Cycle repairs soar as people look to keep bikes going rather than buy new ones 

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Work Life
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Cycle shops in the city are recovering from a post-lockdown dip in sales as people look to live more sustainably and get bikes fixed

Karey Sharp giving a wheel a good seeing to, photo: Tommy Begley

Covid years saw a bike sales boom, leading to market over-saturation. Now with the cost of living crisis, a flooded bike market and an appetite for sustainability, the bicycle repair business is booming in Cardiff. 

Karey Sharp, 61, runs Bike Shop Wales (BSW), which won its second Independent Bike Shop of the Year award this year. He said: “So many people bought bikes during the lockdowns that aren’t using them. There are lots of people calling us or coming in with bikes saying: ‘Would you like to buy these bikes from us?’”

Andrew Burns, 51, operations manager at Cardiff Cycle Workshop (CCW), which recently won the Cardiff Green Business of the Year Award, points out the warehouse-style bike sale model isn’t working, saying: “Halford’s model of just selling new bikes… can’t carry on forever.”

Burns, a Canton local, seems to be onto something. Halford’s stock prices have slumped, and profits are down 38% from last year.

Cost of living crisis sustainability bicycle repair business Cardiff
Halfords stock prices are down 27% from the beginning of the year, Source: Google Finance

Sharp has run BSW for ten years and notes a drop in new bike sales. He says: “Sales in the entire bike industry have shrunk a lot. But repairs are on the up because people aren’t buying new bikes.”

Burns describes the effect on Cardiff’s repairs industry: “What you’ve seen is a lot of new, smaller, just-bike-repair places opening. You’ve got Workhorse, Motorlegs, Punkbike… they’re just doing repair and maybe second-hand.”

Halfords is struggling after a boom period in the pandemic photo: Tommy Begley

The repairs trend hasn’t gone unnoticed. Automotive mechanic chain Kwik Fit brought cycle maintenance in house, purchasing Fettle bike repair earlier in 2024. Their Cardiff branch had a grand opening on 2 October, stating in a press release it signifies a major step in reshaping the cycling landscape in the UK.

Burns isn’t worried about competition: “We’ve got busier year-on-year… new bike repair shops have opened and it hasn’t affected us at all.”

Need a hand with your bike maintenance? CCW is running a free repair course on 5 December in Llandaff, click here to book

Three tips for a comfortable and safe cycle

  1. Check your brakes are working well – firm and responsive
  2. Check your tyres are well pumped up  – “Rock hard”
  3. If your knees are hitting your chin, your saddle is too low!

Advice from Andrew Burns at Cardiff Cycle Workshop