Stif Mountain Bikes has announced that it will close its doors this September. The news was revealed in an Instagram post, which reads: A Message to Our Community After an incredible journey, we’ll be bowing out this September. It’s been an amazing ride — from our very own Aladdin’s cave in Headingley, to the Covid boom, wild staff nights out, and everything in between. We’ve had the honour of supporting riders of every level, from local legends to household names, and even making our own bike along the way. Opening our Bristol store was a huge milestone, powered by our…
Sad news & a reflection on the current state of the economy. Stiff has been around for ever, I remember going to the original store as a kid.
Massive though PON are, they don't own the car brands listed, but the international distributors in certain markets as per their website (you need to click on the brand name for info): https://pon.com/en/about-pon/companies/
What a shame. I used to love going to the shop in Headingly on a Saturday afternoon.
In 2015 if you’d been asked to predict which UK MTB retailers would survive a slowdown Stif, CRC and Wiggle would have been right at the top of my list.
I can’t help but feel that Stif closing its doors shows just how bad the MTB economy is. Stif is a heritage brand in its own right. They mostly sold products that are either owned by the group they are in or are distributed by the group they are in. Compared to a ‘normal’ bike shop Stifs margins on a sale must have been enormous.
In 2015 if you’d been asked to predict which UK MTB retailers would survive a slowdown Stif, CRC and Wiggle would have been right at the top of my list.
I can’t help but feel that Stif closing its doors shows just how bad the MTB economy is. Stif is a heritage brand in its own right. They mostly sold products that are either owned by the group they are in or are distributed by the group they are in. Compared to a ‘normal’ bike shop Stifs margins on a sale must have been enormous.
What i can't understand though is "HOW"... there's more and more people buying bikes, more and more people riding bikes, tonnes of people at Dyfi, BPW, etc which are always full, racing is booming (in a DH scene anyway) and Ebikes are massively popular...
In 2015 if you’d been asked to predict which UK MTB retailers would survive a slowdown Stif, CRC and Wiggle would have been right at the top of my list.
I can’t help but feel that Stif closing its doors shows just how bad the MTB economy is. Stif is a heritage brand in its own right. They mostly sold products that are either owned by the group they are in or are distributed by the group they are in. Compared to a ‘normal’ bike shop Stifs margins on a sale must have been enormous.What i can't understand though is "HOW"... there's more and more people buying bikes, more and more people riding bikes, tonnes of people at Dyfi, BPW, etc which are always full, racing is booming (in a DH scene anyway) and Ebikes are massively popular...
People aren’t buying bikes at anything close to RRP in anything like the numbers they have in recent years though. The race/bike park uplift scene is a tiny portion of a tiny part of the total market. Do you find you see the same faces there?
That’s not to say anything about the huge recent increase in staffing costs
remember the first shop tucked round a few tight corners in Headingly, was a proper shop with gucci bling that no one else had- happy days
bought my pace forks from them and lots of other essentials!!
In 2015 if you’d been asked to predict which UK MTB retailers would survive a slowdown Stif, CRC and Wiggle would have been right at the top of my list.
I can’t help but feel that Stif closing its doors shows just how bad the MTB economy is. Stif is a heritage brand in its own right. They mostly sold products that are either owned by the group they are in or are distributed by the group they are in. Compared to a ‘normal’ bike shop Stifs margins on a sale must have been enormous.What i can't understand though is "HOW"... there's more and more people buying bikes, more and more people riding bikes, tonnes of people at Dyfi, BPW, etc which are always full, racing is booming (in a DH scene anyway) and Ebikes are massively popular...
People aren’t buying bikes at anything close to RRP in anything like the numbers they have in recent years though. The race/bike park uplift scene is a tiny portion of a tiny part of the total market. Do you find you see the same faces there?
That’s not to say anything about the huge recent increase in staffing costs
Wouldn't like to say in truth mate, you'll always see the odd person you know at places, but some i think more so than others, some have a 'core' membership like Dyfi, or Caersws. But the rest are just randoms. Then places like FoD are just rammed weekend in weekend out, like hundreds upon hundreds of people, bikes etc. Even when we were in Inners, the people at the pubs outnumbered any locals 20-1. But there has to be 'something' here that's being missed by me as clearly a lot of places are struggling.
