We hear a lot about transport initiatives to encourage cycling, most of which are long on words and short on action.

Refreshing then to learn of a man prepared literally to trade his car for a bike, and a retailer big enough, in every sense, to make it happen.

When Jonny Heneghan tweeted Wiggle with an offer to trade his old MG for a Mekk Poggio, staff at the online giant took him at his word. Last Saturday, the deal was done.

Jonny Henegahn, with his new bike and his old car; the latter now the property of Wiggle

Heneghan’s motives were both romantic and practical; some, if not all of which will be familiar to RCUK readers.

Faced with spiraling petrol prices and an insurance policy that “didn’t seem to come down all that much,” and the more ardent desire to marry his fiancé, Anne Bourke, Heneghan began cycling to work.

Bitten by the bug in a way that perhaps all RCUK readers will recognise, he began to ride longer, train harder, losing three stone but gaining the unshakeable desire for a new bike.

Heneghan found himself caught on the horns of a dilemma – should he invest his wedding savings in a new bike? With funds tight, and love in his heart, a third way suggested itself: trade the car for a bike.

Some might have found his request a tad cheeky, but Heneghan’s request was met with an empathetic response in Portsmouth.

Wiggle’s Daniel Loots said many at the company had been on a similar, errr, journey, abandoning the car for the bike in a bid to lose pounds and save money. (He also disclosed that Wiggle had since received several other offers of trades, with phones, cats, wives, and mothers-in-law thrown into the bargain).

The first of what we hope will be at least two happy endings came on Saturday when Heneghan made his final journey in the MG and the first on the MEKK: a trip from Manchester to Portsmouth to collect his new steed and a KASK helmet.

The second? The wedding, of course. Perhaps as the big day draws near, he’ll make another trade.

Do Wiggle stock tandems?