Rob Morse
I have always been awestruck by all things bike; from the earliest days of bmx, through my introduction into road bikes with a short side step into mountain bikes, they have always been a passion, as much as a mode of transport to me. There is something about the simplicity of the bike, function generally beating form through whatever may be fashionable at the time – L-shaped cranks, suspension for road bikes, disc wheels on the front (poor Fignon!) the bike always returns, albeit regularly forced by the governing bodies, to the machine we all recognise.
The mechanical maintenance of bikes was something that came naturally to me, as someone useful with their hands, a good thing some of my detractors may argue as the brain isn’t up to much! When I wasn’t pulling car engines to bits, or burning myself whilst welding up yet another MOT failure, I was to be found surrounded by disassembled bikes awaiting yet another rattle can finish to be ridden to school with pride, until its next incarnation.
I never really had much of a competitive streak, especially not to start with, that was brought out when I jokingly informed my father that he ought to try riding a bike against the clock, I could show him a thing or two. Two weeks later a very disconsolate 13 year old returned home having been ‘given a lesson’ by his dad. How was I to know the old man had spent most of his formative years attached to a bike.
I’d always wanted a bike shop but didn’t want to just sell bikes? I wanted to be part of the cycling community, like the shops I used to frequent as a teenager, when the experience of being in the shop, with the long drawn out chats and the cups of tea were as important as the purchase. A regular training ride of 80 miles took in 3 shops, only one of which still exists, good times were had.
We try, at the shop, to accommodate all cyclists, whether leisure or pleasure riders, competitive or compulsive, with the same level of attention. I have been told that we can come across as a bit intense at times, I think that’s just the desire to infect others with the passion that we have for both the sport and the equipment.
We are ultimately here to serve you the cyclist with the best of our knowledge, to impart that, which may make your experience on a bike as pleasurable as it can be.
I too have undertaken Cytech qualifications as well as the relevant manufactures courses recognised within the industry, allegedly my staff are better qualified than me, why do I always get the new and complicated to look at?
