I am standing in Hull's oldest bike shop, surrounded by metal and rubber, when a customer walks in and tells me how brilliant it is. He can't recommend it highly enough – a sentiment that has been echoing around Hull for the past 90 years.

The front door is almost entirely concealed by awards and accolades that the business has won over the years. These include two Small Business Saturday titles, as well as being rated in the top three bike shops in Hull for the past five years running (or, perhaps, cycling?).

Inside, above the counter, sits a framed drawing of the bike shop – one of multiple gifts that have been given to staff over the years as a thank you for all of their hard work. This is how highly the people of Hull regard Steve's Cycles, a shop that has been selling bikes on Chanterlands Avenue since 1933.

Originally built in 1926, the building was first used to house a china and glass shop, owned by a Mr P Dixon. It then became a wireless accessory store, before Mr Chas Barker opened the shop as a cycle dealership and sold his first bike back in 1933.

The business has changed hands a number of times over the years. It has survived a world war and endured for nine decades.

Known not just for sales but for bike repairs (and wheelchair repairs, "basically anything we can do to keep people moving") the shop has seen a great deal of change over the years.

"We used to sell maybe one or two cycle helmets every month and now we sell about 10 or 15 a week, which is a good sign," says Steve. "The style of bikes has also changed, moving away from the old rod-style brakes, which we do actually still repair.

"I feel so proud to be the owner hitting 90 years for this shop, and I'll feel even prouder when we hit 100. We've been told that we're the oldest existing shop on Chants Ave, and when you tell people it's been here 90 years they stop and say 'wow!' It's really cool and it's a great feeling."

For Steve, one of the most important parts of his business is the sense of community around the Avenues. He treats his customers like family and friends and believes that this personal touch is what sets Steve's Cycles apart from the competition.

"The customers are the reason that we're still here, and they're the reason we've won our awards. My community is everyone who comes through that door, and while business can be hard sometimes, they're the ones who keep me going.

"We've only won the awards we have because our customers have bothered to vote for us, which is really special. When you hear from a customer how happy you've made them with a particular repair, you still get that buzz out of it because you know that you've put something right for them.")

With such a long history, it's hardly surprising that the shop has catered to generations of the same families. "Over the years I've sold and repaired bikes for kids and then seen them come in years later to buy bikes for their own children. We've always been a family orientated business, and that's how we mean to continue.

"We're a family business in the sense that my wife works in here with me, but we're also a family business on the other side of the counter because we cater for everybody and we never rush anyone. We've been called a social club before because we make time for people, and that's never going to change."

The heart of the shop is Steve's Workshop. "Everything goes on in there, and a lot of things get fixed in there that other places would refuse to do. We will build a bike from scratch in there, repair bikes, straighten wheels, put cables in. Anything that it is possible to do to a bike, will get done in my workshop.

"The workshop is like the heart of the place that keeps everybody moving – it definitely keeps me moving anyway!"

Unlike many sectors, the cycling industry actually did quite well during the pandemic, as more people opted to head outdoors and exercise while social distancing measures were in place. According to Steve, the industry is now coping with the aftermath of that surge in sales.

"During the pandemic, the cycling side went seriously off the scale, with queues and queues of people waiting to get in the shop," he said. "Business really picked up during Covid, but now we're starting to see the flipside of that.

"There are less people coming in the door now, but there are more people out on bikes, and you can't have it both ways. You can't sell almost all of your stock during Covid and then expect to be selling loads of bikes now because those bikes are still running well.

"I had to put a stop to repairs at one point because the backlog was too high, and then the day I reopened for repairs, the queue was round the corner and it took me three hours to book everyone in. I think every cycle shop did well during the pandemic, but we are facing more of a challenge now."

Steve added: "I started in this game 35 years ago through work experience at a different shop, then I ended up here working here with the same guy I did my work experience with, and we grew very close.

"He started taking more time out, before eventually retiring, but we've always been known as a father and son business, even though we're not, because we've worked together forever. I feel very proud to have taken the reins and led this shop to the 90-year mark.

"When this shop turns 100, I'll still be stood here behind this counter, without a doubt. This is Hull's oldest bike shop, and I plan to keep it that way!"

Steve's Cycles is located at 39 Chanterlands Avenue and is open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5pm, closing on Sundays. You can find out more about the business by clicking here.

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/hulls-oldest-bike-shop-kept-8463531