What facilities would be on your wishlist when on the road?

killer007

Hi everybody I need a bit of advice. I am living in a very scenic part of the country , great roads for touring or day trip cycling and I see a massive increase in numbers of cyclists.
I am thinking of creating service station, if you like, for cyclists . I have a small business(roadside) and was thinking of increasing car parking so it could be a starting point for day trips,and putting in showers, toilets ,small cafe etc for people when they get back or if cyclists are passing.
I need advice as to what other facilities cyclists would like to see ( bike wash,air ,water ,bike stands,covered stands, etc).
Has anybody come across facilities like this here or abroad ?
Any pointers would be appreciated.

Darkglasses

killer007 wrote: »

Hi everybody I need a bit of advice. I am living in a very scenic part of the country , great roads for touring or day trip cycling and I see a massive increase in numbers of cyclists.
I am thinking of creating service station, if you like, for cyclists . I have a small business(roadside) and was thinking of increasing car parking so it could be a starting point for day trips,and putting in showers, toilets ,small cafe etc for people when they get back or if cyclists are passing.
I need advice as to what other facilities cyclists would like to see ( bike wash,air ,water ,bike stands,covered stands, etc).
Has anybody come across facilities like this here or abroad ?
Any pointers would be appreciated.

Sounds like a terrific idea. If I knew there was a service station specifically aimed at cyclists, I would certainly go a long way out of my way to check it out.

All of the facilities you suggest would be great. Some kind of pump would also be popular I'd say. Having tubes/energy bars for sale could be a nice touch?

niceonetom

Underfloor heating.

Wishbone Ash

Some form of secure parking when taking refreshments (as many recreational cyclists don't/won't carry locks).

Plastik

Free water tap outside, freshly made coffee, indoor and outdoor heated seating, changing area, toilet, track pump, essentials for sale [tools, tubes, tyres, rain jackets etc.], large large area map on the wall outside, large TV, enough parking spaces for bikes...

ROK ON

Pancakes - my favourites have pecans, banana and some maple syrup.
Nice coffee.
Scones - plain. So many places only stock raisin scones and I dislike the texture of raisins immensely.
A radiator with hangers to dry and warm wet cycling jerseys.

I hope that that is not too much to hope for.

Cookie_Monster

To be honest aside from decent food & coffee, a track pump, water tap and parking you don't really need much else but the right atmosphere and good friendly staff willing to deal with men in funny looking clothes all day. It can be a hard thing to get right though!

the type of places that do well can surprise you, Glendalough Fayre in Laragh for example. I always thought this was a bit of an uppity restaurant but they are easily one of the most popular places in Wicklow to stop and are really nice and do amazing scones!

Conversly I can't think of anywhere around New Plymouth where I am no that'd I'd want to stop as a cyclist frequently...

daragh_

A podium.

Wishbone Ash

ROK ON wrote: »

and I dislike the texture of raisins immensely

+1 The work of the Devil!

So much otherwise excellent baking is ruined by the weird need to throw raisins into the mixture.

kincsem

Food to go that would fit in a cyclist's back pocket wrapped in greaseproof paper.

A high calorie meal - pasta with some sort of sauce. I wouldn't be keen on beef, chicken, or fish.

kincsem

A TV on the wall with scrolling images of customers and their bikes.

Jawgap

In the summer....

• Decent coffee
• Nice homemade cakes, buns and scones
• Sweets!
• Track pump and a few tools
• Maybe an 'honesty box' from which people can take and replace tubes - or have a few to sell
• Showers would be great

In winter....as above but maybe with the possibility of some hearty hot food - pasta, stew etc

Good luck!

bcmf

What a great idea.
There is a park just south of Edinburgh that is for mtb'ing and walking only.
They have a great coffee house with food and a bike wash area.
http://www.glentressforest.com/home.html

Dermot Illogical

Hookers, and cashback.

killalanerr

super idea. Think coffee shop with a track pump and parking and thats about it my favs are Tara and the naul

Beasty

Darkglasses wrote: »

Some kind of pump

Plastik wrote: »

track pump

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

track pump

Jawgap wrote: »

• Track pump

killalanerr wrote: »

track pump

Track pump??? what do you all think the OP is proposing - a bike shop?

