Last orders at Britain's oldest bike shop

Howes Cycles of Cambridge, said to be Britain’s first bike shop, is closing its doors after 173 years.

The shop, on Regent Street, was set up in 1840 by coachbuilder John Howes. It has remained in the family ever since, with the business passing down to great-great-great-grandson Michael Howes.

But at the age of 65, John and his wife Pat are finally ready to retire. He told the Cambridge News that he had no plans to sell: “if your surname is not Howes, you’re not taking over”.

Generations of Cambridge students and academics have bought bikes from the shop, with Charles Darwin one of the more notable customers. An old-fashioned bike shop in the best sense, Howes currently sells everyday bikes from Ridgeback and Dawes together with sportier models by Specialized. All this will come to an end on December 31st, the last day of trading. Howes’ stock will be sold off at “greatly reduced prices” in the run-up to Christmas.

The announcement comes just two months after another long-established bike shop, W.F. Holdsworth of Putney, announced its closure. But there’s still a place for the LBS (local bike shop) in the age of chains and Internet shopping, and cycle.travel will be adding city-by-city listings of bike shops in the coming weeks so you can easily find a dealer near you.

Swindon cyclists raise funds for hospital

A group of cyclists in and around Swindon have raised £17,000 for the Great Western Hospital – and are now setting sights on their next challenge.

The nine-strong GWH Cycle Challenge team cycled 240 miles from London to Paris in September. The money they raised will go towards general funds, oncology and to the paediatric area at the hospital.

Now, they’re preparing for the next challenge: cycling from Rome to Swindon in spring 2014. At around 1,200 miles, it’s five times the length of their first ride. A ‘sports and memorabilia auction’ will follow to top up funds, for which the group has already been donated his & hers Kona bikes with a value of £1,200 between them.

If you’re interested in taking part in the Rome to GWH ride, contact Daniel Cavender on 01672 560150 or daniel@gwhcyclechallenge.org.

The grand old city of York has 1,000 bike spaces

York City Council has installed a clutch of new cycle racks in the city centre, bringing the total number of parking spaces to over 1,000.

The council says the number of spaces has grown by 18% in 2013, by adding new cycle racks and extending existing ones. There are brand-new racks at Goodramgate, Piccadilly, King Street, North Street, the Nunnery Lane car park, Micklegate, and outside the Post Office on Lendal.

The £25,000 cost was budgeted as part of the city’s Local Transport Plan. According to Councillor Dave Merrett, “We need to keep up with demand to make it as convenient as possible for people to choose cycling – and also so that cycles aren’t parked in inappropriate places, such as on railings.”

Local business owners seem happy too, with the manager of Jack Wolfskin, Tim Lewis, calling it a “welcome addition for several members of staff who cycle to work”.

Still, York has a long way to go to catch up with Cambridge, which has 800 spaces in just two locations – Grand Arcade and Park Street – and is building a 3,000-space bike park at the railway station.

Ban lorries at rush hour, says Bristol mayor

Boris Johnson might be unconvinced by the merits of an HGV ban on London’s streets, but Bristol’s mayor George Ferguson is strongly in favour.

At a question and answer session organised to debate the city council’s budget cuts, the mayor – a founding member of Sustrans – came out strongly in favour of a more cycle-friendly city. And as the Bristol Post reports, that includes a lorry ban.

“I think we should ban HGVs in peak hours because they are a menace. Relatively small supermarkets are [currently] serviced by massive HGVs. The items should be transferred to smaller vehicles, preferably electric ones, at a transfer station like the one we have at Avonmouth.”

HGVs have been involved in most of the recent cycling deaths in London, but Boris Johnson and his cycling commissioner Andrew Gilligan have proved unreceptive to calls for a peak-hour lorry ban.

George Ferguson also told the session that a new residents’ parking zone in the suburb of Montpelier could encourage more locals to cycle. Unrepentant in the face of an accusation that the zone would stop people owning cars, he answered: “People may have to decide ‘Do we need a second car? Could we car share or cycle?’.”

Just in time for Christmas: the flat-pack bike

Carbon fibre is so old hat. 2013’s must-buy Christmas bike is wooden – and comes in a flat pack.

The Sandwichbike is the brainchild of Dutch designer Basten Lejh. Its curious name comes from its construction method: a sandwich of two pieces of weather-coated plywood.

In true Ikea style, the flat pack includes all the tools needed to make the bike – and, indeed, the diagrams have more than a touch of Ikea about them. Assembly is claimed to take just 30 minutes.

The beech plywood comes from a forest just outside the German factory where the bikes are made. Four aluminium ‘smart cylinders’ provide the links between the two halves of the frame and the wheels. Wood might not sound like the most robust of materials, but the designers claim: “Enormous weight was put on the seat, frame and wheels, and the bottom bracket was tested up to 100,000 times, all to simulate a bike’s life on the road.”

A singlespeed bike with a ‘coaster brake’ (pedal backwards to slow it down), it’s intended principally for urban use. It comes in one size, 51cm.

The Sandwichbike costs €799 plus €25 delivery – around £680 at current rates. Find out more at sandwichbikes.com.