£500k worth of bikes, clothing and accessories up for auction after Leeds shop closure

The auction of bikes and cycling gear worth nearly half a million pounds is currently underway, following the closure of a shop in Leeds.

Shimano Ultegra-equipped carbon road bikes and carbon time trial frames are included in the auction, as well as accessories and clothing ranging from gloves to bib tights to tyres to workshop tools.

Lifecycles Leeds entered liquidation in February, appointing liquidators from Quantuma Advisory Ltd following a special resolution to wind up voluntarily, the Yorkshire Evening Post reported.

Of the 102 bikes going under the hammer at the Eddisons auction house in Scunthorpe, the more prestigious machines are manufactured by Italian company Basso. Models available include the Astra road bike, equipped with either Shimano Ultegra (worth £3,499), or SRAM Rival (worth £3,300); as well as the Venta road bike, again with Ultegra or Shimano 105.

There are also pre-owned road bikes from Specialized, Cannondale and Trek, and a number of kids' bikes from the Squish brand, as well as numerous lower-end mountain bikes from Ridgeback, retailing around the £400-500 mark.

The Lifecycles shop offered a wide range of services, from bike box hire to housing its own cafe, as well as bike fit, a bike doctor service for business staff, as well as the usual sales and workshop. A cycling club who met outside the shop for its rides – Bramley Wheelers – will continue to do so.

Its closure is symptomatic of the issues facing the entire industry. This week alone it was revealed that longstanding mountain bike company Kona was up for sale, while Rapha shut its North American office and laid off six out of eight staff.

“The good news for the area’s cyclists is that we have lotted the online auction with them in mind," Eddisons director Paul Cooper told the Yorkshire Evening Post. "They have just as good a chance to get involved in the bidding as trade buyers. 

"Furthermore everything is being sold without reserve, so despite the jaw-dropping price tags that much of this equipment once bore, on Tuesday it will go for what it goes for. There could be some bargains."

"The company’s repair and servicing department handled work for cyclists all over the region – and indeed further afield – a business that involved carrying a huge stock of parts and accessories," he said. "The auction saleroom is currently an absolute sea of saddles, handlebars, wheels, tyres, cranks and all the other stuff that the serious cyclist needs to keep a mount, in absolutely tip-top condition."

A full list of bikes, accessories and clothing for sale can be seen at the Eddisons website, while in-person viewing is offered at 10am-4pm on Monday April 29 at the Eddisons Auction Centre on Dunlop Way in Scunthorpe.