Anyway, all I require is a tailwind and a tractor prepared to head in the right direction ...

petethedrummer

1. Track Pump
2. Spare Tubes
3. Good coffee
4. Scones

07Lapierre

petethedrummer wrote: »

1. Track Pump
2. Spare Tubes
3. Good coffee
4. Scones

And CAKE! Lots of cake.

nilhg

Good coffee,

some of the brack from the ROK, raisins and all:D

Dermot Illogical

Tubes, brake pads etc.
Small stuff that needs changing at the wrong time usually.

killer007

Brilliant, thanks for all the tips,quite a few bits I wouldn't have thought of.

So it'll be Food , Air and hookers in no particular order.:D

buffalo

I'm one of those freaks who drinks tea. And it's easier to serve!

Mycroft H

Tea! Decent tea, too. Loose leave preferable.



And a tap to fill bottles.

longshanks

Tea for me too. Real people drink tea.

dastardly00

An absolute necessity would be toilet roll! :pac:

RobertFoster

Maybe add some minor first aid stuff to the list too. Might need to patch more than the bike

petethedrummer

longshanks wrote: »

Tea for me too. Real people drink tea.

Tea before I set out. Coffee on the journey. Tea when I return home.

smacl

Great idea. May also print off some small maps of suggested routes, coloured by length / difficulty etc... Something like the VTT maps you see n France. Depending on the audience you're planning on catering for, maybe include some shorter loops suitable for the family.

Food wise, it's all about the cake. If you wanted to through in some hot sticky toffee pudding for the colder months, I wouldn't object.

What part of the country are we talking about?

g0g

Great idea! As someone else mentioned, one of the key things will be the staff and atmosphere - pick your people carefully!

On the family cycling side of things (if the roads aren't busy) maybe offer rental bikes or rent out those trailers you fill up with kids to tow them around.

To increase number of customers just create a load of Strava segments that start or end up outside the place!

In cold months it'd be great to have some sort of gadget (or just radiators!) that can dry gear off quickly or even warm it up!

Maybe a hose outside for people who are fussy about rinsing off their bikes if the roads are manky?

on_the_nickel

A service to phone your missus with an original excuse as to why you're late.

Delivery of flowers/chocolates/wine/gun to the house if you're really in the sh!t.

seamus

g0g wrote: »

Maybe a hose outside for people who are fussy about rinsing off their bikes if the roads are manky?

One thing which I think would be very useful (especially by MTBers) is a dry hose (probably not their real name). Golf clubs have these for golfers to clean grass and crud from their shoes and golf bag. Obviously you wouldn't want to spray water on these, so instead it's just a jet of pressurised air, which works far better than you would expect.

Power hoses wreck bikes and I'm not sure how much people would appreciate having to handle running water on a cold winter's day, but if you could dry hose the heaviest crud off the bike before putting it in the car, that would be most useful.

Tenzor07

seamus wrote: »

One thing which I think would be very useful (especially by MTBers) is a dry hose (probably not their real name). Golf clubs have these for golfers to clean grass and crud from their shoes and golf bag. Obviously you wouldn't want to spray water on these, so instead it's just a jet of pressurised air, which works far better than you would expect.Power hoses wreck bikes and I'm not sure how much people would appreciate having to handle running water on a cold winter's day, but if you could dry hose the heaviest crud off the bike before putting it in the car, that would be most useful.

There is a powerwasher at Ballinastoe MTB tracks, great idea run by biking.ie... Also at Lambe Doyles pub they had a hose for MTB'ers coming back from the Ticknock trails, though they have turned off the water last time i checked...

dave_o_brien

Eurosport. The opportunity to go for a training spin, stop half way, watch the Amstel Gold with a few fellow cyclists and then pedals home pretending you're Phil/Dan/Thomas would be great.

HivemindXX

You could add features until the cows come home. I think that a bike friendly atmosphere, a decent place to park bikes (ie: not wheel bender racks) and a pump or two would get you 90% of the way there and put you far ahead of most other places around.

On top of the pretty large list of good suggestions already made here's mine. A box of latex gloves for people to use if they do need to work on their bike. Also, and I'm getting pretty demanding now, some degreasing hand wash in the bathroom and perhaps a separate 'dirty' sink for people to use since cleaning oil and grease off your hands makes quite a mess.

kincsem

The phone number of a local taxi that would transport cyclist and bike.

Hungrycol

A nosebag and water trough for my horse.... hang on... sorry wrong thread.

