TODAY THE HIRE FLEET IS MADE UP OF HIGH-END FULL-SUSPENSION BIKES AND E-BIKES
After a lot of explanation, discussion and compromise, permission was finally granted in 2003, and building could commence.
For 2021 DBC is starting work on the first phase of its expansion plans, having outgrown the current buildings. With additional seats in the cafe, larger bike storage facilities, showers for day visitors and more parking and accommodation for those looking to stay a bit longer, DBC will be better placed to cope with the number of riders who are now coming to Swaledale.
INTRODUCING ARD ROCK
It’s a sizable and expensive undertaking, but it’s not been the Park slowing them down this time. Having seen what Stu and Bren can do and the positive impact it’s made on the area, the Park is now very pro-cycling, and planning permission was granted unanimously by the planning board.
The pandemic has obviously had an effect on DBC over the past year, and despite technically being able to have the bike shop open, they chose to keep it closed to deter visitors travelling to the area. The cafe (or cakery, to give its proper title) has been running a mail-order cake service which has been hugely popular – if riders can’t come to the cake, the cake can come to them. From providing bike hire, food, accomodation or cake by post, having multiple income streams has been a key part of the overall success of the business.
Success doesn’t mean that Stu and Brenda are resting on their laurels; quite the opposite. They are always adapting the business to move with the times. While Stu might have started his career hiring out £700 hardtails, today the hire fleet is made up of high-end full-suspension bikes and e-bikes. Partly this is because better bikes require less maintenance, but the market has also changed. Those looking to experience mountain biking for the first time want to do it on something boutique rather than budget, and e-bikes have allowed those who might have been put off riding in the Dales altogether to enjoy getting out and exploring. More experienced riders are also hiring e-bikes to see what all the fuss is about and coming back impressed and putting in an order at the bike shop. The Dales makes for a great showroom.
It’s not just technology that’s changed; the type of riding has changed too. The Dales has typically been home to archetypical XC riding: stiff, gravelly climbs, long stretches of moorland singletrack and rough, rocky descents. Despite its terrain, the Yorkshire Dales is not the obvious place for an enduro race. It certainly has potential, but with multiple land owners, shooting estates, ecologically sensitive areas and drystone walls carving up the hillside, logistically, it doesn’t make sense. But the Dales is used to hosting bike races that make use of the rugged countryside. The Scott trial, a famous motorcycle trials endurance race across 84 miles of the Dales, has been running since 1914, so when the idea of the Ard rock Enduro was mooted, land owners already had a good idea of what would be involved and were open to the concept.