Local Bike Shop Day is all about celebrating the community and culture that is independent bike shops, giving specialist IBDs the chance to highlight what makes their shop stand out, why consumers should shop local and what sets them apart from bigger national retailers.

Local Bike Shop Day opens its doors to everyone, from experienced riders to first-timers, females and children.

Today, it is so important for communities to work together to put the indie shops back at the heart of the UK's towns and cities and this is what Local Bike Shop Day is aiming to do.

Feel free to read up more about the history of Local Bike Shop Day and the success that previous years have brought to the cycling industry here.

How you can get involved

Are you passionate about cycling and supporting your local bike shop? Below are just a few ideas as to how you can get involved with Local Bike Shop Day and celebrate all that you bike shops have to offer.

• Ask your local bike shop anything! Visit a participating Local Bike Shop Day store on the day to find a welcoming environment and experienced mechanics who can answer all of your burning questions!

• Encourage your local bike shop to take part; there are plenty of ways in which your local bike shop can get involved in the day, such as running promotions in-store, offering a free basic repair session/workshop, organising guided bike rides or fundraising for a shop charity ride. Suggesting any of these ideas, as well as encouraging them to sign-up, will help their shop massively.

• Spread the word to family and friends; encourage your loved ones to utilise the bank holiday weekend by considering purchasing a new bike or some accessories at their local bike shop, maybe you can even take your new purchases for a spin together over the long-weekend!
  

• Post on social media; posting on social media helps to reach new audiences by spreading the word far and wide. Below are some tips as to how you can fully utilise a tweet, Facebook or Instagram post in order to maximise engagement.
  

• Share a favourite memory that you've shared with your local bike shop; The Local Bike Shop Day team would be more than happy to share your personal stories that may help to demonstrate what local bike shops can bring to their communities, and what a knowledgeable and bespoke shopping experience can bring to each individual.

Consumer Giveaways

Stay tuned to see if there will be any giveaways on the day this year!

Social Media

Spread the word to your community and encourage more people to get involved! This will not only help to boost footfall to your local store but also gives you the chance to highlight why you feel passionately about cycling as well as the benefits that you see from shopping local as opposed to with bigger national retailers.

If you're ever stuck for something to post about use the Local Bike Shop Day social media accounts for inspiration. Our social media accounts are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Take a look at our social media pointers to reach more people:

• Spread the word with the hashtag #SupportYourLocalBikeShop.
• Tag Local Bike Shop Day in your posts. The @tag for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is @LBSDayUK. We will then repost you helping you to increase your reach further still!
• Always include the url localbikeshopday.co.uk.
• Try and attach an image. You can use the "We are taking part" images provided by Local Bike Shop Day, or even a photo of your local shop!
• Use local @tags and #hashtags to amplify your audience e.g. #Brighton. The generic hashtags are good too e.g. #WednesdayWisdom, #FridayFeeling etc.

Get in touch

Local Bike Shop Day is organized by the Association of Cycle Traders. If you have any questions or you’d like to let us know how you are promoting the day send us an email at info@localbikeshopday.co.uk.