BLOG dealer spotlight Dealer Spotlight – Juiced Up Bikes, Sowerby Bridge
Juiced Up Bikes – The Home Based Rental and Sales Business
Situated on the edge of the Pennines, with stunning countryside, long winding lanes, hilltop vistas and canal paths the Calder Valley is just perfect for electric bikes.
Unlike the majority of Volt Dealerships, Juiced Up Bikes is a Home – Based Business and is the culmination of a lot of work, dedication and research by Bart Spicer. His story began in 2016 when he purchased a Volt Pulse to get fit after heart surgery. 4000 miles later, and the bike and he are still going strong. Having spent 28 years in the Army, Bart is experienced in talking and communicating with people and he is very particular about the briefing he gives everyone before they even mount their bike and where he feels it necessary, he will ride out with a client(s) for the first couple of miles coaching them on gear and power changes. He also has a great sense of humour.
1. What motivated you to open/run a Bike business?
Being a huge fan of electric bikes, I saw a gap in the market in Calderdale. Nowhere was there a business promoting and providing a quality service for the rental of e-bikes, so, in July 2020, when Lockdown was starting to bite, I decided to set up the e bike rental business, offering local people and visitors the opportunity to get out for an hour or two and experience fresh air, fun, fabulous scenery and a bit of exercise. Being offered a Dealership for Volt is the culmination for all the hard work I have put in to making Juiced Up Bikes the popular business it is today.
2. What makes your store different from others?
Being home based does have its disadvantages in that most people expect a shop front with staff, racks of bicycles and dedicated mechanics. This has not deterred potential and existing clients it seems. In parallel to the sales side of the business, the rental side of the business is extremely popular, and I have introduced a fitness program whereby clients have the choice of being accompanied for a 1 hour session on one of the bikes. There are 3 stages, each one progressively harder and the client can select which stage they wish to try. We have had top reviews about this offer from across the country.
3. Where is the best/favourite location you have ever cycled? Your favourite local one to cycle?
Tricky! I think that cycling Mallorca has it by an inch. The Cycle paths in Mallorca are all paved and an absolute joy to ride. Coupled with the sunshine, it makes for a perfect day for e-biking.
Having been based in Santa Ponsa, there are some fabulous routes out to Peguera, Port Andrax and St Elm, and if you go ‘on road’ the narrow almost traffic free lanes to Es Capdellà makes for a breathtaking ride. Locally, I love to cycle down to Hebden Bridge along the canal or NCR 66, have a coffee by the canal and then head back up Cragg Vale (longest continuous gradient in England). The views from the top of Cragg Vale are stunning.
4. What is the funniest/strangest request you have ever had from a customer
A lady phoned saying she ‘needed to get out of the house for a few hours’ because her husband was ‘driving her up the wall’ and could I accompany her on a bike ride. Despite some trepidation, I obliged and it was great fun. She was funny, and never stopped talking the whole trip!. Those two hours helped her get back into a good mood again.
5. What is your favourite poison (coffee, matcha, beer, tea, spirit, cocktail, energy drink, juice, etc.)?
I am a lover of French wines. Wines from Burgundy, Beaujolais, Alsace and Loire are my favourites. I also love coffees from Costa Rica, where I spent a year.
6. What about the Volt brand & range led you to stock them?
I purchased my first bike, a Volt Pulse in 2016, and just fell in love with it. Reliable, terrific to look at, stylish and powerful. From that moment I was hooked, and since launching the rental business I have purchased 5 Burlington Step Thru’s’ to add to the Volt Pulse. The support staff at Volt bikes are brilliantly friendly and they will go out of their way to assist me whenever the need arises.
7.
What is your favourite Volt e-bike and why?
That is a difficult question. I love them all! But, It has to be the Pulse, and I’m not alone in my thinking. Ladies enjoy riding it as well, and several lady clients of have requested the Pulse when making a booking. There is no doubt it has the looks, it can tackle the steep hills around the Calder Valley, and it is so reliable.
8.
What is your top tip for anyone looking to buy an electric bike?
Check the Volt web site for media reports about Volt Bikes, then you can make an informed decision. They have a bike for every occasion, be it commuting, urban, off road country lanes. In conjunction with this, take a Test Ride, and get the feel of just how wonderful these bikes are to handle.
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