Here be Peregrines!

When we opened the City Centre Cycle Hub we noticed a strange thing happening and eagle eyed pedestrians walking passed the shop probably have seen this too: lots of dead birds on the pavement, not just dead but decapitated, barely recognisable apart from the wings and occasional head.

Now it could be considered a bit gory but we were intrigued to know what was happening so we started watching the building and amazingly one day we spot something perched on top of the Vita Student sign. Looking closer through a friend’s telescope we see a peregrine, like the ones that live in the bell tower of St George’s Church on Mappin Street.

This bird and it’s partner appear to be catching other birds bringing them to the sign to feast and then discarding the remains to the pavement below. It’s amazing to think this is happening right in the city centre of Sheffield and most of us wouldn’t know.

The Natural World is amazing and when given the opportunity to adapt it will.

If you visit the hub look out for the feathers a sure sign of a feast for the peregrine earlier.

Delivering in the snow

Even in the snow and icy conditions we have been out delivering office furniture on our cargo bike, it's difficult on side roads still and so the decision to ride on dual carriage ways was necessary. It helps that most drivers give you space but there are a few who don't and many who are trade people doing the same as us; working.

We aren't holding you up we aren't 'too slow' we are just doing a job in difficult conditions so if you drive, for work or commuting, think about whether it's the speed of the journey or the safety of the other road users, just ease off the accelerator and give at least 1.5m between you and the cyclist or pedestrian walking on the road because the paths are unsafe. This weather happens infrequently in Britain and everyone understands if you are a few seconds late because you did the right thing for your fellow worker and traveller.

Drive and ride safely.

Our Cycle Hubs - Your Questions Answered.

The response to our opening of the first network of Cycle Hubs in Sheffield has been amazing thank you all who have been positive and who have already signed up.

Quite rightly we’ve had a lot of questions about the hubs, the facilities and the pricing model in particular. So understanding that there will be other people out there who may have the same questions we thought we would try to answer as many as we can here.

Q. Will there be a space for me to park my bike?

We don’t guarantee a parking space but our hubs have lots of parking spaces for different types of bicycles and because they are managed when the places do start to get full we can find investment to expand them.

Q. Can I park my fat tyre bike in the stands?

We try to provide different options for parking your bicycle so wherever possible we will offer two tier stands for standard bicycles and Sheffield Stands for those that may not fit in the two tier stands.

Q. Why can’t I just pay for a day visit?

We thought long and hard about pricing options and how it could be managed. We are a local company supporting the local community but to do that we have to have a consistency of cash flow throughout the year, by offering a smaller ad-hoc charge we may not be able to support you when the weather turns and the facilities may have to close thereby not providing any facility when you want it. We don’t believe our charges are exorbitant considering that a coffee on the high street now costs £3.50, a day bus ticket is £5.70 and a subscription to the Sheffield Tribune is £7.41 per month (paid annually at £89), and our facilities are managed with clean heated toilets, CCTV and lighting that all needs to be paid for whether you are using it daily or just occasionally. Our aim is to grow our network to make it more viable for you as a cyclist and provide facilities across the city whether you want to visit the or not you have that choice. We are not ruling out changes to our pricing model but we need to get established and grow our network before we implement any changes.

Q. Why is Sheffield Station differnet?

We used to manage Sheffield Station on behalf of EMT/EMR and we did that successfully for 10 years but their hub is part of their network and they decide how it is managed. At present the hub there uses a fob, on a computer system that is at least 20 years old, which can be passed around and used by anyone all for a one off fee, we feel our offer is much more secure, provides access to a local network not a national one and offers you piece of mind. You can also sign up on the day and have access to the hub in just a few minutes with no need to queue to buy a fob only to find out that they have run out.

Q. Where is the Meadowhall Hub

Our hub at Meadowhall is located in the car park behind the Railway Station next to platform 2. It is conveniently located at a junction in the National Cycle Network that links the route North to Ecclesfield with that of the route to Rotherham Town Centre and Sheffield City Centre. Trains and coaches from Meadowhall run to locations all over the country and it is only a 3 minute walk to the shopping centre.

Please do keep your questions coming we will try to answer them as best we can. We feel our network is a positive addition to the infrastructure of the city and will help more people see cycling as a viable option. We look forward to opening more facilities soon.

Well here is to 2024

It’s been a weird year, what started with us closing our Sheffield Station shop after serving the users there for 12 years and we end it with a new venture, a new beginning in the Sheffield City Centre Cycle Hub.

