So it’s official, the bike barn is moving. That’s going to be criminal for bike hire so I assume the FC will be wanting another company in there?

I guess they will, it’s probably already out to tender.

This is complete speculation but I did wonder if they only offer short term lets on the Bike hire side of things. About 10 years ago I worked at a bike shop and we applied to run it, and were beaten by Purple Mountain who moved on eventually allowing someone else to come in.

I really hope it is the case, and they’ve not forced the bike barn guys out by hiking up rental prices etc. It will be a shame to loose the Bike Barn as I always found the crew in there friendly and helpful. I hope whoever moves in next is as good.

Why anyone gets into bed with Fc is beyond me.

They do it at every trail head come tender time

See the hub

See laggan wolftrax.

People will get wise and no one will want to work with them

@trailrat-

Care to expand on that?

Sounds like you have personal experience?

Not personal

I just seen enough to know I won’t be getting into bed with them

Look up the hub at Glentress and also see laggan wolftrax.

And Sian and Dafydd at Cyb (not to mention their ‘tendering’ process for new trails being built).

It’s. A bit like our train service.

Goes out to tender for who can promise most for least cost.

They get in and realise wait a minute this costs more than I thought and I’m going to be turfed out at next tender and so invest very little.

Happened at glyncorrwyg too with the drop off. It’s a bit blunt, HTF can anyone plan a business around a 3 or 5 year threat to their property. Normal leases are 25 years with a break or two. I wouldn’t even consider anything that short term.
Having said that, the business owners throw some monumental tantrums when they don’t win the tender despite going in with their eyes wide open.

The FC is a bureaucratic monster. It’s staffed by managers who are mindless box tickers like most government departments.

The FC isn’t without its faults.

However, I work with them a lot (in Scotland anyway) and they’ve got insufficient resources. And that’s putting it mildly.

I expect the FC is required to go to tender. They do have the option to evaluate bids on criteria other than cost but it’s not an easy thing to do, especially if they’re getting less funding every year.

People take on the tender knowing it will only run for a set period, they may get chance to re-new if they are awarded it again but in the same light they may lose it
Basically take it on knowing that and work with that 5 year window, anything beyond that is an win, or in the same light as with the Bike Barn tender, choose to leave

Basically take it on knowing that and work with that 5 year window,

Which is all good until unless you over promise you won’t win and if you deliver as you promised you are only investing in. The next tenderers business.

As I said before you’d have to be mad.

Basically it keeps things fresh, both the previous business have had a good run and moved on for one reason or another, neither have been pushed out

At the end of the day you’re providing a bike hire with limited spares service, you won’t get rich and it will involve a lot of effort which may get kicked back at you come the end of the tender

All the forestry are doing to trying to provide a good reliable service to the public that enter the forest

At the end of the day you’re providing a bike hire with limited spares service, you won’t get rich and it will involve a lot of effort which may get kicked back at you come the end of the tender

You not selling the concept well there.

All the forestry are doing to trying to provide a good reliable service to the public that enter the forest

It’s basically, run a business on a charitable basis to improve the quality of other people’s leisure time.

The FC is a bureaucratic monster. It’s staffed by managers who are mindless box tickers like most government departments.

incorrect

However, I work with them a lot (in Scotland anyway) and they’ve got insufficient resources. And that’s putting it mildly.

correct

Look up the hub at Glentress

The hub made staggering amounts of money I understand, the peel I’m not so sure.

I think the big shame here is that Pace wanted to be a big part of Dalby – the organised rides, their involvement with the trails etc. Can’t really comment about the tenders etc because I don’t know anything about it (but don’t let that stop everyone else commenting on it!) but from a rider’s point of view, not having Pace and the Bike Barn in the forest is a loss. If its replaced by another decent bike shop fair enough. If its replaced by a shed dishing out BSOs and selling nothing but over priced inner tubes, less good…

If its replaced by another decent bike shop fair enough. If its replaced by a shed dishing out BSOs and selling nothing but over priced inner tubes, less good…

That’s why there is a tender, the Forestry try and award it to someone who will provide a good service, both the last two have provided this, so with the right person there is no reason it will change

Maybe Pace can get back to the other aspects of the company that have been left to wither and die?

