Ubyk goes into liquidation, but the name may live on

The fate of cycle retailer Ubyk is unclear after a tumultuous time for the independent bike dealer.

UBYK, which has stores in Brighton and Oxfordshire backed by an e-commerce site, has gone into liquidation.

In a statement passed to CyclingIndustry.News, the retailer went into liquidation following trading “troubles”. Peak Bikes is looking to acquire the assets, equipment, website and stores. Ubyk Limited customers can also get in touch with Peak Bikes to discuss any open orders at – sales@peakbikes.co.uk

Reports came to light last weekend that the firm has ‘gone bust’. The site has been closed ‘for site maintenance and updates’ for a number of days and the bricks and mortar Brighton store is shuttered with the note ‘closed for a refit’ (according to local press site The Argus).

In the past weeks, the retailer has come in for fierce criticism online, including on the Singletrack forum, for reportedly not honouring orders, claiming products were in stock when they weren’t and leaving a number of customers out of pocket.

Ubyk’s Trust Pilot score has nosedived to ‘poor’ in the run up to Christmas, although the retailer had already been under substantial criticism in the longer term from customers.

Posts on Singletrack’s forum indicate the Ubyk trading name may be retained, and the shops are said to be undergoing refits and are earmarked to open again soon. Other posts mention bikes taken for service in shops which were then shut, leaving the owners without access to their bike, others indicate substantial sales made shortly before liquidation. Peak Bikes has attempted to address some of the criticism from the businesses’ previous working practices on the forum.