I think a big problem for shops is that mountain bikes have got a lot better. Geometry has been sorted for a few years now and most components other than the drivetrain actually last so there's far less reason to buy a new bike.
A shame to see another one go, I always liked Stif and had plenty from them over the years. Perhaps the number of MTB places in decline is to do with MTBers doing their own maintenance and that being where the traditional bike shop margins came from?
I appreciate it may be a small sample but out of my regular riding group of 10 (perhaps 18 ish bikes between us) I dont think there is a single one of us who takes their MTB to a shop for a service or repair.
I should qualify that by saying most of us do our own maintence, one bloke just ignores servicing and the noise until something breaks and somebody else in the group helps fix it in the carpark or the bike is that knackered that it gets replaced!
Moving a shop to the arse end of nowhere can't have helped either.
I’m not sure it mattered that much. Whilst it will have lost some passing trade, the vast majority of folk will have driven there and it being their sole reason for going to Headingley, and the development of the web store will have taken up the folk that would travel short distance, but not all the way to Harrogate. That and they managed to make it work in the what, 15 years since they moved?
As I say, I reckon it’s the increase is staffing costs that pushed them over the edge.
I think a big problem for shops is that mountain bikes have got a lot better. Geometry has been sorted for a few years now and most components other than the drivetrain actually last so there's far less reason to buy a new bike.
This. I looked at changing my bike recently and no matter what I looked at geo wise they were all the same give or take a couple of mm here and there. New bikes have got expensive and I didn’t see anything else on the market that justified the cost v improvement calculation.
I think a big problem for shops is that mountain bikes have got a lot better. Geometry has been sorted for a few years now and most components other than the drivetrain actually last so there's far less reason to buy a new bike.
I think that's part of it, but also the degree of "standards" changing just for the sake of it puts me off upgrading things, or holding spares.
Also, I'm not sure it's that bikes are a lot better, so much as they're a lot more uniform. Like, they're good across a reasonable range of riding types. Which I think equates to a lot less swapping components around for specific types. I don't feel like I'm much faster on a newer bike than an older bike (in fact, overall slower - despite being fitter. New bikes are heavier).
Sad news, bought a hope disc brake and new front wheel on a rigid Spesh Rockhopper back in the day. Maintained V brake on the rear as it didn’t have mounts on the frame. I went to the Summerbridge store once, terrible place to get to to but right next door to Jungle so assume that’s why they went there.
On the market side of things, I just wonder if high end full sus bikes are now becoming niche. You can get a decent ebike now for those Santa Cruz non-eeb prices. Maybe the Heckler SL has been an issue with the Fazua motor and they are a bit late to the party with the Bullit and Vala? I wonder if this will have a knock on effect to other SC dealers?
In 2015 if you’d been asked to predict which UK MTB retailers would survive a slowdown Stif, CRC and Wiggle would have been right at the top of my list.
I can’t help but feel that Stif closing its doors shows just how bad the MTB economy is. Stif is a heritage brand in its own right. They mostly sold products that are either owned by the group they are in or are distributed by the group they are in. Compared to a ‘normal’ bike shop Stifs margins on a sale must have been enormous.What i can't understand though is "HOW"... there's more and more people buying bikes, more and more people riding bikes, tonnes of people at Dyfi, BPW, etc which are always full, racing is booming (in a DH scene anyway) and Ebikes are massively popular...
There's no doubt a recession in all but name happening at the moment and the Cycling / MTB market has it's own issues thanks to the Covid bump and post-Covid slump.
IMHO Wiggle / CRC didn't fail because of a slow-down or anything like that, it was gutted by it's former owners. Both entities traded profitably for years, held cash reserves that could have weathered the downturn. It seemed to me at as it went through it's various merges and buyouts it was saddled with more and more debt to buy itself and when it was no longer viable, the holding co that had sucked out the last of it's value said it could no longer "support it" and let it collapse owning suppliers and tax payers millions.
