An Ode to the Humble Mudguard

O valiant shield of wheel and frame,

You bear the brunt of nature’s game.

When skies weep down their sodden tears,

You stand between my shorts and smears.

No splash of grit, no stripe of grime,

Shall mark my back in rain-soaked time.

You whisper not, you boast no flair,

Yet keep my dignity threadbare.

Through puddled lanes and woodland trails,

Where muck and mulch compose their tales,

You guard my gears, my chain, my soul—

A silent knight with noble role.

Though racers scoff and strip you bare,

Preferring speed to self-care’s flair,

I hail your curve, your steadfast grace,

Your quiet pride in saving face.

So here’s to you, dear plastic arc,

Or metal fender, sleek and stark.

You are the cape my bike would wear,

If steeds of steel could show they care.

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Our shops have stocked up on mudguards, because no matter how long the dry weather lasts you live in Britain and with that comes the heavy burden of cycling in the rain. Don’t get wet, get mudguards!

Have you seen the signs?

As we are writing this around the city things are happening, it’s been nearly a year since our Cycle Hub in the city centre opened and although we’ve been managing it for Sheffield City Council there has been very little to suggest we are here. But things are changing and we are now becoming a little more visible.

Not only are we affixing stickers to just about every bicycle stand in the city advertising our facility but there are now official blue highway signs going up. They’re not that obvious at the moment as there is only 2 but they do point in the right direction but this may also confuse a little because one is located outside Yates pointing down Cambridge Street a road that we would all believe to be one way but surprisingly that has changed and now cycles can legally ride down Cambridge Street and along Cross Burgess Street to the Peace Gardens, Although it’s not perfect, the parked cars on each side of Cambridge Street don’t really make it wide enough for cars and bikes. So maybe the Council need to forego a small amount of revenue from the parking spaces to make the road safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike.

WhatsApp Channel Launched

There are so many ways people communicate these days, in fact there are probably too many? We’ve always tried to keep up but sometimes its just easier to focus on one or two forms of communication and let everyone know that’s how we do it.

As such we have decided that a WhatsApp channel will be useful especially to help keep you informed about what is happening at the hubs, it’s not going to be a continuous stream of adverts and articles, it will be providing important updates about our Hubs and our Shop services. If we do more than one post a week it will because something big has happened.

So if you are a Hub user, a Club Member, a shop visitor or just want to keep informed about what we do add our WhatsApp Channel to your phone.

Russell's Bicycle Shed | WhatsApp Channel

New Events Calendar Launched

We’ve always been keen to tell you all about events going off in Sheffield, it is what makes a city, a place, vibrant and a nice place to live.

If you’ve been following our newsletter from the very beginning you’ll know that we used to list events that we thought you’d like and be good to cycle to. So we’ve brought this idea back to life starting with a listings page with cycling and other events.

If you want to know what is going off we want you to find out here.

Your Dream Bike; Realised!

At our Neepsend shop we hold a hoard of used parts, accessories and bicycles. Sometimes these bikes are built into something quite special, you may have seen ‘Custom Build’ on one of our Pre-loved Bicycle listings and not know what it means. These are bikes that start refurbishment as a bare frame and an idea of what it could turn into. Commonly, we like to modify older bikes and bring them a new lease of life where they end up much more capable than they would have been from the factory. These ‘resto-mod’ bicycles not only look the part but in my eyes are a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Our wealth of experience working with all kinds of bicycles started a thought around how the smoothest bicycles to ride tended to be vintage steel road bikes, gaining their comfort from the gentle compliance that a steel frame offers. But these bikes struggle around Sheffield with narrow ratio drivetrains holding you back uphill and not very strong brakes making things a bit sketchy going downhill. So we set out on a mission to create the perfect city bike to eat up these hills and to keep the striking vintage styling we’ve come to love so much.

Our custom builds come in two forms here, mechanic designed and built and put up for sale, client led build where you decide exactly how your bike is going to end up, we can tailor everything down to the last bolt to your requirements. We are intent on saving bikes from the scrap man and creating bicycles you love to ride, from time trial bikes converted to flat bars for speed and agility while being comfortable for daily riding, to 1950s pieces of cycle art brought back to life with a new lease of life, to 80s steel frames completely refitted with a modern wide range drivetrain and a modern wheelset into a touring bike.

If reading this has inspired you to have your own build, please get in contact with us, or pop into our Neepsend shop and have a look at the frames that could become your new pride and joy.

Elliot works on a custom build at our Neepsend Shop