Pub wanting to go cycle friendly

[mattsccm]

Involve a club. Eg mine has its meetings at one and some TT's start a few yards away. We are always welcome for chips and sandwiches afterwards or just a pint. They are happy for us to use the car park unless its a silly time such as Mothers day. Welcoming to us all and know our names. Evening rides start there and they offer to keep spare kit behind the bar so we can change and keep their seats clean later but equally never make a fuss about it. The owners watch us on FB and sometimes chip in or pass our details on.
The ability to lock bikes easily where they can be seen or even left unlocked is great. Warm is good in the winter! Good food especially reasonable, for the area, for the prices and the willingness to knock up sandwiches or bowls of chips is great. Making us welcome when the families come with us is good and brings us back in normal clothes.
Cycling décor would help to bring cyclists in and showing all the major cycling events of telly via Eurosport means those who don't have that may come and watch. Not whinging at cleated shoes is nice!
A welcome is the most important thing though.

[RickH]

A group nearby (but one that I've not yet ridden with) have been trying out organising a fixed, or limited choice, food option with approximate numbers phoned through in advance (start of ride or an hour before arrival, something like that).

If you get a largish group (20+) & individual orders the first ones may have finished before the last ones get served.

[chris_suffolk]

Food is probably going to be the big draw. Tourists and CTC types will probably want traditional pub fare, roadies and audax types will probably want sandwiches and cake. Also tea and coffee for all.

+1 for sandwiches, especially at the weekend - including Sunday. Too many pubs don't want to be bothered with food on a Sunday unless it's a full meal, Thus they miss out on groups, and even get a poor reputation so groups don't go there at other times of the week.

[JohnW]

+1 for eggs, beans and toast (or chips!). It seems more and more difficult to find - so many places now offer only designer food without enough carbs / calories for me.

If you're anywhere near West Yorkshire - I can give you some good egg-n'-chips-n'-beans places.

[drossall]

Agree with others. If there's nowhere safe for bikes, where I can see mine, I may not even get inside the door to find out what else is on offer. Worth mentioning that keen cyclists on longer rides probably aren't carrying the weight of good locks, which is what makes loan locks so appreciated - but being able to sit with the bikes nearby in clear view is better. A loan track pump is good too.

Beyond that, good, basic, filling food.

[freiston]

Not much to add to the above but a big road-side sign offering bidon refills wouldn't do any harm.

[LollyKat]

+1 for eggs, beans and toast (or chips!). It seems more and more difficult to find - so many places now offer only designer food without enough carbs / calories for me.

If you're anywhere near West Yorkshire - I can give you some good egg-n'-chips-n'-beans places.

Well, I'm not, normally, but thinking of doing part of Hadrian's Cycleway (Carlisle to Newcastle) with a friend next year, so any suggestions welcome .

[JohnW]

+1 for eggs, beans and toast (or chips!). It seems more and more difficult to find - so many places now offer only designer food without enough carbs / calories for me.

If you're anywhere near West Yorkshire - I can give you some good egg-n'-chips-n'-beans places.

Well, I'm not, normally, but thinking of doing part of Hadrian's Cycleway (Carlisle to Newcastle) with a friend next year, so any suggestions welcome .

Ooooh well, that's a bit far North for West Yorkshire and a bit far for a day ride from Halifax - off my regular beaten track. No help at all, am I? - useless in fact. I hope you enjoy it though - all you need is good weather
(Laughter with reference to good weather is sarcastic laughter - but I sincerely hope you get better than this summer's been)

My only suggestion is waterproofs.

[LollyKat]

Never mind, I appreciate the thought. And living in the west of Scotland I've become quite a connoisseur of waterproofs.

[pwa]

If I'm cycling and I want a pub I want two things. Firstly I want the same things other visitors would want, such as food and a spot to eat it in comfort. I'm veggie, so a veggie option is essential. A welcoming homely atmosphere draws me in too. But as a cyclist I have one particular need: somewhere to put my bike safely. Somewhere that is not tucked away from sight. I don't want to be worrying about the bike while I am ordering at the bar.

[JohnW]

.............living in the west of Scotland I've become quite a connoisseur of waterproofs.

I can't think of anywhere better.

[Postboxer]

Perhaps, depending on the location of the pub and the quality of rides nearby, and if the car park is big enough, maybe a sign stating cyclists are welcome to park there if they're going for a ride, then hopefully they spend money when they return.

[thirdcrank]

... LOL I know this pub and work in Castleford! Might have to visit it as not been in a while! I live in the opposite direction though...The promised rain looks well on its way now as well.

Thanks for advice - you're absolutely right, word of mouth definitely the best recommendation.

Had I looked at your location, I'd have seen that for myself. On the subject of personal recommendation, on a couple of occasions we've got talking to a couple from Featherstone in the Chequers and when we mentioned the welcome absence of music they recommended the Blue Lion at East Witton. That turned out to be just the type of place we like, but no signs offering bike tools or baked beans, for that matter.

http://www.thebluelion.co.uk/

Back to cycle-friendly, I can see a difference between somewhere welcoming cyclists and somewhere almost dedicated to catering for cyclists, which might as easily be a café. Riders of a certain age will remember Tommy's Café in Otley which used to have stacks of (unlocked) bikes leaning against each other every Sunday afternoon, and more besides. There can't be much big money to be made from selling pint pots of tea to riders who all bring their own sandwiches. Much bigger inside than the frontage suggests in this pic and it's now a takeaway.

http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?reso ... SPLAY=FULL

Also in Otley was Dunnies/ Bridge Café / Wharfe View Café which as well as tea, seemed to manage to sell more grub of the beans on toast type to cyclists (or perhaps I had more dosh in my pockets by then.) One big attraction for cyclists used to be when Oscar (Jimmy Savile) held court there on Thursdays. I can't imagine his subsequent exposure led to the place's closure but sadly, something did. Valiant attempts to give it listed building status as an Asset of Community Value failed and it has been demolished and the site redeveloped.

http://www.ilkleygazette.co.uk/news/new ... care_home/

[bikerwaser]

great input so far so not much to add.

Just....

my favourite riding food is :

flapjacks/granola bars
Pork pies, Pasties and pies.
(depending on where I am on the ride and how long I have left or how long I want to stay depends on the food)

As others have said, a track pump available and free water, maybe at an outside tap.

Good place to keep bikes in view. Maybe a covered area where you can sit near your bike and talk nerdy bike stuff with your nerdy bike friends.

With regard to the discount. I think you could say "10% off with CTC( sorry Cycling UK ) membership.

The camping idea is great and maybe only for bikes and back packers(make it cheap. maybe offer it half price or free if buying a meal and drink)

Info about routes would be good.

Maybe speak to a local bike shop or bike mechanic to see if they have ideas and want to help. That could add to customer base (The pub has flyers for the bike shop and the bike shop has flyers for the pub, plus all that FB sharing stuff)

[mjr]

My favourite cycling pubs have good beer, food of a range of sizes at most times (none of the go away if you don't want a full meal on Sunday lunchtime, although it may be a wait for a table), somewhere to lock up ideally within sight where some drunk driver can't hit the bikes. One doesn't have bike parking in sight but has CCTV cameras that cover it. I've been to a few that have public taps for bottle refills but that's still fairly rare: asking is OK though.

Other than that, let local cycling groups know you're welcoming and try to be open when they ride.