Making Active Travel Easier
What’s an Audax?
It’s basically a long bike ride usually through some lovely countryside and organised by cycle clubs. They are still very popular and great fun you are up for the challenge as they can be very long rides some times
Sheffield CTC popped into our shops and gave a poster which is now on the notice boards and in the windows of our shops but can also be found here. Why not have a go and discover parts of Britain you may not have known existed.
Bicycle maintenance can be a very dirty business. Not only do bikes come into our shop caked in mud and covered in oil but even the cleanest looking bike can be hiding filth.
Mucky headset bearings
One place we see lots of muck deposited is your bicycles headset, it’s an area that can sometimes be left for years before someone opens it up only to find a decade of mud and silt left lubricating your bearings. Even when your headset is caked in mud it doesn’t always feel like it needs a service, but we know that if overlooked for too long it can become a big problem. Stiff steering, loose forks can all be dangerous.
But we are here to help, our 12 Month Service (included in Russell’s Bicycle Club) includes disassembly, clean and grease of the headset or replacing the bearings entirely if needed, but regularly cleaning and greasing should extend the life of the headset, although at some point it’ll need replacing.
Find out more about Russell’s Bicycle Club by clicking the banner below.
We opened our first cycle hub at Meadowhall in September 2023 and we charged £5 per month.
We opened our second cycle hub in Sheffield City Centre in November 2024 and we charged £5 per month.
Our intention has always been to make this service sustainable and as such we included in our terms and conditions that every April the price wold go up by at least CPI inflation.
We’ve not done that yet. Why?
We want more people to sign up and start benefitting from our service to make it sustainable in the long term and ensure that you have continued access to these facilities, so we have decided not to increase our prices this year.
As the cost of everything is going up you’ll be happy to hear that the cost of secure cycle parking at our hubs will not be increasing this year.
Thanks to everyone who has supported us on this journey so far and we look forward to greeting more people into our hubs this year.
A Monthly Pass to our Cycle Hubs costs only £5.00 and will help you keep your bicycle safe, secure & dry, helps keep you fit & trim and lasts a whole month.
What’s not to like, sign up today.
It’s a bold statement and it is said often that the cheapest way to travel is by bicycle. We know it is true, we also know that over shorter distances, upto 3 miles, it can also be quicker than any other form of transport even in the hilly city of Sheffield.
The map above of Sheffield shows 3 circles, at 2 miles, 2.5 miles and 3 miles from the city centre, in fact from our Cycle Hub in the City. We’ve done some maths and although this won’t be accurate for everyone and all journeys the majority of journey times for each circle by bicycle are as follows:
Inner Circle - 12 to 15 minutes
Middle Circle - 15 to 18 minutes
Outer Circle - 18 to 22 minutes
What is also important to realise here is that the outer circle which shows a 3 mile radius and this encompasses the majority of people living in Sheffield and also many of the employment areas of the City.
Sometimes, and we all do it, we think driving a car is quicker because the car can go faster than a bicycle but in reality and in a city like Sheffield that isn’t true, traffic jams, traffic lights, volume of traffic on the road and the time it takes to find a car parking space all contribute to delaying a car journey. Even when a bicycle is ridden on the road it can get ahead by filtering through the traffic, using cycle infrastructure to avoid things the delay cars and the ease with which a cycle parking space can be found not just in our hubs but also on the street.
Moving More also makes us feel better, happier, healthier and gives us energy, our sedentary lifestyles is contributing to many health issues and just by cycling 2 or 3 miles a day can combat things like diabetes, heart disease and even reduce your risk of dying of cancer (World Health Organisation).
Next time you get in your car start your stopwatch on your phone, obviously while you drive you aren’t allowed to touch your phone so no cheating, only stop the clock when you are parked and take a look at the time. It will surprise you!
We see a lot of commentary online, on social media and in response to our posts or those of others, from individuals about how rubbish our town centre is now (since Cole Brothers closed, seemingly). In fact on our walks around the city to promote the new hub we also hear people say that there isn’t anything to go into the city for now. Well we whole heartedly disagree! Not only is your city busy all the time but there is so much to do here that you’d probably find it hard to not come into town everyday if you look hard enough.
Let’s begin with the shops, it feels like some people define our city by how many big name stores we have here and now that Cole Brothers (John Lewis to others) and Debenhams have closed it feels like some people think that our city is now closed, the reason they closed their doors was because they could make more money selling online, let’s be honest. Sheffield shops are varied and different, there are independents galore from Bookshops like La Biblioteka, Juno Books and Forbidden Planet to everyday food stores like Iceland, Sainsbury’s and Lidl. Yes there are plenty of coffee shops, they are all very different, there is the hustle and bustle of Cambridge Street Collective, Sheffield Plate and Kommune (soon to become Department). There is H&M, M&S and TK Maxx. If you are into your sports and outdoors there is Blacks (soon becoming Go Outdoors), Up and Running and Decathlon. Buying music too from HMV, yes it is still there at the bottom of Fargate.
Then we have the entertainment, whether it be by day or by night, its amazing how many live venues putting on shows and music are in your city centre. The City Hall & Memorial Hall we all know and love. The Crucible and Lyceum and the smaller Playhouse attached to the Crucible. There is the Library theatre that puts on some occasional racy burlesque and amateur plays. The newly refurbished Montgomery Theatre can be found opposite the Town Hall. With 4 prominent Cinemas in our town centre you’ll be spoilt for choice, The Light and Odeon showing all the big blockbusters and the Curzon and Showroom show more specialist titles including opera and the Showroom is home to ShAFF the film festival.
There are art galleries, the Millennium Gallery, the Greaves at the top of the Central Library is still going strong, the Site Gallery and smaller unique galleries like Pete McKee gallery on Cambridge Street. Events are happening all the time in the City Centre, this month and every March it’s the Festival of the Outdoors, there is the Food Festival in May, the Sheffield Grand Prix cycle race in July. The Half Marathon and Sheffield 10k all start in the City Centre.
Live music cannot be forgotten too, with the iconic Leadmill, Sydney & Matilda and Corporation all playing a varied mix of live bands. Hoping to be joined once again by the O2 soon. Notwithstanding all the unique smaller gigs going off all over our city centre.
For a night out our City is home to a multitude of restaurants and bars, there are so many it’s difficult to pick out some but to name a few here include the local names like Cambridge Street Collective, Mamas & Leonies, Ego and Streetfood Chef. But for chain restaurants that don’t include McDonalds or Burger King you can find The Botanist, Piccolinos, Pizza Express and the restaurants in Leopold Square like Zizi’s. If you are looking for games to play Roxy Bar, Boom Bar, Common Room and Arrowsmiths at Bungalow & Bears offer entertainment that requires a pool cue or sheaf of darts. The classic pubs still exist in the town centre too it’s not all fancy young discotheques (tongue firmly in cheek) The Roebuck, Globe, Red Lion and Howard can still be found on Charles Street and Howard Street, the Red Deer is still behind the University and the institution that is Fagans still stands overlooking Broad Lane. The Rutland Arms still maintains that prominent position on the corner of Brown Street.
“Well I’m not interested in all that”, sigh, I hear the chorus from those un-social-media types. Well that is just scratching the surface! Get fit and feel good at Ponds Forge, The Gym, Hotpod Yoga and The Turkish Baths all available so you can sweat it out or chillout. There are also loads of Churches to cleanse your spirit, Sheffield is home to two Cathedrals, a grand Methodist Hall and a multitude of smaller venues where you can contemplate life, being and all things peaceful in the world.
What about taking in a breathe of fresh air or getting the kids entertained with a trip to Pounds Park, the Peace Gardens fountain is always fun in summer and then there are pocket parks to discover like Nursery Street, Matilda Street and not forgetting the Frisbee playing zone on Devonshire Green that happens to also be home to the skate park in the city. How can we forget the iconic Winter Gardens too, it’s all in the name.
If you stopped visiting the City Centre during the pandemic and you feel there is nothing to tempt you back I challenge you to try, you'll be amazed at what is right here in your City and the varied and exciting small local businesses making your City come alive.
By far the best way to enjoy all this is to either cycle or take the bus into your City, don’t worry about finding a parking space and have a wander through your City and discover what it truly has to offer. Our Sheffield City Centre Cycle Hub is open 24/7 so it doesn’t matter what time the gig finishes you’ll still be able to collect your bike in a well lit safe environment and if you get caught short there are even toilets too! Get more from your City enjoy it!
If you do want the shops, Meadowhall Shopping Centre is there with all the big names and you can even park your bicycle securely there too in our hub at the interchange all included in the price of a monthly pass of £5.
Sign up by clicking the banner.
March is Sheffield’s annual Festival of the Outdoors in the Outdoor City and events are going off all month around the City, many in the City Centre including ShAFF the adventure Film Festival, the Climbing Works International Festival and Pollen Market.
If you are visiting the city centre for some of the Festival of the Outdoors events this year why not pay £5 to use our secure cycle hub in the heart of the city for an entire month and keep your bicycle safe and dry while you enjoy yourself.
https://www.welcometosheffield.co.uk/visit/headline-events/festival-of-the-outdoors/
Image from Welcome to Sheffield Website, Parkwood Springs overlooking the city.
Click the banner to sign up.
If you cycle in Britain be prepared, be a boy scout, make sure your wet weather gear is to hand and is dry, make sure your shoes are sturdy and waterproof because as we all know Britain is a wet country.
A wet saddle is a forgone conclusion parking outside in Britain.
If you need to leave your bicycle out in the rain you know you’ll have a wet bum when you get back on your saddle.
Not only the inconvenience and slight humorous embarrassment of having a wet stain in a location that could suggest another type of incident the weather isn't helping your bike either. Water and steel mean rust, the longer your bike is left to get wet and dry the more likely your bike will rust and no matter how well intentioned we are constant oiling and protecting the bike with products isn't happening let’s be honest.
So what to do?
Well you could cover your bike everywhere you park it, carry a bicycle cover with you everywhere on the off chance of rain, and when it does rain we’ll you then have a wet cover to deal with, pack in your bag and take home to dry. The trusty old supermarket plastic bag can be a more convenient saddle cover but the rest of your bicycle will always be exposed.
Or
The more obvious idea is to park your bike indoors, let’s be honest there aren’t many covered cycle racks around so why not park your bike in one of our Cycle Hubs. Yes, they aren’t located everywhere but where they are located it seems silly not take advantage. A dry, indoor, secured space, well lit and with added extras you won’t find at your local on street bike rack like CCTV, bicycle pumps, some even have toilets.
Avoid the embarrassment of the British bicycle wet bum this year and sign up to use Russell's Bicycle Shed located in the City Centre and Meadowhall.
Meadowhall isn't just a shopping centre there is so much more to the area of Meadowhall than that. Our Cycle Hub is located at the junction of two National Cycle Network routes and is just steps away from rail, tram, bus and coach connections to places all over the country.
It opened in September 2023 and was opened by Ed Clancy the South Yorkshire Active Travel Commissioner.
Located Next to Platform 2 in The Meadowhall Interchange Car Park at the end of the Blackburn Valley Trail.
With bus prices increasing and a single fare from Ecclesfield to Sheffield City Centre costing £2.80 each way and a journey time of potentially 50+ mins have you considered using multi-modal travel?
It's a peaceful traffic free 16min cycle ride along the flat Blackburn Valley trail from Morrisons in Ecclesfield Park cycle right to the front door of our Cycle Hub and 5 minutes later (if you time it to perfection) you can be sat on a train on your way to Sheffield City Centre taking 9 mins and costing as little as £1.90.
Travelling each way
Time saved = 40+ minutes
Money saved = £1.80
Doing it 3 times a week each way:
Time saved = 120+ minutes
Money saved = £5.40
Doing it 3 times a week 48 weeks a year each way
Time Saved = 4 days
Money saved = £249.20
Even with the £5 per month cost of our high security hub included you can save nearly £190 per year.
If you drive well just imagine what you can save.
The driving journey takes about the same amount of time if the traffic is low but the cost savings go through the roof.
Cost of travel at 50p per mile over 6 miles = £3.00 each way.
Cost of parking in the City Centre if you get there early enough and grab a cheaper car parking space could be around £7.50 per day.
Notwithstanding the gym membership you can save a lot of time and money by mixing up your transport to work.
The power of Active Travel and Public Transport is huge and it will make a massive difference to how you feel just try it, what have you got to loose. Click the banner below for more information.
For several years we’ve been offering Russell’s Bicycle Club to our customers. If you haven’t come across it yet and you are a regular rider it may be of interest to you.
So what is Russell’s Bicycle Club? It’s a cost efficient way of getting your bicycle serviced is the simplest answer. Basically, you pay a fixed monthly amount and every 6 months your bicycle gets a service provided by our experienced mechanics. But also any of those annoying little jobs that can’t quite wait until a service like break pad replacement and puncture repair are free of labour costs.
Why does that matter? Well essentially every time you use your bicycle it wears out a little bit. The more you use it the more it wears out. Every moving part on the bicycle, which is most of them, experiences a significant amount of wear and tear during a years worth of use. To make sure that wear and tear doesn’t result in a failure of a part while you are riding, which could be dangerous and painful, getting your bike regularly serviced is essential.
I don’t have time to repair my bike so I don’t use it when it breaks. That’s where Russell’s Bicycle Club comes in. We know that fixing your bike is one of the last things you want to do after a long day at work, you have enough to do and you also need your rest time too. So that is why we try to set up workshops close to you, like in the City Centre where you may work. When your bike doesn’t feel just right as a Club member you can just drop it off and we’ll try to get it fixed and tuned ready for the end of the working day.
We are here to help you stay cycling and if you have a bicycle that is well maintained then you are more likely to choose that over the car to travel short distances or commute to work. Getting into the routine of little and often helps and by spreading the cost of bigger services it helps you to manage how much your bicycle costs to keep running.
