Bramhall is well-suited for a growing cycling community

Link?

Say what now? 

Bear with me, I'm struggling with the image.

EDIT. Phew, done it.

Yeah, not sure how that image really shows much about cycling.  Trek are relocating from the total fitness store near Wilmslow to the old Sainsbury's in Bramhall...

Bramhall isn’t even any good for darkside riding. Marple, Mellor and Macc are probably the closet MTB spots. Perhaps a new form of urban pootling can become the new craze for the well healed folks of Bramhall.

Perhaps a new form of urban pootling can become the new craze for the well healed folks of Bramhall.

I peered into the window this afternoon as I walked past. Heavy on the E-bikes.

Bramhall is the ideal location, being populated by loads of middle aged commuters with plenty of money who can afford to live in such an expensive place. That's about what it boils down to - I'm not saying our house in Marple is cheap, but you could add 50% if you put it in Bramhall...

That whole area has seen a lot of fairly high end cycling shops/cafes open up. And then quite often close down or relocate as well.

Service Course in Wilmslow (now closed). Apus Peak, a coffee shop and bike fit place in Knutsford (now closed).

Pinarello have a big shop on Deansgate and another in Wilmslow. There's a new cycling cafe (also selling top end Cervelo) in Alderley Edge called Velo Edge.

Seems to be a bit of a revolving door of high end cycling, I'm not convinced that there's the market there for all of it. It's almost like the shops/brands are going "right, where are all the affluent places...?" and then having opened, they find that although it's affluent, no-one is buying £10,000 bikes...

The council have put in a lot of 'separate' cycle lanes (Jackson's Lane), but i'm not sure the car centric community of Bramhall will use them. The A555 has a wonderful cycle lane, which runs through Bramhall.

I walked past the new trek shop in bramhall last weekend, is it replacing the one at total fitness? presume it will be run by the same people - which is a shame as I found their service/attitude terrible on the one occasion I tried to use them. I own a trek too - I just didnt buy it from them , and they refused to have anythgin do to with a potential warranty issue because it wasnt bought from them, despite trek offering a global warranty. I went to leisure lakes in the end and they couldnt have been more helpful - bike also not bought from them originally

Wasnt there another expensive road bike shop in bramhall a couple of years ago, that is not longer there?

I guess the new trek shop get more footfall than the shop at total fitness, but cant see it being viable long term.

Seems to be a bit of a revolving door of high end cycling, I’m not convinced that there’s the market there for all of it. It’s almost like the shops/brands are going “right, where are all the affluent places…?” and then having opened, they find that although it’s affluent, no-one is buying £10,000 bikes…

This, basically. It sounds like a great idea on paper but so many appear to fail. It seems to me that they become essentially a fancy coffee shop with some amazing 9k road bikes that just become very expensive decor whilst all your patrons buy a flat white and some flapjack.

Whenever I see one open I always hope they make a go of it, but also know deep down that despite being a local(ish) road rider I'll probably never end up going in as I don't really do coffee stops and the traditional LBSs in the area are cheaper for maintenance and sales.

Having said that, I've not been in Velo Edge but did have a bike fit with Crimson Performance who I think have now moved to above Velo Edge cafe and I'd recommend them to anyone wanting a fit, as they were really great.

Wasnt there another expensive road bike shop in bramhall a couple of years ago, that is not longer there?

Yes directly opposite where Trek have moved to.

Yes directly opposite where Trek have moved to.

that bodes well then

I’m failing to see the suitability of Bramhall for a growing cycling community based on this photo.

If you like trail building but hate working with others it looks ideal based on that photo. No compromise on your vision.

I think they mean there are plenty of dentists to buy Carbon Santa Cruz to ride around the car park at Llandegla twice a year

The more I look at that image I think, yep there is some potential there, but if no one dug there during covid, no-one is going to do it now.

I now spend what seems half my life in Bramhall, but have Northwest MTB on my doorstep, there's a Trek store opposite work in Manchester and I've ventured in once to buy an inner tube for my commuter and they were pretty dismissive and expensive, haven't been back since.

If it gets a few new people into the sport, then all good, and when it closes NWMTB hopefully will pick up a few new customers :-).

The picture and statement that "Bramhall's well suited for a growing cycling community" may just be to get people to think about buying bikes (hopefully from them).<br />It certainly has potential as a starting point for quiet roads and mild off road routes. The A555 cycle path takes you towards Poynton, the Middlewood Way, Lyme Park, Marple and the High Peak in one direction or rural Cheshire in the other. Loads of options if you get the maps out.<br />For beginners and families, go to the top of the Jackson's Lane cycle path. Turn right and loop back to Bramhall along the A555 cycle path. Not very exciting, but traffic free.

The Jackson’s Lane cycle path despite being poorly built (huge undulations at the hazel grove end) does see a lot of commuter traffic from Stockport/ or Bramhall Park towards High Lane.  I see a fair amount of  family use and it seems to be being maintained/cleared.  SMBC have opened up Carr Wood to cycles and extended the Jackson’s Lane path through Happy Valley up to the high school to encourage the kids/active travel to school.  We have at least a couple of cargo commuters carrying the kids to primary school too.  I have ridden and chatted alongside an older dad riding with his son who I see on Jackson’s Lane regularly, his son has downs, rides a trike with a massive smile on his face.  I’m totally all for this and perhaps not for some of the judgemental comments on the thread 😘

Im sure the Trek venture won’t last long, the  previous shop opposite was more a cycle themed coffee shop with a mechanic upstairs and a couple of bikes for sale.  It was a bad location IMO.  Lots of road clubs come through, but coming off the highway click clacking into a small precinct perhaps not ideal.

I'm local too - I never go near Bramhall as a cyclist or driver. It's shit - in a posh way.

Jacko's lane cycle track is a pump track. It's a mess - I don't go near it on the road bikes.

It certainly has potential as a starting point for quiet roads and mild off road routes.

Yes I'm not knocking the location, I live here and it's easy to get out to hills in one direction and flat(ish) lanes in another. It's the photo I thought was a bit odd.

I’m local too – I never go near Bramhall as a cyclist or driver. It’s shit – in a posh way.

It's not all bad. There's a butcher and a greengrocer and of course Greggs and The Mounting Stone! Granted the rest is all coffee shops and eateries.