Last updated in August 2020, adding two new shops to the list.

There are a lot of bike shops selling touring bikes and bikepacking gear. There are far fewer who are specialised in these niches.

This is hardly surprising. Cycle touring is a tiny market. Bikepacking has quickly become fashionable, but there’s still far more money to be made flogging overpriced road racers and mountain bikes to MAMILs. For most UK bike shops, sticking a medium-sized Dawes Galaxy in a corner somewhere is usually considered enough to then claim to ‘sell touring bikes’.

But a few brave shop owners have made a name for themselves as true cycle touring and bikepacking specialists.

The owners of these workshops and showrooms all tend to have one thing in common: they are (or were) cycle tourists and bikepackers themselves. As a result, they know exactly what a cycle tourist or bikepacking enthusiast needs – better than any big-name shop assistant ever will.

They are also some of the few places you’ll be able to test-ride a range of bikes to see which one fits your needs, rather than just the one aforementioned medium-sized Dawes Galaxy.

They are, in short, an indispensable friend to the touring cyclist or bikepacker, especially when you’re just getting started.

Here, then, is a list of bike shops the full length the UK who partly or wholly specialise in touring bikes, bikepacking gear, and associated equipment and accessories. They’re listed in alphabetical order, with full contact details. It’s likely that you’ve never heard of most of them.

As for which shop is ‘best’, the truest answer I can give you is whichever one is closest to you. I’ve said it many times before: there’s no substitute for test-riding a bike before you buy it.

On with the list!

A Different Gear

New, not-for-profit bike project based in Heeley, Sheffield, specialising in new and reconditioned city, hybrid and gravel bikes and stocking bikepacking gear for rent or purchase.

Ash Tree Yard

62–68 Thirlwell Road

Sheffield

S8 9TF

0114 250 7717

http://www.adifferentgear.com/

Alpkit Hathersage

Peak District-based flagship store for the popular direct retailer of Sonder bikepacking bikes and Alpkit luggage, plus pretty much everything else you’d need for a bikepacking adventure.

Main Road

Hathersage

S32 1BB

01433 730930

https://alpkit.com/pages/hathersage

Bicycles By Design

Custom-fitted bicycle specialists and stockists for Tout Terrain and Co-Motion among others, also providing wheelbuilding and bespoke framebuilding services.

The John Rose Building

High Street

Coalport

Shropshire

TF8 7HT

01952 459900

http://www.bicycles-by-design.co.uk/

Bikefix

Distributor for Tout Terrain in the UK, as well as several recumbent and trailer brands, with an emphasis on personalisation and individual service.

48 Lamb’s Conduit St

London

WC1N 3LH

020 7405 1218

http://bikefix.co.uk/

Brixton Cycles

Co-operative London bike shop with an emphasis on a minimal selection of ultra-reliable bicycles. Test-rides and care & attention compulsory.

296–298 Brixton Road

London

SW9 6AG

020 7733 6055

http://www.brixtoncycles.co.uk/

Condor Cycles

Bespoke bicycle specialists in London with a selection of touring frames, including their classic Heritage steel frameset.

49–53 Gray’s Inn Road

London

WC1X 8PP

020 7269 6820

http://www.condorcycles.com/

Cycle Heaven

True touring experts, stocking Surly and Salsa bikes and framesets (among others) and providing custom assembly services.

2 Bishopthorpe Road

York

YO23 1JJ

01904 636578

http://www.cycle-heaven.co.uk/

Cycle Sense

One of the few UK dealers for Koga and Van Nicholas touring bikes, as well as other touring brands, and stocking a great selection of tandems and trailers.

20/22 High Street

Tadcaster

LS24 9AT

01937 530303

http://www.cyclesense.co.uk/

Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative

Retailers of several brands of touring bike, including Ridgeback and Genesis. They also used to make their own line of tourers and consequently have first-hand knowledge of this niche.

8 Alvanley Terrace

Edinburgh EH9 1DU

United Kingdom

(5 other stores across northern England & Scotland)

0131 228 3565

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/

Green Machine

Supplying a range of bikes including tourers from Dawes and Ridgeback. John also provides custom bike building and wheelbuilding services.

146a Lee Lane

Horwich

BL6 7AF

01204 696831

http://www.greenmachinebikeshop.co.uk/

Ghyllside Cycles

Run by highly experienced cycle tourers, supplying stock bikes, custom assembly services and their own line of touring bikes and frames, as well as a huge range of luggage and accessories.

Ghyllside Cycles

The Slack

Ambleside

Cumbria

LA22 9DQ

01539 433592

http://www.ghyllside.co.uk/

Hewitt Cycles

Hidden behind the general range of popular bikes lies the well-respected Hewitt Cheviot touring frameset and complete bike range. Also look out for their Surly framesets and bike building services.

17–19 Preston Road

Leyland

Lancashire

PR25 4NT

01772 424773

http://www.hewittcycles.co.uk/

Keep Pedalling

Relatively new shop in Manchester’s Northern Quarter run by experienced cyclists with a big emphasis on utility and touring.

23 Hilton Street

Manchester

M1 1EL

0161 222 6015

http://www.keeppedalling.co.uk/

Mastercraft Cycles

Dealers for British cycle touring brands Dawes, Ridgeback and Carradice; also custom builders of touring bicycles.

39 Bridge Street

Hereford

HR4 9DG

01432 274047

http://www.mastercraftcycles.co.uk/

Oxford Bike Works

Independent Oxfordshire-based builder of custom touring bikes, including in-person workshop fitting sessions. (I helped Richard design his flagship expedition model.)

Sycamores,

Station Yard,

Steventon,

Oxfordshire

OX13 6RX

01235 831 992

http://www.oxfordbikeworks.co.uk/

Pilgrim Cycles

Located inside a Victorian railway station building and with a cafe on site, Pilgrim build their own range of classic British tourers, as well as being dealers for Dawes, Surly and Sabbath bikes.

The Old Booking Hall,

Box Hill & Westhumble Station

Westhumble Street

Westhumble

Surrey

RH5 6BT

01306 886958

http://pilgrim-cycles.co.uk/

SJS Cycles

SJS Cycles are the sole UK dealer for Thorn touring and expedition bicycles. They no longer have a physical shopfront, so consultations regarding complete bikes are by appointment only (though you can walk in and they’ll do their best to help).

91–93 St John Street

Bridgwater

Somerset

TA6 5HX

01278 441505

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/

Spa Cycles

The north’s best-established specialists in cycle touring equipment for over 30 years.

48A Camwal Road

Harrogate

North Yorkshire

HG1 4PT

01423 887003

http://www.spacycles.co.uk/

Stanforth Bikes

Small-scale touring bike builder established in 2014, selling a range of touring & expedition bikes based on their own frame design, with plentiful custom build options.

Workhaus

Unit 6

18a Arthur Street

Hove

BN3 5FD

07850 881438

https://www.stanforthbikes.co.uk/

Swinnerton Cycles

Long-running family business stocking Trek and Ridgeback touring bikes.

67 ‑73 Victoria Road

Fenton

Stoke on Trent

Staffordshire

ST4 2HG

08448 112299

http://www.swinnertoncycles.co.uk/

Temple Cycles

Central Bristol bike shop selling bikes based on its own range of framesets, including drop-bar road touring bikes, each of which is built to order and fully customisable.

Unit 19

Wapping Wharf

Bristol

BS1 6ZA

(Second location on Brick Lane, London.)

0117 403 2314

https://www.templecycles.co.uk/

Do you know of any UK touring bike specialists not listed here? Please let us know in the comments – such shops are hard to come by.