Three decades is quite some time, so Ponsonby News asked Darren Murray to tell us some of the history of the business?
As he explained, “This is CYCO’s 30th year and we are very proud to still be around. The store was originally started by Ponsonby local Chris Auld, who in 1993 was a triathlete but was struggling to get good service from the existing bike stores.”
The first store was at 282 Ponsonby Road which is now the site for Superette clothing store. It was previously a design store and had great architecture with high wooden ceilings. CYCO has always been able to cater from the new cyclist, to having clients compete at Commonwealth and Olympic games. With the success of the store it quickly out grew the space but it wasn’t until 2009 that it moved to a larger premise next to Prego.
Darren continues, “I have been part of the team at all three stores and when Chris decided to retire from being a bike shop owner, he offered me the opportunity that I couldn’t turn down. With this, we decided to move the store to our current location in Kingsland – a store that reminds us of our start in the original smaller store on Ponsonby Road. Kingsland has allowed us to still cater and help out the Ponsonby and greater community with the same quality standards that Chris put in place back in ’93.”
Is it old fashioned cycles or do you also have electric models for sale?
CYCO works differently from most shops. We only have a dozen or so bikes on the floor, we get to show you examples of bikes we can sell but not just limited to. This benefits the customer hugely as it means we always order the correct bike, in the correct colour, with the correct components, so then you will be 100 percent happy with your purchase and it is perfect for you.
We offer both E-bikes and conventional bikes in the road, mountain and gravel categories although we do have access to commuter bikes and kids' bikes if required. We hope this makes for a unique experience for every customer who comes to purchase a bike from us.
What are the most popular bikes?
Currently, road bikes are having a boom and E-mountain bikes are extremely popular. These are great as it makes your trip out to Woodhill Forest more worthwhile as you can go further than if you are on a conventional bike but have the same amount of fun.
What about the security aspect? Are they easily stolen?
The big thing with bikes is not to make them an easy target. A good lock is a great deterent and now we have access to many different tracking devices that can be fitted to your bike to make finding it a lot easier
Do you help with finance if required?
CYCO can offer finance through Qcard. Either through its Qmastercard or more traditional finance options.
Do you offer a repair service?
One thing CYCO has always prided itself on since its conception is the quality of its service dept. Jakob and Cosmo are well-respected mechanics in the industry and can perform any job that your bike requires in a relatively timely manner. We have a full workshop that can cover any job required, from a simple puncture repair to tuning DI2 shifting or updating the firmware on your E-bike – we can do it all.
We’ve heard rumours about your CEO, Chewie. Does he come to work every day?
Currently, Chewie is on a hiatus and loving life at home, we had a daughter born five months ago and he has been helping out with babysitting duties. His return is well anticipated and he will be back raring to go by the end of the year.
CYCO, 348 New North Road, Kingsland, T: 09 376 4447, www.cyco.co.nz
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Published 3 July 2023
Pictured: left to right is Jakob Lester (mechanic) Darren Murray (owner) Cosmo Bloor (mechanic) Logan Griffin (sales/Bikefit)