We are a “mobile” cycle hire business with a base at Wirral Country Park but we also deliver & collect bikes to suit you.
Where are you in Wirral Country Park?
Go down Station Road, Thurstaston, turn left in to the main car park, keep to the left & at the far end you will see a gate leading in to what used to be a camp site. We park our van & bikes outside the former wash block.
When are you at Thurstaston.
A good question! We aim to be there weekends & school holidays from Easter to the end of September. Arriving at 11 am & leaving at 3pm if it’s quiet. These are our CORE OPENING TIMES. We are happy to get there earlier & leave later if we know you are coming so telephoning us first is strongly recommended.
What if the weathers bad?
We do not have premises to shelter us & our bikes & in our experience customers do not hire bikes in the rain! So we would probably stay home or go for a ride ourselves! If unsure please phone first.
What if we have booked some bikes & the weather changes?
We will have taken your payment & of course we will turn up unless you have phoned first to rearrange. You having a great cycling experience, coming back again & telling all of your friends is paramount to us! So of course we will be flexible.
Can we hire at Thurstaston outside of your core opening times?
Yes. Our weather is so unpredictable now & there are some wonderful cycling days in late Autumn & Winter. The Wirral Way & Thurstaston in particular is a lot quieter then as well. Please just book in advance.
Tell me a bit more about “Drop off & Ride”?
We are lucky to have the former railway line that is the Wirral Way to cycle along without worrying about any traffic. However Thurstaston isn’t easy to reach without your own transport & there are other beautiful routes elsewhere. Lots of customers prefer to leave the car at home for the day. We can deliver bikes to their home, hotel, railway station or anywhere else in Wirral or Liverpool city centre. Birkenhead Park & Port Sunlight village are popular destinations to explore by bike but customers don’t necessarily want to ride on the busy roads to reach there.
Is there an extra charge for “Drop off & Ride”?
Yes to cover our time & transport costs there is a small supplement of £5 for each delivery & each collection regardless of the number of bikes.
Is it possible to hire for longer than your tariff states?
Yes we will be pleased to provide a price for longer hires to fit in with you.
What happens if we have a puncture or something more serious?
Sadly punctures are a fact of life & we provide repair kits at no extra charge. If you can’t or don’t want to repair it we will always do our best to come & bring a replacement if you call us. The same with more serious problems. We bought a fleet of new bikes from leading suppliers (Dawes & Giant) & these have hardly been used. They are serviced by a qualified mechanic to minimize problems for you. Some have puncture resistant tyres.
What is the age limit for a childs bike?
It’s more to do with the size of the bike that fits your child. Teenagers will probably need an adult bike & adult rates will apply.
Can you cater for groups & corporate bookings.
Yes we are pleased to do so – please see cycle stories.
Do you provide discounts for groups?
We can if this is important to you. We will provide bespoke quotes for bookings of 10+. Please bear in mind we are a not-for-profit, Social Enterprise & if we trade at a surplus this is invested in more bikes or tools.
Like all businesses we have overheads. If hire income doesn’t exceed these then our staff become volunteers & don’t get paid! They agreed to do this to provide the first dedicated cycle hire business in Merseyside.
Are you Vat registered?
Yes. So a hire of a childs bike for £2.95 nets us £2.51! We will be pleased to issue a Vat invoice where required.
Why do you trade as a not-for-profit, Social Enterprise operating as a Workers Co-operative.
We spent more than a year researching the best business model & felt this suited our aims best. We are not in this for the money so if we generate a surplus it will be reinvested in bikes & equipment. We have aspirations & objectives for society which we think will be met by more people cycling & fewer car journeys. We want to be able to offer secure employment to cycle mechanics & the support staff needed to provide these services & more in the future. We hope others will want to help us to succeed possibly starting as a volunteer & then becoming a paid member of staff as income increases. It would take a special person to do that so in time they would have an equal say in the running of the business & share equally financially.
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