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 review (in bitesize fashion): Tuesday Treats 2014
Whether they be independent bike shops, custom bike builders, online retailers, clothing brands, holiday, skills or tour companies Singletrack’s Premier Dealers immerse themselves in the world of mountain biking to offer you guys the very best in advice, gear and service.
Each week one of our Premier Dealers talks shop, to point you in the right direction with your MTB decision making. In-store, on’t internet or by taking you off to riding promised lands, Premier Dealers are, to their core, champions of the sport we love. For that reason alone, as another year is drawing to a close here’s an opportunity to celebrate their work.
As our nod and wink in their direction, (we’ve rather unscientifically) collated some of their inspiration, and to sweeten things further, we’ve hooked up with the bike mad team at Purity Brewing Co. to offer the treats. Cheers!
Premier Dealer ‘The essence of the bike shop’ Image of the Year
This here montage just says everything that’s great about every quality bike establishment, most notably the hurriedly tided desks 😉 friendly customer service, bananas for phones, stunningly beautiful models and cycling experts in every discipline.
When staff refuse to take off their riding gear of the daily commute claiming ‘it’s part of my very essence’ you know they’re on it. 2014 image champs are Tweeks Cycles. Can we have a job?
Premier Dealer ‘Quotes of the Year’
“Best forget last year, that’s so last year, you wait ‘til next year. Fat bikes are changing again; just watch this space. You will see them move away from adventure spec into normal MTB spec, with suspension both ends, hydraulics, short stems, freeride geometry”.
“What ‘new’ wheel size? You’re not meant to know about 29 x 4.0. sshhhh! shut up man, it’s a secret!”
“Life is too short for lusting after things … just have them instead. I might not have a pension or healthcare, but I do have some bloody nice bikes”.
He’s a man of many words and some of them, quite bloody funny. For a second year in a row, the standard has been set yet again by the unmistakable tones of Charlie the Bikemonger.
Premier Dealer ‘Custom Build of the Year’
If you’re not already licking your tablet, phablet, phone, or desktop screen at the sight of this, wake up! Come on, it’s time to slap yourself in the face.
This Santa Cruz stunner is the result of the unique custom build programme called ‘ProBuild’, offered by the very slick guys at Ubyk.
Showroom of the Year
You don’t expect to hit central London for your MTB needs but when in Soho and with time to spare, who wouldn’t want to swerve the seedy and head for some much more lustful bike porn?
The guys at Soho Bikes offer a New York style bar, independent bike shop experience where you can drop in for the finest in Chai Tea Latte and cake and/or head through the stacked accessories ranges and down into the basement for your MTB bike fix.
There’s a fully equipped workshop out the back with a crew that are passionate about working on your dream bike, or should you need them, they’ll true your commuter bike wheel that got mashed up by some drunken Teddy Boys while you stroke their kit. Sweet.
Premier Dealer ‘Hound of the Year’
A very tough contest again but with their strapline of ‘Spanners, sideburns and stupidmutt’ you got to hand to the crew at Garage Bikes, as they are in very good company with their Bella. Not only #stupidmutt but a real beauty.
Premier Dealer ‘Wheels of the Year’
Kiss our collective face! We all know that natty paint jobs should be mandatory on all company vans. Congratulations to Team Singletrack (and our Design Dept. in particular), on being both bold and subtle with our new, sweet smelling (that’s largely gone now – Ed) VW Transporter. Think you’ve seen better? Mail us with your Tuesday Treats competition entry and prove it.
There’s more of these bite-sized delights planned for next week, so for now get stuck in the prize draw! It’s open to everyone.
Tuesday Treats Prize Draw
Click here to win this week’s prize!