Events

ACT announces this year’s Local Bike Shop Day to take place in April

Local Bike Shop Day has been announced to take place on Saturday, April 29, by the Association of Cycle Traders (ACT).

The ACT, which organises the annual event, has chosen the date following a survey of industry colleagues earlier this year.

This year’s campaign is set to be supported by Cytech, the international training and accreditation scheme for bicycle technicians.

Cytech has delivered more than 22,000 technical training courses to cycling industry personnel and cyclists since being developed 40 years ago.

Local Bike Shop Day 2022 saw more than 500 bike shops getting involved in the campaign, while the ACT believes that thousands of people engaged with the campaign by shopping at, using the services of, or promoting local Independent Bicycle Dealers (IBDs).

Key backers of Local Bike Shop Day last year included the Department for Transport, Bike is Best, Cycling UK and British Cycling.

Jonathan Harrison, from the ACT, said: “Planning for this year’s big day is well underway and we’re looking forward to celebrating the invaluable role that IBDs play in the cycle industry and our communities at large on April 29th.

“Everyone knows that the winter has been extremely tough for retail, but the best way to show support for our shops is to get out and use them.

“Local Bike Shop Day is designed to encourage the cycling community to do just that – whether it’s dropping your bike off for its service at your regular IBD or cycling out to a shop you haven’t visited before in a neighbouring town, cyclists drive this campaign.

“Thousands of people from across the cycling community have joined in across the years and we hope this year’s campaign will be bigger than ever.”

IBDs can find ideas on how to take part, such as guided bike rides for customers or offering a small amount of free services on the day, on the Local Bike Shop Day website.

Discussing their Local Bike Shop Day experience last year, Fiona Ewing from Inspiral Cycles in Bishop Auckland, said: “We were blown away by some of the comments our customers posted online for Local Bike Shop Day in support of Inspiral Cycles as their local bike shop.

“It was a great focus for our social media posts and they were shared widely, while getting involved with the hashtag #SupportYourLocalBikeShop increased our online profile and has led to new customers discovering us.”

On social media the cycling community will be invited to use the #SupportYourLocalBikeShop to raise awareness of the campaign.

Retailers don’t have to be a member of the ACT to get involved in Local Bike Shop Day, but can sign up to the association for free online.

Daniel Blackham