Hartlepool cycle service clinic clocks up 1,000th customer

A free service for Hartlepool’s booming number of bike users has clocked up a major milestone.
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The Hartlepool Cycle Clinic has recently completed its 1,000th bicycle service.

The clinic, which is run by Hartlepool Borough Council staff at the town’s Summerhill Country Park, carries out free servicing and repairs, with owners only paying for any parts which are required.

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The latest achievement comes almost three years after it serviced its 500th bike.

Keith Carter from the Hartlepool Cycle Clinic with 1,000th customer Louise Tate.Keith Carter from the Hartlepool Cycle Clinic with 1,000th customer Louise Tate.
Keith Carter from the Hartlepool Cycle Clinic with 1,000th customer Louise Tate.

The clinic has been operating for around nine years and is supported financially by the Hartlepool Borough Council-led Hartlepool Active Travel Hub.

The hub was set up to promote sustainable forms of transport as an alternative to people using cars.

Adam Reah, the council’s outdoor activities co-ordinator, said: “When the clinic was launched we never thought it would take off in the way that it has and prove to be such a huge success.

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“Over the years we have often had waiting lists as more and more people have taken advantage of the service.”

The 1,000th customer was Louise Tate, from Hartlepool, who said: “This is a brilliant service run by helpful and friendly staff, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.”

The coronavirus pandemic has triggered an estimated 22% jump in bicycle sales in the UK after several years of stagnation, new figures suggest.

The number of bikes sold reached an estimated 3.3 million – up from 2.7 million in 2019 – as more people took advantage of lockdowns and less traffic on the roads.

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National figures show that more than a fifth of cyclists (21%) have bought a bike for themselves in the past 12 months – up from 17% over the previous year while those who say they intend to buy a bike in the next year has risen from 37% in 2020 to 42%.

Overall, just under a third of adults (31%) in Britain currently cycle and around a fifth (19%) of all Britons cycle at least once a week.

The clinic at Summerhill is led by CYTECH 3 staff with an extensive knowledge of cycling.

For more information on the clinic, call (01429) 284584.