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The new workshop was opened during the first of two days of celebratory activities, with the ribbon cutting carried out by Cllr Donald Alexander, Bristol Council cabinet member for transport alongside young female cycling athlete, Sofia Bonita. Tomorrow, Saturday, will see further celebrations, with bike fans encouraged to head down and take part in a static bike racing challenge, have their bike checked over, or just to grab a free locally roasted coffee and cake.
Fettle has grown through providing ‘faff-free’ repairs and servicing across London. Its innovative, tech-led approach is designed to serve the growing demand from people increasingly using bikes for short urban journeys, as well as bicycle manufacturers and companies operating cargo bike fleets. It is now expanding its operations through a new partnership with Kwik Fit, which sees Fettle’s servicing and repair workshops and cycle specialists located within the Kwik Fit centre.
One of the reasons why Bristol has been chosen as the first location for the partnership is the potential in the city. New research for Kwik Fit has revealed that 31% of South West drivers who regularly use their car for short trips say they want to switch to other travel methods.1
When asked about their travel over journeys of less than 1.5 miles, one in eight people in the South West (12%) said they want to cycle on more of these trips, while 10% want to make more use of an electric bike.
In addition to supporting pedal cycle owners, Fettle at Kwik Fit will serve the growing number of e-bikes and e-cargo bikes being used around the city. Fettle is in talks with a number of bike retailers, manufacturers and cargo fleets to support their nationwide expansion and growing investment in the Bristol’s micro mobility market, as companies increasingly look to replace cars and vans with e-bikes and cargo bikes for last mile deliveries.
Mark Slade, managing director of Kwik Fit, said: “We’re delighted to be opening our first Fettle at Kwik Fit in Bristol. The immediate response from the city’s cyclists and organisations focused on micro-mobility has been incredibly positive. We want to support people with the most appropriate method of travel for their journey and as drivers and businesses look to shift to active travel modes for short trips we are here to help.”
Jeyda Heselton, CEO and Founder of Fettle, said: “Over the past three years we have experimented and invested in skills, processes, systems and locations. This has enabled us to understand how to best meet the growing demand for bike servicing and maintenance by consumers, manufacturers and fleets to help see green travel succeed in the UK. Combining our knowhow with Kwik Fit’s network and experience in the automotive sector was therefore a natural next step to accelerate our ability to service customers at scale and seeing this come together first in Bristol is fantastic.”
Fettle at Kwik Fit will provide a full roster of its services including free bike assessments and quotes, as well as the company’s proprietary Bicycle MOT. Those looking for more information on manufacturer and fleet services can find details at the fettle website or email hello@fettle.cc.
