OPINION Going the Extra Mile By Laura Laker I
had reached the limit of my puncture-repairing abilities, my inner tube having taken on the characteristics of a spotted snake. After each new patch, and hand-pumping it back to a usable PSI, the tyre gradually deflated once more. There was nothing for In fact, I got two - and a reminder of what
I was trying to take a brief holiday in Southend when my progress along the seafront to my hotel gradually got slower. A veteran patcher, I quickly got to work. Realising my supply of patches was running low, I followed Google Maps uphill to Jayz Cycles to pick up a new puncture repair kit
“Not many people sell these any more”, the eponymous Jay said when I got there, handing me the repair kit. He also offered me his track stand to pump up the tyre. The shop was light on stock, the walls largely bare, its contents mostly bikes parked in rows on the shop floor. Being generally nosey,
I was curious about the high-speed illegal e-bikes I’d seen around, one of which, complete with a dinner-plate-sized motor, was leaning near the doorway. While he won’t touch the electrics or keep conversion kits or overpowered machines in the shop overnight, he fixes the mechanical parts of any bike that comes in. His ethos is helping people with their bikes; doing repairs rather
He told me later: “After Covid I stopped selling so many new bikes, and they’ve gone up so much anyway. I’m happy doing repairs. I’ve been in the industry 30 years, so I’m happy just pootling along,
I’ve no big bills, no debts or staff to pay. I’m an old-school bike shop where I’ll help people and not necessarily charge them for everything.” Local bike shops face a myriad of problems - including
around sales - and not all can afford to be as generous with their time as Jay, or avoid buying new expensive stock which might hang around for months on the shop floor. However, it
ILLUSTRATION BY MR. SAHRULLAH ON SHUTTERSTOCK
www.bikebiz.com
October 2026 | 31
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
