Local Bike Shop Week countdown: Remember bike shops?

The weeks are ticking down to Local Bike Shop Week, which runs 3-9 May 2026, which is designed to support the nation’s bike retailers and dealers and raise awareness of this essential sector. As part of that countdown, CIN is sharing an opinion piece on the topic from Brink owner Mat Clark… 

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

Owner

Brink

Bike dealers can enter their shop into the Local Bike Shop Week awards using the short online form and explaining why they deserve to be recognised.

“Your entry helps celebrate the people and places that make cycling better for everyone and helps ensure local bike shops continue to thrive on our high streets.”

Entries close this Sunday, 19 April.

All the details are on the Local Bike Shop Week site: https://localbikeshopweek.uk/local-bike-shop-awards/