Wendy Wiltshire writes..
Hi everyone. I'm just writing with an urgent plea for you all to support your local cycle shop. We have a good range of bike shops from Brighouse to Todmorden which give us excellent support and service. The internet has its place for those who can make up their own bikes but most of us rely heavily on the years of knowledge and expertise which our local bike shops supply freely. I certainly do.
Our local bike shop proprietors are friendly, approachable people who are always willing to help with even our smallest problems and if they haven't got what you want in stock they can have it for you within days (you don't have to pay for postage & packing either!). Blazing Saddles in Hebden Bridge give discounts of 5% off bikes and 7.5% off other items to CTC members and Cycle Gear in Halifax offer us 10% off everything including bike service. Take your CTC membership card with you!
A little further afield in Cleckheaton, at Spen Velo, Chris Branch offers unparalleled expertise in the preparation, supply, and maintenance of touring and audax bikes. And Chris also supports CTC Halifax directly through his regular adverts in the magazine that you are reading now. If he has time he'll also offer you a cup of tea too!!
Local bike shops are an essential resource for local cyclists. The internet shop isn't there when you've punctured three times on a Greenway, used your spare tubes, and get a fourth puncture. Nor is it there when the component you've bought doesn't quite fit, and it’s not there when you want a few patches or some outer cable right now. It’s not there to advise on which tool you need to fit which proprietary part or to help you adjust and fit you to the right size of bike and make final minor adjustments after a few hundred miles. If we don't use these local shops, we may well lose them.