Cycle shop moving next door to expand

A BICYCLE shop in Henley is moving next door to be able to expand its operations.

Henley Cycles has been open since March 2019 but has outgrown its current unit in Duke Street.

The business is relocating to the former Santander bank, which closed two months after the cycle shop started trading.

It has become increasingly popular over the last year as more people have taken up cycling during the pandemic.

Owner Gary Truman and his new manager Dan Hart hope to welcome customers to the new shop by the end of September, having signed a 10-year lease on the unit.

Mr Truman said: “We have been looking to do this for a while now. Because of the success of the maintenance side of the business, we have outgrown the space that we have. We needed a bigger area to meet the increased demand as well.

“The bank has been vacant for some time but after chatting to the landlord we have been successful in securing the lease.

“Henley is becoming more of a destination town and we are getting far more people that want to hire bikes for a day or the week. During the regatta particularly we will hire bikes to overseas rowers, so it gives us more space to do that.”

Mr Truman, from Woking, founded the business with Jason Acock, who recently moved on to pursue other work opportunities.

As well as selling a range of new models, including electronic bikes, Henley Cycles offers repair services and sells clothing and accessories.

The business employs two other people, Dom Stewart and John Ashton, who are both in the workshop. Mr Hart, who lives in Wallingford, has spent the last 12 years working for a different bicycle shop and this is his first opportunity as a manager. He hopes to set up a new cycling club for Henley soon.

He said: “I am really excited to have a fresh start in a growing business and industry.

“I have been riding since I was very little but I have been dirt jumping and mountain biking since I was 16 or 17.

“The bicycle trade has seen a massive boom in popularity during the pandemic and we are all about helping the cycling community to grow. I love the Chilterns and the wider area for road cycling.

“We are going to introduce a new brand, which is yet to be decided, but it will be about mountain biking. There will also be a broader range of parts and accessories.”