So I went to the above today.
Glad I didn’t pay for the tickets – very disappointing.
The website blurb promised:

The National Cycling Show is an immersive retail experience enabling consumers to try and buy everything from bikes to accessories.

No offense but my LBS has more bikes and accessories to buy….

It seemed to be full of artisan flapjacks, coffee, recovery drinks, folding ebikes and massage chairs.

Talking of coffee – went to the restaurant area to grab a drink & bite, daughter wanted a fruit bowl – 5 chunks of fruit on a bowl for £4.40 I don’t think so, decaf Americano – no chance, you can have a cup of hot water and a sachet of Nescafé for £3.50…… needless to say we gave that a miss.

Oh and to top it all off £16.95 for parking – WTAF????

Only interesting stand was the Atherton bikes one – they look really good in the metal/carbon.

Anyone else as disappointed as we were?

I am going tomorrow free tickets to this and the good food show. Not expecting great things from what I have heard.

Did you see much of the displays/demo’s?
I was planning on going with the family tomorrow with my 6 and 9 year old children who won’t be buying new Santa Cruz’s anyway.

Worth it for that?

New Shand Kirk looks very nice…

I had to queue, but I got a proper Latte (and it actually tasted half decent) for £3.40.

Work paid for the parking and the fuel and I got free tickets.

My GF filled her boots (literally!) with free samples from all the various different up and coming energy brands that think they’re going to take on the established brands overnight.

I’m focussing on the positives here as you can tell… 👍🏻

I went in 2019 and said never again… There were lots of nice bikes on display but the rest of it was poor. Totally agree with how much for parking!

I went to the one in London which I think is basically the same show but on a different week?

Just felt like all the (well meaning) exhibitors had been duped into paying god knows how much for a stand for ‘massive footfall of your target customers’

Just a bit meh. No-one really likes being sold to. Not really fussed by any of it

Apparently the big European one (is it Eurobike?) is the one to go to, because it’s more industry-inside, you get the big wigs of all the big brands there. From what I hear.

I’ve literally just left the show now.

Pretty disappointed to be honest.

My thoughts pretty much echo the OP post.

I did manage to bump into Gee Atherton so there is that.

We’ve just come back from the NEC. Took 20 minutes to park, largely down to the massive show that is Gardeners World.

Wasn’t impressed at all with the show tbh. 90% of the stands seemed to be start up companies selling the same but different.

The wife did give me permission for an emtb though, which is tempting!

I went in 2019 and said never again…

That was a totally different show, it has now moved to Ally Pally in April and is much bigger with a lot more brands.

Just felt like all the (well meaning) exhibitors had been duped into paying god knows how much for a stand for ‘massive footfall of your target customers’

The FOMO used to be huge for all the brands, so they just paid up, year in year out without question. Times have moved on…

Went yesterday (free tickets) and also thought it was largely a waste of time. Lots of e-bike conversion kits, energy stuff, and, er… that was about it? Unless you’re interested in a folding e-bike there were very few actual bikes there.
Struggled to see the point of it really.

I agree, free tickets, £16.95 for parking an there there was no one in the cubicle to see the ticket gutted. Eldest got to meet Gee and have a photo the rest was dire though. Shan’t bother again.

I’ve been today. Free tickets and we were down that way to see family but £16.95 for parking is bloody steep and it was disappointing. Was done in about an hour but hung about to see the Athertons and after that ended up testing a 16” wheel folding ebike. Going to buy one for the missus to use when we go off in motorhome so it was quite a productive if expensive trip.

Parking

It used to be that some shows had free parking.
We once parked in the free parking show car park and walked (a long way) to our show in which you had to pay to park.

I went in 2019 and said never again… There were lots of nice bikes on display but the rest of it was poor. Totally agree with how much for parking!

+1

Can’t recall which year it was I went, but basically waste of time IMO.

I haven’t been since the 90’s. It was awesome. Live dirt jumping and duel racing, trials riding, a massive skatepark full of all the American BMX pros that we’d only seen on Road Fools. Bags full of free swag and stickers, actual bargains on bike parts. Taking a chance on a new VHS tape called Sprung.

Also I was a teenager and didn’t have to pay for parking.

I had free tickets but passed them on as I’ve Covid and couldn’t make it. I’d looked at the show info a bit last week and determined that there was a distinct lack of interesting talks/demos. But I was gonna try to have a look anyway as it’s not to far from me.

UK cycle shows cirtainly have lost what they were 20yrs ago – when there was only one and no internet. I bought pretty much an entire bike in parts at Bike98 – managed to negotiate huge discounts in the last hour of the Sunday.

The only one worth any effort to attend nowadays seems to be Bespoked and the only event with a similar vibe is the Malverns.

Fortunately my son was poorly today so we elected not to take the 2 hour journey to the NEC for a family day – sounds like we made the right decision!

I had Bike 97-2001 in my head…

The Athertons were nice people.

The Athertons were lovely (Bike Show, so, so)

Did no one look at the list of exhibitors before going? It was clear there wasn’t much there to see. The big brands now have dealer only shows and spend money on online marketing/social media as the audience is much bigger per $ spent

I’m under the impression that the NEC is where ‘shows’ go to die. Does anyone remember the bike shows at Olympia in the early/mid nineties, Brant talking about Iditabike(sp) and the frame-building greats discussing designs? Really interesting stuff. THAT moved to the NEC and went massively downhill. I seem to recall the motorcycle shows – (Earls Court, Royal Horticultural Halls) in the 80s going the same way.