The art of riding, together

Of cream teas and canals, saisons and saddles

Asimple idea: the best part of cycling is the people. And if that is truly the case – naturally, we believe it is – then Brooks ought to be getting amongst the masses as often as we can. To this end, we curated a series of social rides to help us connect with local cycling communities around Britain, setting out from the premises of bicycle retailers who champion community and have an affinity with Brooks.

The objective was to reach out to, join up with and say thank you to the community of cyclists around each enterprise,

or in some cases to introduce new customers entirely. We also wanted to celebrate all that we treasure most dearly about shared pursuits in the saddle. As might be expected, we also brought along some saddles for participants to try. Here, then, is a recap of the first two rides in the series, with reflections from the shop owners, and some beautiful photography that captures the very essence of what we set out to achieve.

The first of these marvellous meanders departed on 23 March from The Woods Cyclery, a longstanding beacon of off-road riding nestled in the New Forest. The Woods made a perfect starting point for our picnic-paced tour of the country because of its firm fraternal ethos. Tom Farrell of Woods explained a little bit more. “We always wanted a shop that fostered a community. We started running Sunday social gravel rides, and soon we were offering pour-over coffee and cinnamon buns. Two years ago we opened a full-blown coffee shop which has turned into a madhouse meeting spot for every type of cyclist. None of this was particularly well thought through, it all just happened!”

The New Forest is a great place to ride a gravel bike, with miles and miles of well-kept forestry roads that wend their way through ancient oaks and towering beeches. It's really no surprise, then, that The Woods has taken off. Here’s Tom Farrell again. “We love Brooks saddles, we use them on a vast majority of our custom builds and most of our own bikes. We enjoy celebrating the history of British cycling which is so entwined with Brooks as a brand."

The shop now specialises in custom builds for off-road bikes, adventure bikes, and the odd cargo bike. They also do a wheel building, with a particular call for dynamo wheels. Shona and Rich have completed several ultra-distance races, not to mention bikepacking adventures closer to home – sometimes on a tandem and sometimes in the company of their border terrier, Olive.

For Oldfield, this ride was a chance to connect with a group of cyclists, some of whom were firm friends of Keep Pedalling, others who’d never attended a shop ride before. “It was just fun, basically. Really chilled out. We had about 40-45 people and got really lucky with the weather for a change. An eclectic range of bikes and styles, as always. Some folks from Sheffield came over, the Rough Stuff Fellowship,Grass Up The Middle crowd.”

With any ride starting in a city the size of Manchester, there is always a sense of escape. We made our way via urban byways, first, before this gave way to canal-side tracks and field-boundary bridleways. “The route was a bit of everything,” Shona explains.

“Carrington Moss, the Irwell Canals. If I had a favourite part it was the mini eggs and mock-tinis [a non-alcoholic version of the classic martini] laid on by Brooks.” The riders paused to refuel at the Dunham Apple Barn, a chance to enjoy the fruits of the orchards nearby. Then we turned home and headed for the final stop, the Balance Taproom – where a special Brooks saison beer was on offer.

The next Brooks social ride will depart from Bicycle Ambulance in Cambridge on 25 May. Brilliant Bikes in Ascot follows on 31 May, with Bikemonger in Ripon on 8 June. The list of shops selected so far is by no means exhaustive, so if you are the owner or a community member of a Brooks retailer, be sure to reach out with your ideas for a leisurely outing with plenty of scope for picnic stops and post-ride refreshment.

Into the Woods (Cyclery): Simon Weller was on-hand to photograph the day. If you attended on the day, see if you can spot yourself.

Out of The City: Dan Monaghan was on-hand to photograph the day.