After 2 years of false starts and what seemed like someone somewhere just not wanting the hub to open it finally opened in November. This Hub is added to our hub at Meadowhall Railway Station and access to both is a small charge of £5 per month with no commitment of any period length.

2024 has been hard work, while waiting for the City Centre to open we saw a change of staff and we have been joined by Elliot who has been a star these last few months.

We grew our ebike conversion business partnering with Swytch and did some amazing Brompton Refurbs.

Our relationship with the railway industry grew with Northern Railways and shrunk with EMR but we can see a future there everything just needs to settle down with the new government and a dedicated plan for the future.

Our delivery service grew a little and we now transport everything from desk equipment and confidential files, to beer, cider and bananas in fact lots of bananas. In the last year alone we’ve done 2500km of deliveries and this has prevented 350kg of CO2 emissions being produced. We can only hope for more being done.

We want 2025 to be an awesome year and we can only do that by providing services you want to support so if you believe in better infrastructure for bicycles, more deliveries on ecargo bike and more reliable cost effective maintenance services for you and your bicycle then we want to hear from you because we want to support you to start, and keep riding.

So here is to 2024 and we are signing off, enjoy your Christmas, fingers crossed for a new bike, and we'll see you in the new year.

Sheffield City Centre Cycle Hub NOW OPEN

You may have seen the news, heard it on the grape vine, seen it on t’internet or via an email from our fair selves. Well we thought you’d enjoy a short tour if you wanted to know more.

First question, and it’s an obvious one to ask, is where the blooming hell is this marvellous cycle hub? Well that’s an easy one to answer, the map below shows you but if you are an old codger like me you’ll remember Telephone House in Charter Square and below that the nightclubs that existed, like Bar Matrix well its right there, the floors aren’t sticky and covered in spilt drinks and there isn’t a DJ anymore but the space has been skilfully repurposed to keep your bicycles secure.

 

Next on the list of obvious questions is what’s inside then? Well we have spaces for 140 bikes that includes 10 Cargo Bikes or Non-Standard bikes like Tricycles, there are 3 toilet/changing rooms, Cycle pump and soon to be a workshop offering repairs and servicing. In the new year there’ll even be bicycle hire available. Take a look at the photos below to give you an idea of what we have available.

A Welcoming Entrance

Automatic Doors

Exit with ease our Automatic Doors allow you to leave easily

Workshop

Coming in 2025

Community Noticeboard

Got something to say or want to promote things you think others will like.

Safe Lobby

Don’t forget to scan the BetterPoints app as you leave

Sheffield Stands

For no-standard bikes that won’t fit the two tier racks

Two-tier Racks

120 racks for standard bikes

Air is Free

Keep your tyres pumped up for a safe ride

Toilets

Big spaces suitable for changing too.

Toilets

Managed spaces kept clean and tidy

Meadowhall

Don’t forget your subscription includes the use of Meadowhall Hub too

With double sets of automatically opening doors, activated by a phone app, sign up and access takes as little as 5 mins and can be done on the day you want to use it, no need to buy a card or pass to access the hub, no need to book a space and wait for a confirmation, once you are signed up you can come and go as you please without having to extricate a card from your wallet or book in online before you arrive, its convenient and simple.

We’ve got CCTV covering the entrances and hub hub so that you feel secure, the access is controlled by the app and this means that only registered users can enter.

We manage the space so it’ll be kept clean and tidy, the toilets will always smell fresh and clean, when the workshop is open there’ll be a friendly person to talk to and if you find any problems we are here to fix them.

Now the burning question on everyones lips is how much does this fanciness cost? Well you’ll be surprised we are sure that all this costs just £5 per month, and it isn’t only for the City Centre Hub that £5 per month gets you access to our already active and popular Meadowhall Hub, and any other hub we open and manage anywhere in the city or wider afield. Pretty good eh?

It’s taken a little longer than we hoped to get this facility open and a lot of work but we feel we can offer you a facility that is well managed, secure, clean and tidy and ready for you to cycle into town or Meadowhall.

If you think this is something you’d want to make use of and benefit you in making use of your bicycle more, whatever the shape or size, then you can sign up here:

A Little Bit About Us

With our new Cycle Hub in Sheffield City Centre due to open next month we thought we would just remind everyone about what we do.

