NW&NW Area Bike Shops From BITD

A few memories of bike shops that are gone but not forgotten from our region.

Sharrock Cycles, Chorley

They sold everything that you crave for your retro build today. I remember they had the full alpinestars range (t-44 and ti-mega included), full range of Manitou products too and much more. One amazing bike shop, anyone know what happened to it?

Leisure Lakes, Bury

I know, I know they still have a shop in Bury. But the original was great, I loved going there. It was half a windersurfing shop and half an mtb shop. I remember Kona, Saracen, Orange and most importantly alpinestars. I bought my first cro-mega LX from there. I'd worked my little socks off over the school hols and even sold a trials bike to afford it. Loved that bike and indeed that old Leisure Lakes shop. The shop was always full of the latest fashions too, I bought some very trendy AXO cycle clothing from here and thought I was the coolest kid in town. They only had 2 branches back then too and they were far more personable than they are today. The new shop above Iceland is just awful IMO.

Leisure Lakes, Southport

I know, I know it's still there, only now they call it Leisure Lakes, Preston, despite being 15 miles from Preston! Another great shop and better still a test track and loads of bikes to test. You could rock up and test the latest Kona, Cannondale, Saracen, Orange etc, it was great. One of those shops with bikes hanging off the ceiling, you could drool for hours. They also had monthly race series that were massively popular, my best was a run of 5th positions. Apparently there just isn't the interest in XC anymore to run these events, which is a real shame.

Ramsbottom Cycles, Ramsbottom

Only a small little shop, but kept itself pretty upto date. Remember spending a fortune in there on XT thumbies, brake levers and the new black LX. Really friendly people too if I remember rightly, always asking what you were upto with your bike and how you liked it etc. A good shop, now completely vanished.

Haslingden Cycles, Haslingden

Worked here in my Christmas holidays assembling bikes for Christmas. The guy who owned it Dave was a keen roadie but teased the locals with occassional mtbs and high spec mechs. A freindly shop with not a lot of high end gear but I've missed it not being around. Might well of been a half decent road bike shop, now I come to think of it.

Please add your own, would be an interesting read.

Good thread idea Mark!

Neil Walton Cycles in Didsbury

Fantastic little boutique style shop up a cobbled side street, stocking Rocky Mountain (fell in love with a Cirrus here...); Orange; Dave Yates and Yeti. Neil has a new shop in Altrincham now - mostly road stuff though.

Alf Jones in Wrexham

The original shop near the council buildings was a regular haunt for me. I bought a Zaskar and had Pace RC35s installed by them. They stocked Kona and Cannondale - when both those brands turned out respectable kit. The shop has moved away from the town now but is still an interesting place to visit. If you want to chat about the old days, Andy is your man - a self confessed Merlin boy.

Ken Foster's Cyclelogical in Chorlton

My LBS hence giving them the shout! Some of the mechanics worked at Neil Walton's and know their old school stuff. Proper community shop - they have the patience of Mother Theresa...

Harry Halls in the Corn Exchange, Manchester

Now a shadow of its former self, they were evicted after the IRA bomb, but used to have a plethora of high end stuff for Saturday dreamers like myself. One day I will acquire a Harry Hall frame....

Mr K

I remember John Squire taking his Yeti Ultimate into Waltons for a service one saturday morning- didn't know what was coolest- bike or owner. Is the shop still there? I loved Didsbury

I haven't been to Neil Waltons for years. Lovely little shop with so much shiney stuff on display. I remember giving my first credit card a good hammering in there.

Unfortunately Macclesfield has never had a decent bike shop, at least not for mountain bikes so I always had to travel a bit.

I used to frequent Discount Cycles in Cheadle, now The North West Mountain Bike Centre. I even worked there for a short while.
They had loads of good stuff on display and in the workshop.
The owner Andy Kyffin rode at the 91/92 Worlds and was good mates with and a mechanic for Jason McRoy and more recently worked with Steve Peat around about 2002.

I must be a bit older than you I remember when they were on the cobbled back street around the corner before the undergound place at the corn exchange

Also the old Mike Cooksons in the town center (bought my Marin from there, not sure if it was classed as Bury or Whitefield ?) before they moved to the new / purpose built / more modern place in Whitefield thats still going

WD

Re. Harry's - yep, I remember them there too. I wasn't a 'rider' until they moved, so I guess that must have been around 1991? Now they're down by the Hacienda apartments (yes I'm old enough to be a card carrying a member...).

Neil Walton's has long gone - the name came back to me recently when I bought a cracking Dave Yates frame from EdO - still had it's Neil Walton's sticker on it. Neil's got a shop in Altrincham.

Forgot about Cooksons - always a bit too shiny for me.

NW Cycles still have a big love for the old stuff - Andy looks utterly miserable most of the time, but he and others do become animated if you take in an old bike or part! They have lots of classic race numbers stapled to the ceiling and kindly gave me an early Grundig plate for my collection.

Mr K

Hub cafe: Berry Street: Liverpool L1 (the original L1...)

Sadly missed, both shop and amazing cafe.

Now an Indian restaurant or Richer Sounds - or both, can't recall exactly which corner it was on.

Closed twelve or so years ago, but was a blast whilst it lived...

BB.

Neil Orrell cycles in New Moston North Manchester


Still there but doesnt seem to be doing much. I popped in a few weeks back and other than the Bamboo MTB and one of his original road bikes in there it was a lot of junk really... Used to be a hive of activity BITD

A few scans from December 1992 MBUK that might be of interest.



Mick Cookson Cycles:


Those fells look like my old stomping ground of Holcombe Moor, Ramsbottom.



Neil Walton and 2Tix:

A few more.



Leisure Lakes:





Bill Nickson Cycles:





Eddie McGrath Cycles: