Get Running

We know it's the trendy thing to do right now, running groups are popping up all over the place.

Russell used to run a lot and did the Sheffield Half Marathon in 2010 and 2011 but a foot injury slowed him down until now, he is back into runninng and this year he has already done the Sheffield Half Marathon, the Eyam Half Marathon and the Round Sheffield Run so what better way to get the training in than to have a regular running group from our City Centre Shop.

Our runs are a bit different, they are never the same, they have stories attached and they follow routes that you may never have known existed. It's pretty random but always good fun. So get your running shoes on and join us in discovering your city.

We’ve already done 17 runs all very different some that cross the ring road, some that don’t and others that follow it.

Permanent Bike Jumble

We love a bike jumble, most cyclists do and if you’ve ever ventured into one of these surreal gatherings you’ll understand why. They can be a tinderbox of highly flammable ultra bright cycling gear laid out next to chromed dynamo lights and 1990’s Shimano groupsets. They are great fun and if you have an old bike that needs some parts or wants some upgrades they are a great place to find affordable stuff as people clear out their garages and sheds of all the parts they’ve accumulated by upgrading their own bikes.

Our Neepsend shop is somewhat of a bike jumble, a permanent one, always in town like the circus that never leaves. We have boxes and boxes of parts from front derailleurs to seat posts and bottle cages there is a wealth of used, part worn and secondhand stuff in our little aladdins cave of all things bicycle.

We’ve been offering these boxes for you to rummage in since 2016 and they have been welcomed by many as a source of parts to build their next pub bike or replace a broken part cheaply and effectively.

Our range of part worn tyres for only £5 each have help many on low incomes keep bicycles going.

We don’t just offer these parts as a gimmick our my dad helped build boxes from scratch to hold handle bars and forks, we’ve collected parts from everywhere to enable more people to access cycling and, most importantly, keep cycling it’s the fundamental reason we exist as a business.

Businesses can do so much good for communities and we’ve been helping the Sheffield bike community for nearly 10 years keep cycling cost efficient, environmentally responsible while giving people jobs and training. Support local businesses that work hard to support you.

Before, During and most definitely After

Remember this:

Before Ofo turned up in Sheffield Russell's Bicycle Shed had been hiring bicycles from their Sheffield Station shop for several years. Hybrid and city bikes with 24 gears, some with hydraulic brakes and personal service.

During the brief period that Ofo came to Sheffield with its bike sharing scheme we continued to offer better bikes, longer more affordable hire periods and that personal service.

After Ofo closed and left Sheffield leaving bikes in the rivers and canal we were still here offering bike hire and we still are here offering bike hire. We are a local business supporting tourism, supporting people who want to ride bicycles as transport, you can even use one of our bicycles while yours is being repaired, free to Club Members but for a small charge if you are not.

Our bike hire will be here for as long as we are. Because we believe it matters.

An Ode to the Humble Mudguard

O valiant shield of wheel and frame,

You bear the brunt of nature’s game.

When skies weep down their sodden tears,

You stand between my shorts and smears.

No splash of grit, no stripe of grime,

Shall mark my back in rain-soaked time.

You whisper not, you boast no flair,

Yet keep my dignity threadbare.

Through puddled lanes and woodland trails,

Where muck and mulch compose their tales,

You guard my gears, my chain, my soul—

A silent knight with noble role.

Though racers scoff and strip you bare,

Preferring speed to self-care’s flair,

I hail your curve, your steadfast grace,

Your quiet pride in saving face.

So here’s to you, dear plastic arc,

Or metal fender, sleek and stark.

You are the cape my bike would wear,

If steeds of steel could show they care.

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Our shops have stocked up on mudguards, because no matter how long the dry weather lasts you live in Britain and with that comes the heavy burden of cycling in the rain. Don’t get wet, get mudguards!

Have you seen the signs?

As we are writing this around the city things are happening, it’s been nearly a year since our Cycle Hub in the city centre opened and although we’ve been managing it for Sheffield City Council there has been very little to suggest we are here. But things are changing and we are now becoming a little more visible.

Not only are we affixing stickers to just about every bicycle stand in the city advertising our facility but there are now official blue highway signs going up. They’re not that obvious at the moment as there is only 2 but they do point in the right direction but this may also confuse a little because one is located outside Yates pointing down Cambridge Street a road that we would all believe to be one way but surprisingly that has changed and now cycles can legally ride down Cambridge Street and along Cross Burgess Street to the Peace Gardens, Although it’s not perfect, the parked cars on each side of Cambridge Street don’t really make it wide enough for cars and bikes. So maybe the Council need to forego a small amount of revenue from the parking spaces to make the road safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike.

WhatsApp Channel Launched

There are so many ways people communicate these days, in fact there are probably too many? We’ve always tried to keep up but sometimes its just easier to focus on one or two forms of communication and let everyone know that’s how we do it.

As such we have decided that a WhatsApp channel will be useful especially to help keep you informed about what is happening at the hubs, it’s not going to be a continuous stream of adverts and articles, it will be providing important updates about our Hubs and our Shop services. If we do more than one post a week it will because something big has happened.

So if you are a Hub user, a Club Member, a shop visitor or just want to keep informed about what we do add our WhatsApp Channel to your phone.

Russell's Bicycle Shed | WhatsApp Channel

New Events Calendar Launched

We’ve always been keen to tell you all about events going off in Sheffield, it is what makes a city, a place, vibrant and a nice place to live.

If you’ve been following our newsletter from the very beginning you’ll know that we used to list events that we thought you’d like and be good to cycle to. So we’ve brought this idea back to life starting with a listings page with cycling and other events.

If you want to know what is going off we want you to find out here.