Since opening in 2012 we have worked hard with lots of other organisations to increase cycling in the city, there isn't one thing you can do to magically make that happen and we know that so we have tried hard to offer many different aspects of the cycling ecosystem to enable more people to pick up a bike and cycle whether that is to help improve your health, help with the cost of living or just because it is more fun we have been here to help

Our City Centre Cycle Hub will join our Meadowhall Cycle Hub as part of a single payment network: One Membership, One Charge, Many Hubs. We hope it will be joined with other hubs around the city too soon. Buts that not the only thing we do.

We've always helped keep peoples bikes maintained, it's where we started and we've made it easier by offering customers Russell's Bicycle Club to spread the cost of maintenance.

Our bike hire service has been around since 2014 and still going strong with comfortable city bikes to hire and even folding bikes to take on the train.

We are growing a wider business customer base for cargo bike deliveries, door to door guarenteed and all without the congestion, noise and pollution from bigger vehicles. It's cost effective for businesses too.

In addition to our Cycle Hubs we've always offered bike racks for organisations to use for events, for cafes to put outside and for private hire.

We're not just an app, you never need to book a space, a repair or your ride you can just turn up. Cycling should be convenient, easy and cost efficient and that's what we want to do to help Sheffield get cycling.

We can't do it without your support and custom, by shopping with us, using our services or just sharing our blog and social media posts you are helping us to support cycling to a much wider community that isn't connected into the usual cycling social media networks.

Thanks Russell

Little And Often

Bicycle maintenance is best done little and often. You may have bought a bike and started using it to save money, this doesn't mean it won’t cost you anything to run, it’s just a lot cheaper than a car or bus.

We’ve always espoused the principle of doing little and often to keep your bicycle in good working order, it's a way to manage the overall costs of running a bike and it will generally mean that as parts wear out they can be replaced without them breaking and potentially putting your bicycle out of action for a period or even worse; causing more damage.

When you bring your bike to our shop whether it be for a simple brake pad replacement or a full service, we carry out a quick visual inspection of the bike along with a few simple checks just to make sure the bike is safe and in reasonable working order. These checks mean we can advise you if we spot anything that may be starting to wear out, or is not working properly.

Bringing your bike in to us more frequently than once a year means we can catch things and identify problems sooner. It will also save you time in the long run and keep your bicycle running smoothly. With your brakes and gears adjusted and tuned, chain cleaned and oiled and tyres inflated to the correct pressures our Tune-Up Service is something you should consider having done regularly, it can be done quickly and if you ride your bike daily will ensure it’s safe and easy to ride.

You don’t have to wait for the ‘Dr Bike’ session to happen we are here in our workshop ready to help and we want to keep you riding so, at only £20, our Tune-Up Service is excellent value for money.

If you are using your bicycle more often and have discovered the joy of riding a bicycle for transport then you may wish to consider signing up to Russell's Bicycle Club, at only £12 per month it’s great value for making sure your bicycle is always running efficiently.

Are we a nation obsessed with Speed!

Many years ago while I was showing my 8 year old nephew my bicycle collection, of which I own N+1, the first question he asked was “which one is fastest”. Clearly he didn’t understand that it wasn’t the bike that was fastest but the person pedalling.

We are a nation obsessed with the speed of a vehicle but we don’t seem to be obsessed with how quick a journey can be. Take our railways for example, many years ago as a child riding British Rail a journey to London would take about 3 hours on an intercity 125. Nowadays that journey time is just over 2 hours on a similar if not the same rolling stock as 30 years ago. Why has this change occurred if the speed of the train is the same, we’ll track improvements have happened and timetables have been altered to allow routes to be more express and to allow trains to go further quicker.

This isn't about speed this is about the journey.

We regularly get asked about ebikes and how fast they go, but just like a normal non electric bike they can only legally go as fast as you can pedal and the motor is there to make cycling the bike easier not faster.

My cycle journey to work over 3 miles takes about 15 mins on the bicycle, with a physical top speed of about 25mph going down Burngreave Road between the traffic lights. How fast can my car do the journey? Well when you take into account that i’d have to find a parking space and walk from there toy work it could take me a whole lot longer. But my car is faster?

I’ve had surreal conversations while stationary at traffic light with drivers who have overtaken me dangerously on roads who complain that I was going too slow, do you see the irony?

Speed is not about the vehicle you are driving/riding it’s about the journey and making it as simple and easy as possible for all road users. Creating more safe space for people to cycle shorter distances means people who have to drive or those that take public transport aren’t slowed down by all those cyclists driving their cars around the city. It can be a concept that many people find difficult to reconcile but it is true and the less we talk about how fast the vehicle can go and more about the speed of the journey the better it will be for all of us.