Unless I’m mistaken, PON don’t own those or any car brands: they are an importer of them.
I feel bad for any staff losing jobs or security - genuinely.
However, whilst I do mourn the loss of Stif old - in Headingley, the friendliest, best stocked, most wondrous shop that I spent so many times (and so many £££!) in over the years, almost weekly at points, truly feeding my hobby - I cannot feel sad about the loss of Stif V.2 who seemed to simply push customers away and had no interest in service unless you were buying off the peg £10k bikes for the family. Being told to I was effectively not welcome to browse was the last straw.
Again, sorry to individuals but as a shop, you make your own luck.
‘ Further up the chain again, PON group also owns car brands including Audi, Bentley, Volkswagen and Porsche.’ No they don’t. VAG is a German owned multinational megalith compared to the PON Group pebble.
That’s a shame (understatement of the year?) as I remember browsing their advertisements for hours in mbuk way back in the early 90’s and buying wheels, kool stop brake pads, onza brakes, filte saddle, tyres etc…..…
I thought they’d always be there and around for ever…..
😐
Really sorry to hear this as some of my favourite bike shop memories have come via their various premises. From catching the X84 bus to the original Headingley barn to drool over the exotica whilst avoiding the windsurfs, to getting a lead for a second hand 89 Clockwork that became my pride and joy (when I realised I couldn't afford a new 92) and then on to traveling to the next Headingley shop instead of the local supplier so I could have a Stif sticker on my 2004 Evo 4! Always enjoyed a visit to Summerbridge when working at the station across the road too, more so when they had the old bikes hung up around the walls but I always felt welcome and had some good chats.
I guess the writing was on the wall when they moved to Summerbridge as it always felt like a shop attached to the warehouse, especially after the original owner sold up to Santa Cruz/Pon. Why do they need a shop when they supply kit to plenty of others? The main business will keep going unaffected so it seems like a purely corporate business decision which is a bit sad when you look back to the roots and links to the UK pioneers.
I don't need a Squatch, I don't need a Squatch........
sad news. bought my 1st ever full sus bike from Headingley shop. a lovely Heckler.
it was a great shop.
Around 2011-ish I was talking to Liz (one of the owners) and she expressed concern that bike and gear prices were spiralling, the mid-range of the market was disappearing and whilst that was good for sales at the time, it would be a disaster if the bottom ever fell out of the market. I'm very glad she and Paul sold up and retired a while back, they put their heart and soul into Stif.
From 1998 when my Dad took me into Headingley for a new crash helmet until 2023 they were my main bike shop. I made friends in Whistler thanks to the Stif stick on my bike. They've been a pretty massive part of my life over the years (disclosure, I live a mile away from Summerbridge).
I also remember browsing the two page spread adverts BITD, and bought a 93 Clockwork frameset from them. Yet I've never bought online from them. Never even occurred to me. Not sure why.
bought my pace forks from them and lots of other essentials!!
Replacement Pace springs when the originals broke?
the degree of "standards" changing just for the sake of it puts me off upgrading things, or holding spares.
MTB standards have been largely stable for a good few years now.
Boost wheels, tapered fork steerers, metric shocks and threaded BBs have come back.
Don't let that put you off.
I reckon it’s the increase is staffing costs that pushed them over the edge.
You mean minimum wage rising and/or employer NI contributions?
If we're taking uneducated guesses, I'll say they've had a couple of flat or negative profit years in the current downturn and the beancounters have decided not to bother weathering the storm.
I’m not sure it mattered that much.
Well as a customer, it mattered to me. Number of times I went to the old shop from York = multiple (moreso when I was half living in Leeds). Number of times I visit local bike shops = multiple. Usually a couple of times a month at least whether its for oil or tyre sealant or something bigger. Could be a proper LBS, could be Halfords, could be Leisure Lakes. They're convenient.
Number of times I visited Stif in the middle of nowhere in the last 15 years = zero. Went once (as I was passing) and it was closed on a weekend.