I’ve been in Dalby Bike Barn at the end of many a winter’s ride to warm my ass on their woodstove and have a chat. The place will feel a lot emptier without them. I’m also aware that I’ve never spent a great deal of money in there. After paying the FC £8 just to park I never feel much like spending! But the shop have saved various rides. My son turning up with no shorts was just one of them! A hasty purchase was made.
The guys at DBB have had a rough time with breakins, on top of this upheaval. They put a huge amount into our sport and deserve support. They are relocated just down the road in Thornton Dale and I’m sure they will still stock shorts!

on top of this upheaval.

They chose to leave?

Outside of this I agree, they ran a great business but the retail opportunities in Dalby are far less than people expect, the hire side is the bread and butter
Quick fix services are also required as is the missing shorts or front wheel….

Maybe Pace can get back to the other aspects of the company that have been left to wither and die?

Not suspension forks though, please.

It’d be interesting to hear more on their side of the story though, where they felt the FC was dropping the ball.

After paying the FC £8 just to park

Should read…

After paying £8 to drive along a well maintained access Rd, park in a well maintained car park, use some decent toilets and ride tens of kilometres of all weather trails that cost upwards of £40/ metre to build and significant amount per yr to maintain.

…or £45 and be able to do it 365 days of the year ~ If you so desire 😉

…..or get in for free if you’re a volunteer.

They get in and realise wait a minute this costs more than I thought and I’m going to be turfed out at next tender and so invest very little.

That sounds like it’s the bidders that are the problem.

As I remember the last tenants purple mountain were ejected out of dalby and felt unfairly treated with hints of unhanded dealing between Pace & FC

Shame that dalby seems to be getting left behind now – nothing much has improved in the last 10 years

I expect the FC is required to go to tender.

If they’re public sector and the contract is over a specific threshold, yes.

Purple mountains tender expired, there weren’t awarded the following one, then entered into the initial one knowing full well this could happen – They were not pushed out

Bike Barn have chosen to finish there tender early, for one reason and another, the winter months are pretty grim up there

The new tended will be available shortly and that will be awarded to a suitable business to start next Spring

Simple really…

It was four quid to park yesterday.

There’s a bit on their Facebook pages about why they’ve moved on.

Because the tender was coming up and they have chosen to move on also they felt they were not getting the support they expected from and Landlord?

It was four quid to park yesterday.

It goes down through the winter, November – March I think

Perhaps Stif/Jungle would be interested?

let the speculation begin….

gil_ – Member
They chose to leave?

That’s a bit simplistic.

The FC do seem to (borrowing the political quip du jour) want to have their cake and eat it in a lot of these situations. The problem as others pointed out that a 5 year lease is just enough time to build up a business then the FC profit from it by tendering it to someone else.

A bidder could submit a bid based on just bike hire, but it probably wouldn’t win because someone else will submit a bid to try and run a shop and increase footfall.

Equally the FC may have been promising the earth with new trails etc in order to drum up bids, then failing to deliver (speculation based on the apparent anger in DBB’s side of the story).

This is all how I understand it, I have not seen the tender but have worked with both previous businesses at some point

You take on the tender fully aware you may lose it in 5 years time, “burn short and burn bright” and you might win it next time round

The tender requests a lot more than bike hire, service centre, qualified guides and skills coaches, multi user bikes and a passion to drive cycling forward in the forest, all of which your business will benefit from

I don’t get the impression that the Forestry promise anything in the way of new trails, that’s the natural progression of the funds to do the work ~ it’s a family XC based trail centre, it’s never going to be Bike Park Wales

Should read…

After paying £8 to drive along a well maintained access Rd, park in a well maintained car park, use some decent toilets and ride tens of kilometres of all weather trails that cost upwards of £40/ metre to build and significant amount per yr to maintain.

You need an access road, car parks & toilets to get customers to your shop cafe, tenants businesses, gigs in the forest etc.
I’m not knocking the FC as much as saying its difficult for a shop to get people spending on new bikes, etc, in that situation. Incidentally, to my knowledge, all the trailbuilding & maintenance recently has been done by Singletraction volunteers.

to my knowledge, all the trailbuilding & maintenance recently has been done by Singletraction volunteers.

Wrong, although they play a great and very commendable part to the trail maintenance most new projects are funded by Commission funds and charity matching and completed by contractors

Slightly off topic, but we went for our first night ride of the season a couple of weeks ago at Dalby and there had been some sweeeeeet trail maintenance since the last visit on the return leg. Super fun. Thanks to all the volunteers at singletraction for some quality work.