Capital Cycles
Suit your Commute with your Capital Companion

One of the most common things we hear every day are the simple words ‘my b*&^dy bike just got nicked’. Did you know that some statistic i read told me that a bicycle is stolen every 71 seconds in London?

Well, that is one of the exact reasons why we exist. NO, not because we steal bikes, paint them green and sell them back to you. But because we really genuinely understand that you do not necessarily need an expensive bike to take to work, when there is a real chance that you could just end up having to take a bus home. When your bike is worth £300 or more, this can be a depressing reality. But when it only cost you £99 (including delivery and all the extras), then not only are you losing less of an investment, but the odds are the thieves won’t want it and it will actually last you longer.

My question is this - do you really need an expensive bike for your journey? For some yes, perhaps. But if you simply need a work horse; something simple, basic and cheap - then that is what we are here for.  We don’t dress up our bike to be anything other than what they are. The exception though are the Classics - these really are little works of art. If you always wanted a Pashley but couldn’t afford it, then we are here for you!

Thanks,

Whilst we wait for this less than clement weather to pass, i start to think ahead to the the summer months we are soon going to enjoy. Furthermore, with the arrival of the Classic Bikes, all i can think of are lazy, laid back trips through leafy London parks and boozy picnics hosted out of wickers baskets. The dog being secured to the kickdown stand of the bicycle and creating the constant battle of kanine vs Classic bicycle.

This is almost what Classic Dutch bicycles are built for in my opinion. You don’t buy a Classic bike because you want to race the Lycra around the South Circular. No, you own a Classic bike because you wear long skirts (girls that is (and Scots)) and you don’t actually want to break a sweat. Similarly, you do not buy a classic car because you want performace to compete with the latest technology. You are content with the solid reliability that a century of craftsmanship has provided for you and you want to look good and feel proud that you are bucking the trend in a very cool way.

That all brings me on to the topic in hand - which park? I am opening up the floor here and i would like any of you to contribute. 

Wherever is regarded as London’s TOP Sunday cycling/picnic destination, a party shall be hosted by Capital. You will all be welcome to come and nibbles and perhaps a few bubbles will be provided.

So let us know now! Thanks.

We love cycling, but more than that we want people to be able to buy the style of bike that they most want.  Sure, the market for space ship material mountain bikes with 24 gears and F1 suspension is big, very big in fact. But we know how many people really want to own their own, timelss classic. The bike to be proud of, a bike that makes you feel FANTASTIC when you are cycling through town or the park. The only problem is, that up until now they have been prohibitively expensive - to  the point of making them almost exclusive.

The Capital Classic Dutch bike (£160) epitomises everything we stand for as a company - simple, beautiful, affordable. Assembly work needs to be done and we don’t mind telling you, in fact we’re proud of it. Why?, just this morning i was screwing a bike together and with each turn of the screw, i felt like this was my little baby - my own acheivement. I was building this bike, for me. We give you this opportunity - and the very reason why they are so affordable is for precisely this reason - they come in a box, with some instructions (the rest are on our site) and it is down to you. If you do have any problems and need to get a shop to help, the cost of going to a shop will still barely touch what the bike is really worth.

The Capital Classic will be ready in about 2 and a half weeks time (14th June), and our honest advice is - if you want one, let us know now by completing a notification form on the product page, because these guys are going fast. A stock notification is not a firm commitment, so don’t worry.

We are here to get every kind of bicycle to everyone who wants one.

Boris Johnson appreciates the potential value in getting even just a fraction more of Londoners on bicycles. It’s not that we are purely environmentally motivated, but as you will read from previous blogs - we loathe public transport, we detest the way we are fleeced every time we go to the petrol station and we despise even more that we are charged to drive to and from our own home and the shops!!

Bikes are not just cheaper- they are quicker, healthier, more fun and SO MUCH more convenient if all you re doing is going to work.

Koy Thomson, LCC’s Chief Executive, said “Boris Johnson has said that he would go for a higher cycling target than Ken which we applaud, as we do his promise on a mass bike hire scheme, tough action on bike theft and adequate cycle parking. We also think he is right to say that small cars should not be excluded from the congestion charge. We should aim to encourage car drivers onto cycles irrespective of the size of their engines.”

We at Capital say - GO BORIS.

We have recently undergone a thorough warehouse stock check and we have decided to offer you the opportunity to buy a small quantity of our beautiful bikes for an even lower price.

ANY bicycle which when inspected, was found to have even the smallest blemish or mark on it, has been set aside for ‘clearance’. There are very few which did not pass our exacting standards, but for the ones which did, we have made them available for £99 - including UK mainland delivery of course!

