliers can sell everything from sprockets to tyres, jerseys to whole bikes, branded coffee mugs and T-shirts with a diversity of stock level your local bike shop can only dream of.

But although if I choose to look online for bike gear, I decided some time ago to forsake that temptation.

Instead I decided to make a commitment to support my local bike ships.

There are two in the town where I live and work which I use for immediate repair and gear necessities and another a reasonable 25-minute drive away where I originally purchased my road bike and where there do all the annual frame checks and fits, etc.

Between these three I get everything I need - and an abundance of great, professional advice thrown in for free.

When I’m flush and want new bike shorts or a jersey I buy from them and when I’m broke, well I haunt the local op-shops.

And I’ll confess I wear my gear until it’s threadbare then it becomes useful to clean the bikes!

Now I’m on a mission to encourage other cyclists to do more than compare prices at their local velo store before heading online.

Because let’s face it, bike shops and the people who run them are a real treasure.

They often support and sponsor our cycling clubs and help encourage the next generation to get on two wheels, provide a much needed service as well as jobs in our community.

Who’s going to help you when you wreck your bike and you need it fixed?

Can advise you on the right tyres of derailleur to get you up those hills?

Will happily chat about the coming NRS and which rider is going on which continental team in 2020?

Tell me which bike shop you favour and why [e-mail]

Originally published as