Preston bike shop closes after six decades

Preston bike shop Sutcliffe Cycles & Repairs closed its doors for the final time on Christmas Eve, bringing an end to more than six decades of trading.

Owner Martin Sutcliffe has decided to shut the business down as he heads into retirement, reports the Lancashire Telegraph.

The shop on Ribbleton Avenue opened in 1957, four decades after Sutcliffe’s grandfather Sam Williams established his first bicycle repair shop in 1915, and has been a long-term Raleigh dealer.

Mr Sutcliffe said: “I have always considered I entered the trade at just the right moment. Up to that point bikes had largely been a ‘beast of burden’, a mode of transport that got you to and from work, with the idea of a bicycle as a leisure item for adults still in its infancy.

“I took up my spanners and allen keys and watched all that change.

“Becoming an exclusive Raleigh dealer for over forty years from 1977 to 2017 we estimate that we’ve sold somewhere in the region of 45-50,000 Raleigh bikes, ranging from the humble play trike to top-end road and off-road lightweights.

“I consider myself privileged to have witnessed the swathe of Raleigh designs sweep through our shop over the years. Looking back I can see it all as one would see the ascent of man. The ascent of Bike.”

Mike Harrison, area account manager for Raleigh, said: “Sutcliffe Cycles has been a cherished partner to Raleigh for over 60 years.

“With both British companies offering decades of knowledge and expertise to their customers, Sutcliffe Cycles will be sorely missed by both us and Preston’s cycling community.

“As displayed over the past year, we believe firmly that cycling has the potential to completely reshape lives for the better, and it’s local treasures like Sutcliffe Cycles that are at the heart of this,” he added.