Tag: On the Move

Electric Cycle Company is being supercharged

The Electric Cycle Company, Scotland’s largest specialist e-bike shop, is on the move to a 4000 square foot, carbon neutral premises in Edinburgh. 

Boogie, host of Forth 1’s Breakfast Show, joined Neill Hope, MD of the Electric Cycle Company, to launch a crowdfunding campaign to renovate the building into a new state of the art store and workshop, the biggest e-bike shop in the UK.  

Following year on year growth in the last ten years, Edinburgh’s Electric Cycle Company (ECC), Scotland’s largest specialist e-bike retailer, is on the move to a new 4,000 square foot premises on Crewe Road North, four times the size of their current retail space and workshop on Granton Road.

Building work on the state-of-the-art electric bike store, a far cry from the traditional ‘stack’em high’ model of bike retail, is set to get underway next week and will take an estimated six weeks to complete.

When completed the new shop, scheduled to open in early September, will be the UK’s largest specialist e-bike shop, displaying a large selection of both new and established electric bike brands and quality accessories. 

The shop will have enough showroom space to display bikes to enable the hugely knowledgeable and experienced sales team to safely deliver both interactive and informative e-bike demonstrations and ‘talk throughs’, perfectly matching the best e-bike to a customer’s lifestyle.  With bookable sales appointments, there will be a welcome reception and a dedicated customer waiting and chill out area.

The new store will be one of the first carbon-neutral bike shops in the UK.  The renovation plans include solar panels on the roof and battery banks will take care of lighting and bike charging. Heating will be provided by a biomass boiler powered by the waste packaging the business creates.

The ECC has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the £70,000 for the renovation of the shop and workshop. 

They are targeting current e-bike customers, new and returning cyclists looking to buy their first e-bikes, and other e-bike owners looking for long term specialist bike maintenance and high end accessories, all of whom will be keen to ‘pay forward’ in order to receive excellent discounts on a wide range of e-bike products, accessories and services that will help them to save money.  Puncture repairs, clothing vouchers, free software updates and bike servicing and discount cards for life are amongst the fantastic rewards for investment.

Neill Hope, Managing Director of ECC, said: “We’ve always been the largest e-bike specialist in Scotland, continuously at the forefront of the industry. My Dad started the Electric Cycle Company in 2006. 

“I took over ten years ago and moved it into proper retail premises on Granton Road.  Since then we have seen our turnover increase year on year, by as much as 500% over this period.  Our staff numbers have increased from two to ten [today] and we now have the widest range of electric bikes in Scotland. 

“This is something I could never have imagined when my family started the business from the back of my Dad’s office, as an offshoot from his plastering company.  We also have the added benefit of being backed by the North Edinburgh community.

“We really hope that our customers, old and new, are keen to support us create the most progressive bike shop in Scotland and a more comfortable, spacious and safer environment for them and our staff.  The range of crowdfunding rewards will be beneficial to their e-bike lifestyles, both now and in the future.

“With their investment we will also be able to reward all of our customers with added value with things like extended guarantees, free security marking, and updates.  It’s a win win for all.”

ECC’s expansion comes at the perfect time as the City of Edinburgh Council plans to make big changes in the way people move around the city.  One of the goals is to create ‘a city where you don’t need to own a car to move around’, a clear shift towards cycling and walking. 

The proposals to shape the Scottish capital for the next decade, City Plan 2030, include expanding the network of cycle paths and linking the park and ride terminals to bike-friendly routes. They also set out potential new areas for park and ride terminals and ‘active travel routes’.

Neill Hope added: “Since the start of the Covid-19 Lockdown there has been a revolution in cycling and our sales have increased by more than 100%, as compared with the same period in 2019. 

“With such a high demand for e-bike sales and maintenance, the Granton Road bike shop and workshop are just too small to operate as safely and efficiently as we want.  Our move can’t come quick enough.

“Our new customers are not only getting to grips with the many health and financial benefits of cycling for both commuting and exercise but also quickly realising that e-bikes make the whole physical process even easier and more joyful than traditional cycling, despite the larger initial investment. 

“Edinburgh, with its many hills, substantial cycle path network, and ongoing council backing is the perfect city for an electric bike.  With the UK Government’s Cycle To Work Scheme and the Scottish Government backed Energy Saving Trust e-Bike Loan scheme to help with e-bike purchases, it is also the perfect time to invest in an e-bike.”

On the Move in Inverleith

You may recall that we paid tribute to talented Broughton High School students in a previous post about the recent Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership community conference.

Well, on top of everything else the pupils did to ensure the conference was a success, they also took a few photographs of the event – correction, a few hundred photographs! A (very) small sample is included with this  conference report by Broughton pupil Robbie Thomson:

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It is always refreshing when Edinburgh youths and local residents alike are provided with the opportunity to pose any queries or concerns they may have in regards to their community. Even more encouraging is when people with the power to influence and change take the time out to listen.

2Broughton High School was the venue for the Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership Community Conference on 15 November, with a focus on transport. Presented by North Edinburgh News’ very own Mr. Dave Pickering, around 100 attendees were given an opportunity to engage in open discussion with key figures of transport in Edinburgh.

3The set-up consisted of six different tables; parking, winter weather, road safety, road maintenance, walking/cycling and public transport. Attendees at each table rotated throughout the course of the evening, offering everyone the chance to make their voice heard.

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Mr. Tony Lear of Edinburgh City Council discussed winter weather issues at length, and with an admirable clarity. He claimed £750,000 has been funded to the local authorities by the Scottish Government to prevent expansion and water retention in potholes throughout the winter, while also confirming that more funds are to be set aside from the revenue budget for off-road cycle paths. This winter will see pre-treatment and gritting on North Edinburgh cycle paths for the first time. Mr. Lear also noted that local care homes, sheltered accommodation and school access routes are to receive priority treatment.

5As parents attended in large numbers, road safety was a particular topic of interest. Many parents raised issues over the poor lighting in local streets over the winter months, and the crossing difficulties at the bottom of East Fettes Avenue. Miss Helen Bourquin also addressed concerns over cycling restrictions in the Comely Bank area.

6While the cycling infrastructure in the local area was generally praised, Mr. Phil Noble announced that design standards for walking and cycling in Edinburgh are soon to be revised. The Scottish Government have also recently increased the budget for the marketing of walking and cycling. Mr. Noble also stated that in the next year, 5% of the total transport budget (around £16 million) is to be spent on cycling, which would amount to around £1.5-2 million. There was also praise for Mr. Ian Bieniowski in regards to Lothian Buses pricing system, customer service and general consistency.

7Certainly worthy of a special thanks are Broughton High senior pupils Fraser Young and Calum Chapman. Voluntarily, they again devoted their time towards helping set up the technical aspects of the evening, an essential aspect in the event’s overall success – particularly the ‘warm-up’ musical performances from Broughton pupils. The pair regularly volunteer their technical knowledge and organisational acumen in all events throughout the school – they couldn’t have done it without them!

8The only downside of an otherwise very encouraging evening was the technical issue with the event’s twitter feed. Broughton High School pupils who had volunteered to help out were given I-Pads to regularly update the event’s twitter feed through the hashtag #inverleithconf, but the server became unresponsive midway through the event.

Nevertheless, the evening generated very positive feedback, on the whole. It would appear that the future is bright for the local residents as far as transport is concerned.

Robbie Thomson, Broughton High School

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