Bicycle Shops of Leeds (+Former)

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patter
Posts: 82
Joined: Wed 13 Feb, 2008 2:52 pm

Post by patter »

Jogon wrote: Not exactly Leeds but a trip out. All Terrain Cycle's shop in Salts Mill. Coffee+ bun in the many cafes.Nice ride on canal towpath from Kirkstall.     Plus if you go a bit further, there's The Boat pub on the riverside opposite Robert's Park - sit out with a beer & watch the world go byThere's also Ellis Briggs cycles next to the canal in Shipley, think its next to the bridge with all the art under it.

jonleeds
Posts: 717
Joined: Thu 31 Jan, 2008 4:59 pm

Post by jonleeds »

majorhoundii wrote: There were two in Morley. George Stevens, at the junction of Fountain Street and King Street, he also sold paraffin, and in the fifties charged up wireless accumulators. He hadn't got much of a workshop.The other was John Hutchins on Chapel Hill, he had (for the time) a state of the art workshop and could do most things connected with bikes. I believe he was a former competition cyclist. Yeah thats it Majorhoundii! I couldnt think of the name of the place as someone else in the thread was saying it was called 'Barkers' bike shop on Fountain Street, but I always remembered it as 'Stevies'! I got my first BMX there in about 1982 / 83. Ray Dells was a motorbike shop in Morley Bottoms from what I can remember, I dont recall them selling bicycle parts, althought for a short while there was a second hand cycle shop just to the right of Ray Dells, I cant remember the name of it but I had a Raleigh Chopper bought for me from there in 1980 by my mum - just as Raleigh Choppers were starting to look dated, but I loved it. Mel Bentleys on Knowle Terrace wasnt much of a shop, but I can remember he did cater for cyclists who were into racing and nobody had a bad word to say about the guy. Also there was 'Richardsons' bicycles on North Lane in Headingley - I think it was called that..?I can remember not long before he shut up shop in the mid-90s I managed to get some NOS (New Old Stock) Raleigh Chopper parts including gear shifter components and a brand new / unused Raleigh Chopper MKII seat, which I kept at my Mums house for safekeeping, only to discover she had gone and slung it out- "you didnt want that old bike seat did you...?"...! It was worth over £200!!!
Have your fun when you're alive - you won't get nothing when you die... have a good time all the time! - Chumbawumba!

And no matter how things end, you should always keep in touch with your friends - Dave Gedge

Riponian
Posts: 215
Joined: Thu 08 Jan, 2009 11:28 am
Location: Work Leeds, home Ripon and the 36 inbetween

Post by Riponian »

There was Gray's, which was on the parade of shops in Chapel Allerton near the Dominion. It's not a Pizza Hut. Bought quite a few parts to keep my bikes going from there whilst in Leeds.Later shifted to the Bob Jackson store on Harehills Lane before we moved out of the area to faraway Wetherby.
I like work. I can watch it for hours.

Richard A Thackeray
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Joined: Mon 13 Apr, 2009 6:01 am
Location: Normanton, Wakefield
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Post by Richard A Thackeray »

electricaldave wrote: We've still got Kendell cycles in Castleford, I remember when it was run by Ken Cowdell, now it's Gary Proud - he is renown for his wheelbuilding, but times are changing so now the folk are even buying ready made wheels - albeit paying out £800 and more - seems you can get a pretty good pair of wheels for that sort of money, me, I'd never pay more than £500 or £600 for a pair, but then I'm a bit of a cheapskate, and I'm not racing these days, never was all that fast anyway. I know Gary & Tracey, having been in 'Featherstone Road Club' since Ken (& Margaret) owned the shop.What is now my day to day/work/commute/training bike came from there, way back in 1994; a Dyna-Tech 755TiAt the time, it was my definately best bike; titanium main-tubes, Ultegra STI groupset (barring Campag Chorus chainset/bottom-bracket), Ritchey stem & seat-pin, Selle-Italia 'Flite' saddle, Scott Drop-Inns(roughly £1100 back then!!)The wheels on it were tweaked by Gary, & perhaps trued twice in 19 years, & they're still straight!!, despite some major stick over the past 3 winters!I've also had cyclo-cross wheels built by him, & they certainly took some hammer over the years of their use I bought my carbon-fibre Ridley off him about 3 years ago

electricaldave
Posts: 266
Joined: Thu 29 Nov, 2007 2:29 pm

Post by electricaldave »

Evans seems to have crept out of London and now there is on at the M62 outlet at Castleford, and also in Leeds just around the corner from the station.Evans used to be just one shop in London during the 1970's, then it expanded to two, now it seems to be a significant corporation all over the country, I've seen one in Brighton and there will no doubt e branches all over the show.Anyone remember Macklams? They were up Cross Gates on Cross Green Lane and then moved to Cross Gates Road.

simong
Posts: 722
Joined: Sat 08 Sep, 2007 6:17 am

Post by simong »

Evans have done well by assorted assisted bike purchase schemes in different places over the years and seem to have expanded on the back of that. EdinburghBicycle Co-op have expanded in much the same way. They tend to have staff who know what they're talking about though.

zip55
Posts: 293
Joined: Thu 15 Nov, 2007 7:17 pm

Post by zip55 »

My parents bought me a bike from Watson Cairns when I passed my 11 plus in 1966. A couple of years later you wouldn't have recognised it, I'd changed the handlebars, gears, the whole lot.    

johnnyg
Posts: 130
Joined: Tue 12 Feb, 2008 4:53 pm

Post by johnnyg »

Snap Zip55! My first bike was from Watson Cairns for passing my eleven-plus, in August 1966. I always liked going in for a look around. It became the Hogs Head pub and is now The Hourglass.

George4
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue 07 Apr, 2020 11:27 am

Re: Headingley Cycle Shops

Post by George4 »

Loiner1960 wrote:
Mon 02 Jul, 2012 10:06 pm
Woodruffs in Headingley on North Lane. Old Mrs Woodruff ran that shop. My late father spent his hard earned there. Still a shop on Kirkstall Road.
In the 1950s through into the early 1960s, the cycle shop on North Lane, Headingley, next door to Bretts Fisheries, was Marsdens. I often had my old bike repaired there by old Mr Marsden, who walked with a limp, but was an expert mechanic. In 1960 my family bought me a super new cycle there - a blue Sun Snipe with 10 gears. Happy Days!
Woodrups Cycles are still trading in Kirkstall. Not aware of any connection with Marsdens?

warringtonrhino
Posts: 477
Joined: Sat 18 Feb, 2012 2:31 pm

Re:

Post by warringtonrhino »

barneyrubble wrote:
Mon 02 Jul, 2012 4:25 pm
The bike shops I can remember were in the 1950s, cannot remember the names, but there was one on York Road, at the end of the shops attached to the Shaftsbury Cinema, although it was a bike shop you could also buy gramophone records (75rpm), and slugs (lead pellets) for air guns. There was a small shop on Ellerby Lane/Road, Richmond Hill.    
It was called Booths

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