I know all of us love a bargain, and the internet is full of them, but cycling as a whole really would be worse off if we were to lose our local bike shops, and thanks to so many of us buying our kit online that is a very real possibility. Local bike shops are an endangered species, and we need to do all we can to protect them. You personally might not value your local bike shop, but like so many other things it will only be when it’s gone that you’ll really miss it.

So, with all that in mind we are loving the fact that Pedal Progression (a great bike hire/coaching centre/local shop at Ashton Court in Bristol) have just started selling these not-for-profit T’s in order to remind riders to support their local bike shop. The idea is that for each one they sell to someone like you they will also give one away to someone who works in a local bike shop. They can wear it as uniform if they are allowed (most are, especially as they won’t have any Pedal Progression logos on them), or just as a casual T. The first ones will be given away to staff in other Bike shops in the Bristol area, but then they hope to expand further afield if they sell enough of them.

The T’s themselves are super high quality ones from Morvelo and they’ll only cost you £15. Once Pedal Progression have given one away on your behalf they won’t be making a penny from these, they just want to help remind people to think about where they spend their money. As Pedal Progression put it, “If people didn’t come through and buy product from us then we wouldn’t be able to keep going, increasing the size of our hire fleet and getting new people into the sport by hiring them a bike and coaching riders that want to improve – and that is our goal!”

If you’re still not convinced about the need to support your local bike shop then the message on the back of each T might make you think again.

For more information and to support this campaign head over to www.pedalprogression.com and get in touch with them.