FOR THE LOVE OF THE BIKE

CYCLING HAS SEEN A RESURGENCE IN AUCKLAND OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS...

Covid-19 lockdowns have been a significant contributor to Aucklanders grabbing bikes out of the back of the shed or garage and rediscovering the wind in their hair and the sense of freedom associated with cycling. Scores of people have added cycling back into their regular repertoire of leisure and exercise activities.

Amongst this increase in cycling activity and opening at 376 Great North Road in Grey Lynn at the end of '21, My Ride Grey Lynn is the area’s latest cycle shop and one that aims to be a key and valuable part of the local cycling community.

The store is locally owned, with owner Dan Bye addressing a gap in the market in the local area.

“In recent years cycling has been in definite growth as a sport,” says Dan, “but with a lot of the established stores playing to a particular niche or specialist area of the sport and not servicing the wider cycling community.

“Our aim with My Ride Grey Lynn is to have a specialist store that caters to all aspects of cycling from super-casual leisure cycling, kids first bikes, through to schools racing, and from commuting cyclists to hardcore road and mountain bikers as well an emerging gravel and adventure cycling segment.”

You only need to look overseas to see cycling has fast evolved from being a niche leisure activity and if Melbourne, Sydney or even cold and wet London are indicative of where cycling culture could go in Auckland, we are at the start of a boom where cycling rapidly evolves from niche to mass participation.

Ponsonby, Grey Lynn and the surrounding suburbs are well placed to be at the forefront of this change, with significant investments from multiple different parties in the infrastructure that services the local cycling community.

Locally, Grey Lynn pump track has fast become known as being one of the best in Auckland, unknown to many there is a brilliant set of mountain bike trails in Arch Hill which have been painstakingly maintained and upgraded by Auckland Mountain Bike club and we also have one of Auckland’s leading road cycling clubs with Grey Lynn Cycling Club building a fearsome reputation as being one of the fastest bunches to ride with in the greater Auckland area.

You also only need to look at the investment that is being made in upgrading existing cycle lanes along the Northwestern motorway as well as planned new dedicated cycle paths along Great North Road, Meola Road and other key transport routes to see how cycling is destined to play a greater role in urban mobility, particularly for those looking to commute via bike.

Electric bikes (or e-bikes as they are more commonly known) are a key part of this, with numbers of e-bikes imported into NZ growing steadily from 23,000 in 2017 to 75,000 in 2021; with many Aucklanders' choosing to both reduce carbon emissions on their daily commute as well as avoiding the need to sit in Auckland peak time traffic.

“E-bikes are a real game changer and an increasingly popular purchase with both leisure cyclists and commuters; no one wants to roll into work looking like a hot sweaty mess first thing in the morning and with motor assistance taking away a lot of the strain, e-bikes are key for people to be able to hop off the bike feeling comfortable to sit straight down at a desk or workstation,” says Dan.

“We are seeing significant interest from customers wanting to make a small personal change that adds up to a significant increase in carbon reduction, cuts down their commute time and helps fit some light exercise into a trip that is otherwise a

chore - that’s all before we even talk about the current state of petrol prices.”

Many employers have also noticed this shift and are increasing their facilities with more bike spaces available to employees as well as adding in showers and lockers to make life that bit easier for the commuting cyclist.

Another area that is a key aspect of My Ride Grey Lynn is their workshop offering, with the store having a team of mechanics on hand to take the hassle out of the rider's hands and to take care of the servicing aspect of any type, make and model of bike.

“Along with the advances in technology that make bikes easier and more enjoyable to ride, bikes are actually getting more and more complex” says Dan. “We have a full workshop that will look after the smallest of jobs, from fixing a puncture or changing a tyre or a chain, all the way through to getting a bike prepped for an epic adventure such as the Tour Aotearoa or a high-end custom bikebuild.”

“I think that there is a bit of a misnomer” says Dan. “We don’t have the workshop to just service what we sell, we see it as a resource for all of the local area to ensure that their bikes are running smoothly and safely as well as to make any needed or desired upgrades to their favourite bikes.”

In terms of bike stock Dan is pragmatic and upbeat. “We have a great relationship with our suppliers,” says Dan, who is confident in the fact that My Ride Grey Lynn has a comprehensive selection of bikes and hasn’t been too adversely impacted by the well-publicised global supply chain issues.

"We are fortunate to have an extensive range of bikes instore and we’re confident that we are better placed than the chain stores who are suffering with not having bikes to actually sell and customers having to settle for some really long lead times to get onto a new bike.”

Lastly Dan adds, “We are a team of passionate cyclists and we see our job is to bring that passion and knowledge for bikes and cycling and offer all of our customers the right level of expertise and advice no matter what they are looking to buy from the store.”

My Ride Grey Lynn is located at 376 Great North Road, Grey Lynn and has an extensive range of bikes from brands like Scott and Avanti as well as the area's most extensive range of helmets, clothing and accessories for cyclists of all abilities.

MY RIDE GREY LYNN, 376 Great North Road, T: 09 222 2341, E: greylynn@myride.co.nz

Photo: Connor Crawford