Welcome to Rat Race Cycles

Status

Rat Race Cycles is bike shop and workshop in Nunhead, South East London.

We offer bicycle repairs and servicing as well as bike, parts and accessories sales. We also hand build quality wheels and custom bikes.

The owner, Pete, is a Cytech 3 mechanic and a qualified CycleFit bike fitter, and is therefore able to tailor each and every aspect of the bike to you from the ground up, whatever your cycling discipline. This helps you to find the best bike set up to suit your body and your riding style, and can help you avoid injury or pain in your hips, knees, legs, and back as well other joints including your shoulders and wrists.

Find out more about who we are, take a look at what we do, have a look at our price list, and be sure to check back here for updates on what’s going on in Nunhead, and in the wider world of cycling!

The real meaning of Easter…

Posted on 25th March 2013 by teg

…whatever Easter means to you, the one thing we can all agree on is that we get a long weekend. As you can imagine, with a new business and a new baby, time off is quite a rare and valuable commodity at the moment; so with that in mind we will be closed from Good Friday to Easter Monday, inclusive. We hope this doesn’t put you out too much.

The second bit of news we have is that there’s going to be a slight change to our price list at the end of the financial year. From Monday 8 April a full service will cost £75, and a checkover service £40. You can see the rest of the changes to our price list here.

There is some good news, though: to make up for closing the workshop over the long weekend, (and to fit in as many bikes as we can before our prices go up), while the shop will be closed as usual Pete will be slaving away at the workstand this Wednesday, and next Wednesday, too. This week’s workshop diary is almost full, but give us a call to nab one of the remaining spaces next week and have your faithful steed good as new in time for a fresh start for the new financial year before the prices go up!

Over and out, Rat fans.

New hours at the Nunhead Shop

Posted on 18th March 2013 by teg

Just popping in quickly to let you know about a little change to the shop opening hours here at Rat Race Cycles. As the shop is still pretty new, and with the arrival of the lovely Monty (and Teg’s maternity leave) we’re essentially a one-man operation at the moment, and we’re not quite ready to recruit any more staff just now.

So, starting this week, Rat Race Cycles will be closed on Wednesdays as well as on Sundays. We’re hoping this won’t be forever, and as the business grows and expands we fully expect to return to 6 day operations when we can. For now, though, we hope you understand, and that it doesn’t inconvenience you too much. We’ll still be open 8-6 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9-5 on Saturday. Hopefully, we’ll see you then.

A new Rat Racer

Posted on 1st February 2013 by teg

We’ve had a bit of good news at Rat Race Cycles over the festive period, as a new little racer joined our team… say hello to Monty Robert Owen, born at 15:59 on Boxing Day 2012, weighing a rather perfect 7lbs 5oz. Mother and baby both doing well, mother and father besotted.

Thanks for your understanding with the ad hoc closures at this exciting but unpredictable time.

Pete, Teg and Monty. x

Let us Save your Ass in time for Christmas!!

Posted on 22nd December 2012 by teg

So, there’s only 3 sleeps to go! Have you got everything you need for the big day? Don’t worry if not, cos we can quite literally save your ass … brand new Rat Race Cycles Ass Saver mudguards available now – a perfect stocking filler at only £6 a pop.

And we’re still offering 10% off everything else (exc servicing) in the run up to Christmas – come down and see us today!!

Treading the boards

Posted on 25th October 2012 by teg

Q: when is a bike shop like a national art gallery?
A: when the floorboards are reclaimed from Tate Britain.

OK, so it’s not the funniest joke I’ve ever made, but it’s true and it’s so exciting!

Work comes on apace at RRC Nunhead and earlier this week we had a lovely man from a flooring company pay us a visit with the samples pictured here, and more. We loved them all, to be fair – solid wood, preferably reclaimed, was what we had in mind, so the Antique Oak Flooring Co pretty much hit the spot. Left to decide between them, though, we plumped for the narrower boards; there’s something almost velodrome-ish about them, we thought!

So, another day, another nice man, when someone came to see us about actually fitting the flooring. Seems to be all good so far – minimal reinforcing required, and some jiggery-pokery with the skirting boards, and we’re golden. I’m too excited!

Speaking of the skirting boards, this week’s hard graft has mainly involved sanding. Sanding and stripping. Walls and wood, of course, we haven’t gone all burlesque on you…!

We’ve uncovered some remarkable – uh – features, too; gold effect wood paint, anyone? And a borrowed paint stripper machine (giant hair dryer?!) made light – and photogenic – work of years of well-loved decor. Huge thanks to Alan and Darren for the loan of these toys, and also to Darren for a good day’s hard graft on the walls.

Extra special thanks though have to go to super-trooper Carl (pictured L, with Pete) who has put in more work at the shop this week than either of us, sanding, stripping and sugar-soaping like a man possessed. Carl, you’re a star.

And one more progress shot (why not, eh!?)

Next big jobs? getting the flooring in, fixing up the shop front and then the shutters and bars have to be installed. It’s all coming together though! Watch this space, folks!