Remember Bike Shops? An ode to cycle retail stores from a bike shop owner
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
It’s easy to forget the moment your love for bike shops began. Ahead of Local Bike Shop Week, Mat Clark, owner of BRINK - a UK-based business specialising in cycling retail, brand strategy, and industry insight - reflects on the enduring magic of local bike shops. Drawing on decades of experience, Clark shares a personal and heartfelt perspective on why these spaces remain vital to the cycling community and industry alike.
Remember Bike Shops?
I saw the GT sticker in the shop window from the back seat of my parents' car as we cruised by.
“BIKE SHOP!” I shouted with unrivalled enthusiasm.
My parents knew the drill: stop now, or face a very grumpy teenager for the rest of the journey.
As we pulled up, I spotted a GT Lobo in the window with the all-new ZZYZX forks. My mind was already blown—and we hadn’t even made it through the door.
We pushed inside. A bell rang. The smell hit instantly—new tyres, inner tubes, GT85, Lynx Africa, and strong coffee. A combination unique to bike shops the world over.
A wall of anodised colour nearly knocked me sideways. A box of rainbow Ti bolts sat on the glass counter, filled with Hope bits and there's a Jason McRoy poster on the wall. I knew immediately: I was in the right place.
I wandered across rubber-stained carpet tiles, staring at endless shelves of upgrades. Some parts I recognised from magazines I’d pored over; others I’d never seen before.
I was hooked.
I wanted to touch everything. Understand everything. Sit on every bike. Tell the staff how many car park spaces I could wheelie. I wanted new wheels. No—I needed new wheels.
In the workshop, mechanics nonchalantly tuned a bright yellow Cannondale as if it were just another bike, tossing spanners around like cocktail bartenders.
This wasn’t just a shop—it was a direction. A whole life unfolding, winding up a mountainside with the bike industry shimmering somewhere at the top.
Thirty years later, I’m standing in my own shop, watching young riders arrive in their parents’ Volvo and have that same moment.
That same spark.
I’m proud of the path I chose—to stay in the industry I fell in love with as a kid. I’m proud to own a bike shop. Proud to be doing good business in a sport I care deeply about. And most of all, proud to see customers having experiences that are sometimes small, sometimes life-changing.
Because bike shops matter.
They are the foundation of this industry. They underpin the market brands are built on. They are where people wander in on a whim and discover an entirely new direction in life.
They are filled with people who love bikes—and who, more often than not, had that exact same moment years ago.
So this is a reminder to the industry.
Remember how it felt to walk into that shop for the first time.
Just because we’ve grown up—because we now think in margins, supply chains, and sell-through rates—doesn’t mean people aren’t falling in love with bikes in shops all over the world right now.
Owning a bike shop is a privilege. I’m surrounded by incredible bikes, great people, and good coffee—working in a place where spreading joy is part of the job.
And in a world of direct-to-consumer models, just-in-time supply, third-party fulfilment, and private equity, let’s not forget this:
Bike shops are awesome!
Mat Clark is the owner of BRINK - a UK-based business specialising in cycling retail, brand strategy, and industry insight.
For more information on Local Bike Shop Week and to nominate a shop for the awards, visit the Local Bike Shop Week website here.