Shrewsbury Shrine to Cycling

[Kieron McMahon]

I'm often disappointed by the stock of some of our local bike retailers. I know how hard it can be to tie up capital in stock but flippin' heck some places have as few as three or four road bikes. I know they say they can order it for you and all that but I can do that online. Sometimes you just want to have that touchy feely experience. So imagine how surprised I was when I nipped into Dave Mellor Cycles in Shrewsbury today. The attached photo is just the off-road/hybrid section. There's a whole other room packed with road bikes. And the ground floor is heaving with cycling gear and accessories. I believe a certain George Appleby is to start work here on Saturday. It certainly looks like a fantastic bike store. The staff I met were all very helpful and friendly too! And I notice on the website http://www.davemellorcycles.com that they're all Cytech trained. They also offer the new Specialized bike fitting service which takes a couple of hours. Moreover, there are some bargains to be had such as the Transition Comp at http://www.davemellorcycles.com/product ... ctid=14125

[Kieron McMahon]

Just spent a couple of days on a fold-up bike in Shrewsbury. Close to the English Bridge there is another great cycling emporium called Stan's [see http://www.stanscycles.co.uk/]. It would appear that Dave Mellor Cycles has the Specialized and Giant market wrapped up whilst Stan's sells Trek, Pinarello and Cube. They also had a deadly-looking Cervelo time trialling beast. Nice and friendly vibe and even has an in-store cafe.

Shrewsbury's centre isn't the most cycle-friendly but it is possible to undertake the three town trails, the battlefield, riverside circumnavigation, the parks plus the art gallery in just two extended sessions on a bike. All pedalling action was wiped out by visiting The Loggerheads, Three Fishes, Coach and Horses and Admiral Benbow, all of which sell plenty of Shropshire-brewed ales.