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The team behind Adventure Cycles live and breathe bikes.
For Dan Thwaite and Sam Rouxel, the last decade has been a dream come true as they get to combine their passion with their work, helping islanders of all ages on their cycling journey.
This is the latest in our series celebrating the value of Guernsey's small businesses, where Express has sat down with the owners of the many places that make the island a unique place to live, work, and shop to find out: What makes a small business tick? What issues do they face, and why do entrepreneurs choose to launch in Guernsey?
Pictured: Adventure Cycles in St Martin's.
Dan Thwaite and Sam Rouxel
After completing university Dan found himself in an office job as many people do but soon realised this wasn’t for him. He moved out to Canada to pursue his dream of riding bikes for a living. He did this for a number of years in both Whistler, BC and Queenstown, New Zealand before finding his way back to Guernsey.
When the opportunity came up to purchase a cycle shop in Guernsey, it was too good to pass up.
Sam comes from a super yacht management background but one of his previous jobs was a mechanic at Moulins Cycle Shop many years ago, so the love and passion for maintaining bikes has always been a part of his life. When approached by Dan in late 2012 regarding the possibility of co-owning a bike shop, it was a dream come true.
Pictured: Adventure Cycles has two premises opposite each other on La Grande Rue.
We offer a full range of bikes and accessories from a child’s first balance bike right up to a full adults range of hybrid commuters, mountain bikes, weekend leisure cycles. Of course the biggest growing sector is electric bikes, including electric cargo bikes.
Since the refit at the start of the year, we also now have expanded our workshop to help ease the busy summer months of repairs and servicing work.
We purchased Adventure Cycles 11 years ago, in July 2013, and since then the store has gone from strength to strength.
We have invested a lot of time and effort into making the cycle shop in St Martins one of the best on the island. As we are a team of passionate cyclists, so surely there’s no better job?
Pictured: Accessories and more are for sale as well as bikes.
The best thing about this business is seeing the excitement when a child receives their first bike, as their two wheeled adventure is only just beginning!
We’ve had some challenging times like all businesses with ever increasing overheads but particularly through Covid it wasn’t a pleasant working environment, panic buying then lead to chronic bike and spare parts shortages.
The worst thing though was the strained atmosphere when attempting to sell products over the phone and email, as usually it requires picking up the product and test riding bikes, so the personal touch was lost temporarily which we feel is a necessity. We are glad that these times are now well behind us and the supply chain has recovered.
Our years of experience riding and racing bikes, coupled with our strong ties to the local cycling community. We are truly passionate about bikes and cycling, we live and breathe bikes! Our team of fully qualified mechanics in a state of the art workshop provides customers with the peace of mind when booking in their trusty steed.
Pictured: Adventure Cycles is in St Martin's.
Our goal, as it always has been, is to provide a high level of customer service to the cyclists of Guernsey, as we’re all cyclists first and foremost!
The best-thing about living and working in Guernsey is enjoying the summer (when we eventually see one), riding our bikes all year round to work as nowhere is far in Guernsey. But the standout is always the week of the MTB Tour of Guernsey, as it’s great for spectators and competitors alike!
Pictured: The shop front at Adventure Cycles.
Riding bikes and enjoying a cold beverage after a good ride.
Find Adventure Cycles in La Grande Rue, St Martins, GY4 6LH. You can call them on 232855 or email sales@adventurecycles.net. They are also on Facebook.
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