RainyDay

Would a shower facility be a bit over the top? I couldn't see myself having a shower mid-ride, and then getting back into wet or sweaty clothes for the ride home? Having said that, I'm very much a fair weather short-distance rider compared to many on this forum.

seamus

I've never bothered with shower facilities tbh. Really doesn't bother me to jump in the car and have a nice shower at home. I usually bring tracksuit bottoms and an old jumper to keep me warm in the car and stop dirt/sweat from getting on the seat.

killer007

smacl wrote: »

What part of the country are we talking about?

Beara Peninsula.

on_the_nickel

killer007 wrote: »

Beara Peninsula.

Excellent - best place for it! Would certainly get me over there even more often, and I'm sure the clubs of Cork and Kerry would make it a staple for club runs.

To be honest, apart from the main items mentioned; a covered place for the bikes, track pump, drinks and pastries; all I need to frequent a place is a nice smile and a friendly atmosphere, which will cost nothing!

Hope it all comes together and the very best of luck to you.

kincsem

killer007 wrote: »

Beara Peninsula.

Nice.
And a list of local bed and breakfasts.

petethedrummer

Pictures on the wall of Sean Kelly covered in mud.

on_the_nickel

daragh_ wrote: »

A podium.

With podium girls.

smacl

killer007 wrote: »

Beara Peninsula.

Excellent part of the country, rented a place in Adrigole a couple of times in recent years and found the cycling and countryside superb.

awec

Sounds like a great idea. Good luck!

ROK ON

killer007 wrote: »

Beara Peninsula.

Class. I'm just over the road. There are a few people on this site who cycle the roads of the Beara regularly.

In terms of facilities there is precious little between Castletown and Glengariff or between Ardgoom and Kenmare.
There is a lovely cafe in the copper mine museum in Allihies but service is brutally slow.

One thing to remember is that folks out on a cycl can rarely stop for too long as you cool down rapidly. It's refuel and go. Have staff that understand that.
To get an idea as to how busy a place can get pay a visit to Glendalogh Fayre in Laragh Co Wicklow.
Granted they cater for a large community out of Dublin - but they do it quickly and friendly.
Grub is simple
Sandwiches
Homemade soup
A selection of cake and scones
Plus excellent coffee.

In terms of coffee head to Mannings Emporium in Ballylickey.
Best coffee in Munster by a country mile. Great place for lunch but not suitable food for cyclists.

Good on you. As well as the local cycling community from Cork and Kerry there are an increasing number of cycling sportifs on in the Beara.
The route is a regular feature on Ras na mBan, the Ras and next year Ras Mumhan. All these events attract a travelling entourage that would appreciate a place to wind down and maybe grab a coffee/sandwich.

Also I am noticing that more and more clubs head to the region for training/touring events.

Contact all the local clubs
Skibereen tri club
West Cork CC
Valley Wheelers
Kenmare Tri
Killarney CC
Tour de Munster

All o these clubs regularly cycle the roads around the Beara.

Best of luck.

thebouldwhacker

killer007 wrote: »

Beara Peninsula.

Are you me from the future?

Where would it be situated you reckon?
Important that you can be accessed by and give access to various routes rather than just on the side of the road in a lay by. Of course if you were mobile you could focus on different places and groups at different times. Large amount of tourists cycle around kilarney kenmare etc but they may not travel off the beaten track, the Healy pass ain't too buzy on a damp Wednesday at 3pm. A well kitted mobile unit could hit these and with a good website you could show where you are/ would be. Clubs could arrange their spins according to your location.... Free espresso at the top of priests leap anyone??

killer007

Thanks for all the replies ,it's given me a lot of food for thought. I guess cyclists would be grateful for any improvement in facilities along the roadside.

Watch this space!!!!!

bedirect

water, toilets, coffee, sandwiches, track pump, tubes, tyres, (a few spare wheels you could lend if anybody damages a spoke...dont have to be expensive,) Bench, ...best of luck

RobertFoster

killer007 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies ,it's given me a lot of food for thought. I guess cyclists would be grateful for any improvement in facilities along the roadside.

Watch this space!!!!!

Don't forget the boardsie discount when you're up and running :pac:

kavanagh_h

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

To be honest aside from decent food & coffee, a track pump, water tap and parking you don't really need much else ...

...not even cookies?