Your once a week dose of retail therapy from Singletrack’s Premier Dealers, stockists and advertisers.
Tuesday Treats gives you a quality serving of independent bike retailing and a chance to win big in this week’s prize draw.
This week, we revisit 559 Bikes.
This week we’re catching up with 559 Bikes, way down Chepstow way. As an early ‘Tuesday Treater’ last year, we’ve been keen to get back and see what’s fresh with Sarah and the gang, especially as we recently featured 559’s local trails in Singletrack Issue 85…
Apart from the obvious… we’re all a year wiser, what’s changed in the last year?
The weather for a start. The rather mild summer got staff, as well as our customers out on their bikes and smiling again. Not that we are fair weather riders being in the Wye valley, it just meant that our local trails were in mint condition for the first time in two years. Think that may well have ended again now!
Any new lines in-store that really tickle your fancy?
As well as Specialized and Santa Cruz, this year we have expanded our bike range to bring in Genesis who have been producing some lovely, more traditional steel frames and cyclocross bikes. You can see them all in more detail here.
What is hot, product-wise this Summer?
That has to be conversion to tubeless tyres.
What’s your current best-selling/hottest product?
Sealskin socks are selling well with all this rain.
What’s the score with demo bikes and custom builds?
Our wheel builds have expanded this year embracing those new (medium) wheel sizes to offer our customers the wheels they need. Stans rims with Stans hubs for the custom build Santa Cruz High Ball, built with rigid forks and for the Genesis High latitude LT (just in for me!) a Stans rims/Hope Evo hub combination.
This year we also have a Specialized (Medium) Stumpjumper Evo and Camber Demo Bikes and a small High Latitude for those short in the leg.
Any events that are worth the effort, travel and pain/joy?
We discovered the world of Bike Packing with thanks to our shop buddy and expert on the subject Rickie Cotter (cheers mate), heading out along the Wye Valley and the Trans Cambrian Way. Leaving Wales, our favourite event has to be the over in Exmoor. The Mondraker Gravity Enduro was a blast especially for its chilled-out fun.
Now for some crystal ball gazing. Where are we all headed; a forth wheel size? The return of bar ends?!
The jury is out on this. 29ers are excellent on the long distance, cross country cycling mainly for rolling speed and comfort but for a bit of fun. I have only just had my Genesis 650B High Latitude built up, so I’ll let you know this year what the medium wheelers really feel like.
Lastly, what do Singletrack Premier Subscribers get from you guys?
We have a very special offer for Singletrack readers (also attached to the cover of newstrade copies of Issue 85), or for you digital types clicky here for more details.
Otherwise, we’re running this neat deal (In-Store Only) until 19 November. ‘Spend over £20.00 and get a FREE bottle of Finish Line bike wash RRP £8.99‘ on us!
Our regular Subscriber offer is 10 % off non discounted items. Catch us in cyberspace on Facebook and our You Tube page.
Tuesday Treats Prize Draw
Click here to win this week’s prize!