E-Radicals opens in Lancaster

A new e-bike store has opened in Lancaster with the owner hoping to solve some of city’s traffic problems by focussing on functional and utility cycling.

E-Radicals is the brainchild of Jack Lenox, a cargo bike enthusiast who first realised the benefits of the product after setting up an e-cargo delivery service during the pandemic.

Lenox said: “For many years I’ve been doing what I can to get cars off the road and get more people cycling. When I was doing deliveries on my cargo bike, I was astonished at how much more quickly I could get around Lancaster by bike instead of a car or van.

“And I was sometimes carrying loads larger than what I could even fit in my car. The experience opened my eyes to all the weird and wonderful cargo bikes out there, many of which are designed for carrying both adult and child passengers.

“Some of these bikes are perfect for doing things like the school run, and certainly in this country I think many people wouldn’t even know such things are possible.”

Lenox started thinking about opening his own bike shop after encountering problems when it came to maintaining his own cargo bike and getting it serviced.

He said: “Despite the initial enthusiasm, the bike shop who sold me my cargo bike openly told me they regretted selling it to me and would not be selling any more. They said they couldn’t fit it in their workshop, and we encountered numerous issues with the bike itself.

“It was the first foray into cargo bikes by one of the big bike manufacturers, and some design issues led to parts of the steering components failing. With the manufacturer unable to provide spares, the bike ended up being unusable for almost an entire year. I realised this made running a cargo delivery business in the city almost impossible.”

 

During this period, Lenox became aware of Riese & Müller, and decided to take the plunge and get one of the brand’s cargo bikes.

Lenox added: “As good as the bike is, no-one was selling them anywhere near Lancaster. I ended up having to buy it from a dealer in the north east, renting a van and driving for almost three hours each way to collect it. With no shops in the city able to work on it, this also made getting it serviced difficult.”

After deciding to go ahead with setting up a shop, Lenox took it upon himself to become a qualified bike mechanic, completing all three levels of the Cytech training scheme last summer.

The shop, which officially opened today, January 4, is starting out as an exclusive retailer of Riese & Müller’s range of electric bikes and cargo bikes.

On why he’s initially chosen to be an exclusive retailer of Riese & Müller bikes, Lenox said: “Riese & Müller are a clear leader when it comes to electric bikes. Their range covers almost everything you could want a bike for, from commuting and city bikes to carrying huge loads for your business.

“As well as this, I love their ethos on how their dealers should operate,
providing their range of bikes for extensive test rides and then building bikes for each customer, tailored to their specific needs. This allows the uninitiated to experience the freedom and fun that an electric bike can give them.”

E-Radicals is located at 15 King Street, Lancaster, LA1 1JN.