N ULVERSTON couple are hoping to tap into what they think is an ‘under served’ niche of the cycling community.

Caroline and Jonathan Clutterbuck have just opened Bikestation, a bike shop and cafe aimed at busy commuters.

Jonathan said that he felt the business, which offers bike hire, sales and servicing as well as drinks and snacks, was offering something ‘different’.

“A couple of years ago I went to the Cycle Show in Birmingham,” he said. “I got quite depressed because there was just nothing new happening, it was the same old stuff.

“I came back and pulled into the station at Ulverston and saw this building with a for lease sign and just thought it was an opportunity to do something a little bit different.”

Jonathan, who has been working as a mobile bike mechanic for the past six years, wanted to provide a service aimed at more casual cyclists who might be using bikes for transportation.

“I am not declaring my shop a Lycra free zone,” he said. “But I am trying to make it more inclusive for the every day people.”

The couple believe that the Grade II listed building that they are occupying used to be a water tower and it has taken them the past two and a half years to get it ready to open.

The location of the building is key for the couple as it offers access from the Ulverston railway station platform.

Jonathan hopes that the hire bikes will work like the famous ‘Boris Bikes’ in London, with commuters using them for the day to get to work.

“The location is everything from a commuting cyclists point of view and from the cafe,” Jonathan said. “The two sides of the business complement each other.”

Caroline, who is also working part-time as a store assistant in Aldi, has a background in food and retail. She will be focusing her efforts on running the cafe side of the business.

The shop is currently offering bikes for sale, with a focus on folding bikes and plans to sell ‘bike to office’ clothing in the future.

There is a bike workshop area and the cafe offers cakes sourced from Cumbria and coffee and tea from north Lancashire.

The hire bikes look set to be available from Spring 2017 and the shop is also set to be a hire point for those using electric bikes on the Morecambe Bay’s Electric Bike Network.