Couple ride into retirement

THE owners of a popular bike shop in Glenrothes have r i dden of f i nt o retirement.

Andy and Fiona Hain have played a significant role in a great many people’s lives over the last 40 years in and around the town.

Be it providing the bicycle on which youngsters first learned to ride, to the professional service given to the many great successful amateur riders from across Fife, the couple have been there for every gear change and turn of the pedal.

Leslie Bike Shop, which they started in 1981, has become an institution, growing from its humble beginnings on Leslie High Street to the large specialist retailer it is today.

The couple have handed the company over to new owner Bryan Moodie.

“We’ve come a long way since that first little shop in Leslie all those years ago,” said Andy, 62.

“I’d always been a fan of sport, particularly cycling; it just seemed logical to open a bike shop.”

Coupled with the customer service which has since become legendary, they needed a bigger shop just two years later.

Over the years Andy kept pace with changing trends and the huge growth in popularity of cycling, something he calls the “Chris Hoy effect”, to build up the respected business it is today.

“It’s a whole different game these days – there is so much technology and skill required when it comes to repairs,” he said.

The couple now plan to spend their retirement riding rather than selling bikes.

“We will finally have time to get out and ride. We want to see much more of Scotland, and do it on two wheels,” Andy said.