CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
There have been rumours for months about the possibility of the UK bike chain opening in the East. Their only Scottish 'shop' is at Braehead.
I know someone who knows someone who is related to someone who says they are going to work in new (Tollcross area??) shop.
Anyone have more info/rumour/speculation??
Evans has its place, but I really hope that place is not Tollcross - there are lots of small bike shops in the southside, and Evans arrival in close proximity might kill some of them off.
I would have thought they would be better in some shed in an out of town retail park ?
Maybe they'll go where MFI were in New Uberior House.
Where Big W used to be at Brunstane would suit me. It's on NCR1 as well.
They could use the stepped-ramp bridge as a test ride route. Doesn't fit the Tollcross rumour but it would be handy for both bicycle-access and car-parking.
Fort Kinnared (Niddry Colliery)
Yeah it would be ironic if it was a location that encouraged people to drive to it, a la Halfords...
Evans opening in Tollcross would be an interesting dealership angle from Brompton's perspective.
But as 'Mollie and 'pig and 'tomcat said, there's the whole south-east quadrant of the city without a single bike shop. Bicycle Repair Man and BG Cycles are the two closest you get. Niddrie? Little France? Why is it that there aren't any bike shops around there? The less central they sit, the lower the population of urban cycle commuters and the higher the likelihood of car-based customers, the lower the density of housing and the higher the incidence of identikit soulless shopping parks. Perhaps there just hasn't been the demand as yet.
But since Edinburgh is inexorably channelling its growth through the Danderhall / Newcraighall / Millerhill environs, there will undoubtedly be more housing and more commuting in the next 10 or 20 years, probably tieing in Musselburgh and Dalkeith more strongly too.
I know where but not going to put it on here.
If you want info - PM moi.
There's nothing out west except Halfords at Hermiston Gait. The good people of Corstorphine could do with something to encourage them out their Audis and onto a bike.
TBC did promise me they'd be opening a sub-branch specialising in puncture repair on the South Gyle Broadway roundabout but progress on this front has been minimal. I'd settle for the schwalbe machine being installed there. Along with a track pump on a strong chain.
A long time ago there was Quality Cycles in D'Mains (I bought a Falcon Firefly (mini racer) and a Falcon BearTrap (MTB) from them).
Is Blackhall Cycles still on the go?
yep, think it is, I used to drive by it. Still not convinced Bain's Bikes in Newhaven is open. It looks very, very closed.
It always looked very closed ....but very very closed does not bode well. :-(
Mind you, I didn't knock or anything :)
"
But since Edinburgh is inexorably channelling its growth through the Danderhall / Newcraighall / Millerhill environs, there will undoubtedly be more housing and more commuting in the next 10 or 20 years, probably tieing in Musselburgh and Dalkeith more strongly too.
"
Well yes, but.
That's been the case for the last 20 years.
Not much happened beyond re-locating the Royal Infirmary.
Most of the plans for "Shawfair" seem to have evaporated (inc joint CEC MidL company).
A lot will depend on the completion of the Borders Railway - with a station at Shawfair.
I've heard from two completely unrelated sources that Evans is opening in Fountainbridge.
Mr Freewheelin is West -ish just after Caley Brewery heading West. Mr Bain always had another job I think with the bike shop as hobby/life. Not sure what the set up is now.
My source suggests a clustering of shops in one quarter of town
I always wondered if a bike repair/hire centre in Balerno or Currie would be financially viable having, as they do, good access to the Pentlands. There's nothing else out that way once past Slateford - until you reach West Calder.
Nelly: ...there are lots of small bike shops in the southside, and Evans arrival in close proximity might kill some of them off.
I find the more I know about cycling the less I use the big shops. EBC might look like it has a huge range but if you go there to buy 23c tyres there's almost no choice. You're better off at BicycleWorks, TBC or Velo Ecosse. I don't know if it's the same if you want touring/fixed/recumbent/folding or other non-mainstream bikes and components.
Bike Co-op suffers from having an over-broad audience, IMO. If I pop in to find something, it's surprising how often they don't have it (and I am broad-minded to the point of obscenity when it comes to cycling 'disciplines').
Bicycle Works have a concentrated range (to understate it somewhat) but one which seems well suited to "what people actually need to buy" - and of course they rock my world when it comes to having anything done to the bike.