Multi-Modal?

Just like a Swiss army knife has many tools to allow you to take off into the wilderness and survive, we have numerous tools at our disposal to travel using various forms of transport.

The future of modern transport has to be multi-modal. What does that mean? It’s a silly piece of travel planner lingo meaning more than one form of transport. We do it all the time. If you’ve travelled by train, or flown anywhere or caught a ferry, you’ve done multi-modal, and for long distances we see the advantages, but for shorter distances we seem to be blinkered into believing that car is usually best. Well, let’s help dispel that thought process.

Believe it or not, on many occasions within a city like Sheffield multi-modal travel can be the quickest and cheapest way to get places, but it just takes a little thought and understanding from the traveller, along with a genuine active travel principle applied by the transportation authority and companies to provide the facility.

Take a journey from Ecclesfield to the city centre as an example. For most this would be done by getting into the car on the drive, spending at least 21 mins travelling into the town centre, then another five minutes driving aimlessly around to find a car parking space, and then another couple of minutes paying the time limited parking charge, only to find that you’ve spent at least 30 minutes travelling.

Alternatively you could do it multi-modal, and be quick, efficient, have fun, get healthy and enjoy the journey without stress.

Pick up that bike you bought in the pandemic and cycle along the flat, traffic free and picturesque Blackburn Valley Trail to Meadowhall railway station. This will take about 14 minutes at a gentle pace (Google Maps help with this) along the off road Blackburn Valley Trail. Then park your bike in the high security Russell’s Bicycle Shed cycle hub, which will take you two minutes or less. (And it’s only £5 per month, so a lot cheaper than two hours car parking in town). Then if you time it right, it’ll be only a couple of minutes before a train to Sheffield arrives at the platform next to the cycle parking hub, and with ticket prices starting at £1.90 for the 8 minute journey into town it’s a steal, check out National Rail to find out more. So all in that has taken less time than driving and cost a lot less than using and parking the car.

If you feel like a more scenic route why not try the Supertram which takes a little longer at 19 minutes but gives much more choice in where to disembark, from Commercial Street and Ponds Forge or the Cathederal and Fargate.

If we want to be serious about reducing congestion, making the environment more pleasant for future generations and destressing our travel options, we must all start to think multi-modal.

Let's Talk Bicycle Security

Wherever you park your bicycle, you want to know that it’ll be there when you get back. Bike thefts are on the up locally and nationally, partly caused by the increase in sales and reduction in supply during the pandemic. Bikes of all types are being stolen, to sell on or to break up for parts.

It’s an unfortunate fact of owning a bike that one day it might get stolen, and based on the statistics, it might seem hard to know what you can actually do about it. But there are ways you can make your bike less attractive to a thief when you leave it parked.

First, think about the type of lock you use. There are so many locks on the market and getting one that is appropriate can feel like wading through treacle, so here are a few tips on what to look for:

• Sold Secure logo - independent testing allows you to compare different locks.

• Cable locks should only ever be used as secondary locks, as they are so easy to cut.

• Chain locks can be good for odd shaped bikes, and allow locking to wide objects, but Sold Secure-rated chain locks tend to be very heavy due to the size of the links.

• D-Locks are by far the best solution as a primary lock, and the smaller the better to prevent access for car jacks and crowbars, which are regularly used to lever them off.

• Protect your wheels with locking skewers, just remember to have a skewer key with you if you get a puncture.

Next, consider where you park your bike. Don’t hide it away, thieves love dark corners where pedestrians fear to tread, so they can quietly work on your lock for hours if necessary. Make your bike visible, and lock it to an immovable object, a Sheffield Stand is best, but never lock to a bollard. If you are near to one of our high security cycle hubs, use that but remember to lock your bike up in there too.

Other things to consider are using removable pedals, which are easy to take off and replace, pop them in your bag when you leave your bike: if it can’t be ridden away it’s unlikely to be taken.

Make sure you have photos of your bike and note down any frame numbers. Using Bike Register can also help with recovery if the worst happens, and will also make the bike less saleable on the secondhand market.

If you use your bicycle regularly you’ll understand how important it is, and regardless of how much your bike cost you, its value to you will far outweigh the price of replacing it.

Oxford Shackle 14 Pro 260

£47.00

Sold Secure Diamond Rated D Lock, the best there is. 

Take security of your bike seriously with this diamond rated lock by Oxford. Key operated lock with 3 keys and a key replacement service. This is our best lock available. 

Stop worrying about the security of your bike and enjoy the ride.

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