MTB standards have been largely stable for a good few years now.
Freehubs? Rear mech mounts? Special stems and headsets for cable routing? Chainlines?
Freehubs? Rear mech mounts? Special stems and headsets for cable routing? Chainlines?
Shimano Microspline came out in 2019. UDH may be required for the new SRAM leccy gears, but still works with other setups. "Cable tourism" doesn't count as a standard. And chainline is generally a non-issue IME.
I guess the writing was on the wall when they moved to Summerbridge
Fifteen. Years. Ago.
What's your point? Mine is that it was at that point the bike shop itself became less important than the warehouse and wider distribution so became expendable. You don't move from Leeds to Summerbridge if you are still concentration on bricks and mortar.
Bought my first and last Santa Cruz from Stiff in 2001. First proper trip was across Ecuador on one of those Macmillan charity events (and before the haters pile in, I paid for the "holiday" part) and then off to Morzine for my first alps trip in 2003. 160mm/140mm rotors and Hope Minis weren't quite up to scratch there!
Great service from the shop tho. Shame to see them go
Back in the day when I was still working in Bike shops they were seen as the gold standard, something to really aspire to. Shame to see them go.
MTB standards have been largely stable for a good few years now.
Well, they've settled down a bit, but there's still a massive sprawl. It's definitely not like you can buy spares and be confident of using them on any bike, or of a bike you might buy in a couple of years time.
MTB standards have been largely stable for a good few years now.
Well, they've settled down a bit, but there's still a massive sprawl. It's definitely not like you can buy spares and be confident of using them on any bike, or of a bike you might buy in a couple of years time.
When could you ever? My 89 Clockwork couldn't share many parts with my 99 GT XCR, or that my 09 Orange 5, or 2021 Stage 5.
Bad news for any business to shut ,it affects so many people.
It cannot help with the over stocking the last few years and you see bikes discounted so much and you see a brand new bike costing less than the ex demo you bought and are still paying for.
Its not really the shops fault. But they can not absorb any downturn in sales.
Hopefully they can restart on a smaller scale and rebuild again.
What's your point?
That ‘writings on the wall’ normally means impending doom for a business. That they managed another 15 years post move suggests it was the right decision at the time, despite what all the Leeds locals thought.
A good few LBS’ have opened then shut in that time.
When Paul Morphet sold out the name lost it's soul, going appointment only in Summerbridge was 2 fingers to those that supported th store and brand, I fail to see what their usp so closing it's doors is.no great loss as there are plenty of other local LBS that do it a great deal better.
This is so sad. I bought my first Santa Cruz from the headingley shop and have been using the Bristol one since getting back into biking 12 months ago. The staff in Bristol have been so helpful and I hope they all get sorted with new positions very soon.
An iconic shop that is no more
Summerbridge went downhill for me when little Rob left. He was the only assistant that greated me with friendly chat and he knew my name.
As said before most of the other staff didn't want to entertain you and were hard work even when I was spending money!
Rob told me they were part of jungle who had the next unit to them.
So the Santa Cruz bikes just came from next door and possibly those in the shop were owned by jungle and must have kept stock finances lower.
They then stopped dealing with Sweet protection and it all went downhill from there.
Yeah, Stiff moving out of Headingley was a loss personally to me because it was a great shop. First time I visited must have been getting on for 30 years ago. We drove over from Macclesfield during my A levels for a special trip with all my bike mad mates and oh my gosh the gear they had was unbelievable.This was mid 90s at the height of annodized fragile bling.
Then after that I happened to move to Headingley as a student and from thereon (until they moved) I would use the shop regularly and also go in and drool at stuff.
When they moved though...they just became another online shop.
I've browsed the website a few times but never bought anything. It's a shame, but not surprising, and I think I've done my grieving already.
Whether my inner tube purchases would have supported them staying in Headingley in an alternative past is unclear
Such a shame. Bought a couple of bikes from Headingley in years gone by and more recently used Bristol for servicing and parts etc. Found both shops really helpful.
Couple of pics of my Bullit & Heckler from yesteryear;