They are still mechanically perfect and even still carry our 12 month factory warranty. The ONLY reason they are on clearance is because there has been minor damage to either: frame paintwork, chaincover, mudguards or even just the cardboard box!

These will not be around for long, so if you are looking for a bike, even to have just as a back-up, I suggest you grab one of these right away - clearance bikes.

It is with enormous pleasure that we can announce that we think we have successfully found an absolutely superb supplier of wicker bicycle baskets to complement the Classic and City bike Range.

They have leather handlebar straps which allow them to attach universally to any bicycle with wide enough handlebars. The size will be  approximately: 28cm tall, 45cm wide (side to side) and 38cm long (front to back).

They will be available by by the end of June and should cost in the region of £25 - including carriage of course.

They have been picked for their suitability to the Classic and City Range.  Just so you know, installing it will require rehousing the front dynamo light.

We will keep you posted as we progress.

People often ask us “why are your prices so low? For the amount of bike you’re giving us, with all those accessories and free delivery, are you making any money?” The short answer is yes - but very little on each one.

Capital Cycles Ltd was formed as a result of a single moment; but one which seemed to repeat itself a little too often..  Queueing for the bus on Brixton Hill one morning, the company founder thought, ‘wouldn’t it be nice if I could buy a bike for an affordable price, and not have to buy the extras. I want a bike, I don’t mind needing to do some assembly, but i cannot afford what is available.’ At that moment, Capital came to be. 

So how do we do it? Sure, we are a business, and businesses exist to make money! So, are the bikes just really cheap?  No, they are not. Instead, in order to maintain the ‘good price’ side of the founder’s dream, he learnt to believe in two simple things: 1) the value of selling a high volume of product (lots of bikes) but for a low profit margin (little profit), instead of selling a lower volume and making a higher profit on each bike. 2) By selling the bikes ‘flat packed’ we save factory costs and transport costs. By allowing you to do some of the simpler things and perhaps getting a shop to do the bits you can’t do, you are able to own a beautiful bicycle, but for a fraction of its highstreet value. Like anything, where time is saved for us, it is transferred as savings for you. All you need to do is a little work.

This is how some businesses run - Capital Cycles is one of them.

Our dream really is for everyone to be able to own a bike.  It seems right that everyone should be able to afford the cleanest, quickest and most cost effective form of transport in a built up area.

The introduction of the Capital Classic has been a true phenomenon - it is proving to be more popular than the City and Compact combined and it seems as if we have hit what it is that people really want. The Capital Classic is a truly magnificent bicycle - combining pedigree, vintage grace with Dutch cool and state of the art engineering.  Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub gears, authentic kick down centre stand, a stunning deep green cannular frame, an absolutely fantastic brown leather saddle and so much more.  All for £165 - equipped and delivered?

That’s just it. We want everyone to be able to afford the bike they want.  That is what we are for. So go on, request to be notified when the next batch is ready and you can have your very own classic.

We expect to be have stock in soon - so reserve yours now by notifying us!!

As this week end prepares itself to be as warm as the last, we are desperately proud that we are in the business of helping get people out of the Underground trains and into the parks and open land. 
Imagine your commute; it can go one of two ways:

Option 1) You wake up to BBC morning breakfast only to be told that there are delays on the tube. You go anyway because you have no choice - as do 1 million other commuters. You share armpits with a couple of hundred people, stand up for an elderly passenger only to have the seat nicked by some yuppie on his Blackberry and finally, when you reach your destination, you are hot, tired and frankly want to go home. 

Option 2) You wake up to find that it is 14 degrees and there is barely a cloud in the sky. Not always likely in the UK, but let’s take the last week as a case study. You leave home, get on the bike and as you passs the queues for the Underground, the sun is on your face and no one can stop you. When you reach work, you have done your exercise, you have had some fresh air and for one little part of your day, you can say that it was yours.

Most of us don’t even want to go to work anyway. Why put the one part of the day you CAN control in someone else’s hands?

Just a thought, brought to you by the affordable bicycle company.

It is with great pleasure that we introduce you to Capital Cycles - your simple, affordable online bicycle shop! We want to make cycling easier and more affordable for everyone. Ever thought how nice it would be to have a simple, cheap run-around bike that you could take to the pub and not have to worry about? You don’t even need to worry about buying extra accessories or paying postage, because everything is included! That’s right, you can have everything you need, delivered for as little as £120. Have a look around and if you have any questions you can easily contact us.

Welcome to the Capital Community, we hope you enjoy your visit.