Tiso-owned Alpine Bikes gaining speed with second Edinburgh shop

Alpine Bikes – part of outdoor chain Tiso Group – is opening its second Edinburgh shop after seeing first-half sales speed up by 160 per cent.

The firm is launching the site in Marchmont – complementing its existing presence in Stockbridge – after being “very much” part of the lockdown-fuelled cycling boom. “At times, over the last 18 months, the business experienced demand outstripping supply,” it said.

Alpine Bikes said Scotland has seen a 47 per cent rise in the number of people cycling, according to a recent report from Cycling Scotland, while it also flagged figures from the Bicycle Association showing that sales of bikes, bike parts, accessories and services, increased by about the same amount across the UK in 2020.

Keith Taylor, general manager of Alpine Bikes, said the firm has enjoyed “a particularly busy period in 2021 and to open a second shop in the south side of the city made strategic sense – we are looking forward to opening in Marchmont, a thriving area of the city, and grow further our biking community”.

Chris Tiso welcomes the fulfilment of 'a long-held ambition to open a store on the south side of our capital city'. Picture: Bruce Duncan.

Chris Tiso, boss of Tiso Group that is owned by JD Sports, said: “Alpine Bikes is already well-established in Edinburgh and across Scotland with a reputation for great choice and personal service. I am delighted to finally fulfil a long-held ambition to open a store on the south side of our capital city.

"Cycling has always been popular in Edinburgh and we have seen demand increase significantly in recent years. Our latest concept store includes a range of exciting new features including a Wahoo zone – smart indoor cycling trainers – which, I am sure, customers will enjoy trying out.”

Alpine Bikes has also highlighted the benefits of two-wheeled transport to physical and mental health, and the positive environmental impact. Citing a report from Sustrans, a charity promoting walking and cycling, it says people who choose to cycle rather than drive for their everyday journeys take up to 42,000 cars off the roads every day across six Scottish cities.

The Edinburgh bike firm has been serving the Scottish cycling community since 1989, offering mountain, road, hybrid, gravel, e-bikes and kids’ bikes, from brands such as Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, Frog, Whyte and Cube Bikes. It was acquired by Tiso in 2006.

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