TBC are my new favourites, since they're more-or-less on the way home from work, and I can buy things online with Paypal and borrow tools to fit them on the shop floor (!!) if I've had a commuter crisis.
I don't even know what Evans is. Reading between the lines, it's Halfords without the car bits, right? Probably go down a storm.
Our resident bike shop owners probably won't want to go into details but I wonder even if loads of people do flock off to buy their bikes at Evans, the trade in local "accessories and labour" that they'll benefit from probably makes up for it?
Bicycle Works got a fiver from me for chasing out four threads, to be spread between the till and beer pot. I bet they don't make /that many/ fivers from the sale of a price-point £250 bike?
"there are lots of small bike shops in the southside, and Evans arrival in close proximity might kill some of them off"
It's true, but -
It's not quite the same as what happens to small food retailers if a Tesco (etc.) opens up.
I'm sure the Evans will be bigger than some other shops, but more 'metro' than 'superstore'.
They are not generally 'discounters'. They will have some brands that are available in other shops, but are unlikely to want to start a price war. They will probably have some brands that are not currently available in other Edinburgh shops.
Generally Evans has grown to where it is by a mix of marketing and service. It certainly won't be a case of 'we've opened in Edinburgh and expect all cyclists to use our shop and no other'.
Bicycle users are both fickle and loyal.
In an internet age price/cost is a factor, though it's only a couple of days since the "It pays to shop locally" thread was started on here.
In retailing it's generally thought that 'clusters' are beneficial. Now Tollcross/Bruntsfield/Marchmont is clearly the cycle shop cluster for Edinburgh.
IF any shops close it will be because they are not giving customers what they want - price/choice/ambience/service/etc.
The arrival of Evans will not be a zero sum game with the same number of people spending the same amount of money in n+1 shops.
Evans will mean more people riding more bikes, which is obviously good for Edinburgh.
Existing shops will (presumably) lose some staff.
Overall there will (almost certainly) be more jobs in 'cycling'.
Cycle shops are 'retail', but more than many types of shops, they need staff who know what they are talking about.
It would be nice to think that bike shop workers are paid more than some other shop workers, but they seldom are.
Druidh - remember when the Margiotta Deli opened in Balerno and made no money - now the wee Scotmid. Rents in the main street too high - there is a mobile repair person based in Juniper Green I have seen his flyer. But as he has no shop front - no real presence I fear. We get a lot of bikes so there is a niche in the market but I fear no market in the niche - we would need to have a population centre of cyclists like in Tollcross/marchmont
On our commute starting at Balerno there is me, you, Simon, Vic and Bob, the very tall man, Stuart and a couple of others. Every kid has a bike but nothing much getting damaged to then fix.so maybe Slateford - Halfords - West Calder is all the cyclists of SW Edinburgh can sustain. We have loads more visitors but they will shop / get bike serviced near where they live.
chdot - having been informed where they are opening, I agree with your points - it wont be some massive barn, so I am sure it will fit in with the rest of the local shops.
Always good to have somewhere else to wander round and look at the gear !!
As someone said, it might not be great for the co-op, but perhaps it will make them up their game in some areas ?
Well, obviously they worked out that a shop in Fountainbridge would be within walking distance of the highest proportion of CCE forum members!
Any idea where in FB? There's not that many big empty shops.
"would be within walking distance"
??!
"would be within walking distance"
well, obviously it would be within cycling distance of everyone!
Any idea where in FB? There's not that many big empty shops.
Isn't there a block opposite Tollcross School?
"
Current Job Vacancies
Job Ref Edinburgh Assistant Manager
Job Title Assistant Manager
Job Type Full-time
Location Edinburgh
"
http://www.candidatemanager.net/cm/Micro/JobDetails.aspx?&mid=YUUD&sid=BWGTAZ&jid=FWFBGTF&site=Evans
Rumour - September opening
Rumour(s) - location, as above or Lothian Road
Ahh that's what's going on in exchange place 1. We got an email about access works and putting a, loading bay in the lane which might restrict access. They are also apparently putting in a whole load new bike racks. I was saying to Anth the other day I thought it would be a shop and specifically mentioning bike racks does point to it being a fairly large bike shop..
Just what we need up here another bike shop. I wonder how much effect it will actually have... Mcdonalds seems to do, ok against all the odds, ebc might loose some business, don't know about bike trax.
You must log in to post.
Cycling in Edinburgh Flickr group
Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin
posts