Has The Cycling Bubble Burst.

[landsurfer]

Wiggle and Chain Reaction now the same company.
Halfords "rescuing" Evans.
Planet X a shadow of it's former self.
Chesterfield Cycle Centre .. a large Pinerello and other top brand cycle shop .. came and gone in 12 months.

Cycling under attack from Schools and Councils .. never mind idiot drivers...

Cycling seems to have more enemies than friends ....

What went wrong .... how did we get here ???
Or have things just got back to normal ?

[al_yrpal]

Its a typical new market, lots of new LBSs everywhere, too many. Internet purchases just like anything else on the high street now suffering. Overexpansion and then retrenchment. That explains the commercial situation IMO.

Why the hate? More cyclists are becoming more of an impediment to drivers. More cyclists = larger number of morons on bikes cycling on pavements, ignoring red lights, riding two abreast on narrow roads holding people up. Seeing a lithe fit person on a bike dodging through the ever congested traffic enrages some drivers. I know most of us here arent like that and dont do these things but thats how it is and how we are seen. Anyone can go and get a bike, they do, including the morons.

Whats the answer, the market will decide who survives. As for the morons and the image that rubs off on the rest of us…. Dunno! Perhaps bad bike behavior should put penalty points on your driving licence, or if you havent got one onto any future driving licence, thats my suggestion.

Al

[mjr]

Britain loves cycling. The sports people on TV talking up the world championship road races next autumn just said so. You know, the professional racers who live in places like Girona and only ride UK roads when they're closed. So they're experts on the state of cycling here, aren't they?

And then there's British Cycling's CEO, saying what a great cycling nation we are, because we have so many professional racers. As that's what makes a great cycling nation. Not great places for cycling. A few sportspeople. This is why British Cycling should never be the national cycling body.

[landsurfer]

Britain loves cycling. The sports people on TV talking up the world championship road races next autumn just said so. You know, the professional racers who live in places like Girona and only ride UK roads when they're closed. So they're experts on the state of cycling here, aren't they?

And then there's British Cycling's CEO, saying what a great cycling nation we are, because we have so many professional racers. As that's what makes a great cycling nation. Not great places for cycling. A few sportspeople. This is why British Cycling should never be the national cycling body.

Double + 1 .. squared.. to the power of 10 ... with knobs on !!

The whole concise reason for cycling negative issues in one 6 line post .... well done MJR.
Respect.

[Phil Fouracre]

And the same from me!!

[Cugel]

Britain loves cycling. The sports people on TV talking up the world championship road races next autumn just said so. You know, the professional racers who live in places like Girona and only ride UK roads when they're closed. So they're experts on the state of cycling here, aren't they?

And then there's British Cycling's CEO, saying what a great cycling nation we are, because we have so many professional racers. As that's what makes a great cycling nation. Not great places for cycling. A few sportspeople. This is why British Cycling should never be the national cycling body.

Agreed with knobs on! Although I enjoyed road racing and even the odd time trial (well, maybe not the TTs so much) I always felt the sometimes arrogant racing lads and their national organisation were guilty of the whole toxic celebrity thing - setting themselves as glamorous models for "cycling" when is fact they were a very niche part of that wide-ranging activity. And generally poor examples of how to behave, on a bike or off it.

Cycling is generally talked of as "a sport" but its much wider-ranging and better than that.

Cugel

[Si]

To be fair to her - that quote is slightly out of context......she was being interviewed (if it's the one I'm thinking of) about sports cycling, thus it is correct that we are a great cycling nation in terms of the amount of stuff we've won this year.

I don't think BC would ever intentionally claim that we were a great utility or pleasure cycling nation (although leisure has been on the up even if utility is a but lumpy). To see BC's views on utility and leisure cycling you are best off listening to the lad Boardman who has more of the reassuring pessimism that the average British campaigner likes .

BC are currently at a bit of a cross road....two or three years back they were starting to make inroads into grass roots, non-competitive cycling with some very good pilot projects. Then the restructure hit, funding streams changed, Sport England had its issues, etc and things got a little confused. Now things show signs of getting back on track...but how reliable those signs are remains to be seen.

I'm currently waiting to see what they do with LDPs...big potential here to get loads of people on bikes and to work hand in hand with CUK's BBR as well as other partners....all bringing to the table their own talents. Watch this space for a year or two!

One thing is pretty certain - none of the big bodies (BC, CUK, Sustrans, etc) will be able to bring about a radical change by themselves - it's only by working together that there is any chance that anything will be achieved.

[robing]

Maybe the market has reached saturation? My LBS says they don't do nearly so many sales nowadays but servicing is busier than ever.
Bikes are built to last. I bought an entry level alu bike in 2010, then a carbon road bike and touring bike in 2012. I haven't bought any bikes since..

[Ontherivet77]

Price may be more of an issue for new bike purchases. A few years ago you could get a carbon fibre dream machine with a 105 groupset for less than a grand. I seem to remember Brompton's being around the £650.00 mark and now they are close to a grand. So, maybe more people are buying second hand at very good prices in a market that has become pretty saturated with barely used bikes.