On yer bike as peadars business expands

IT is a good time to be in bikes, or, more importantly, on your bike. So good, in fact, local businessman Peadar Leonard has expanded his premises at Newantrim Street, Castlebar, where this year he is celebrating 22 years in business.

At a time when a lot of businesses are feeling the pressure locally, the bike is very much back in vogue. The bike has also sparked a new awareness of lifestyle, built around leisure and combined with fitness, that has gripped the nation, with the emphasis now on family leisure, and what better way to see the countryside than on a bike.

The spin-offs from the greenways around the county, which have really put Mayo on the map, has meant the bike is proving popular with locals and tourists alike. Both leisure and fitness, the main cycle runs around the towns of Mayo and their environs are making people more conscious of their health and welfare, while there is also a very active Castlebar Cycling Club.

Mayo County Council’s bike-to-work scheme has also been a boost for the cycle trade and for Peadar’s business in particular, with the council subsidising the purchase of a bike for workers in an effort to encourage heather lifestyles, while at the same time helping the environment by leaving the car at home now and again.

Peadar, a native of Bofeenaun, but now living in Snugboro, believes cycling is the new route to a healthier lifestyle, while at the same time it’s a great way of taking in some of the magnificent scenery that is on offer around the area.

And he leads by example: “I do a fair bit of cycling myself and I really enjoy it and it was something I was interested in from a mechanical point of view as well as from a healthier living perspective. Like a lot of small businesses in the town, things have been slow and they were tight for a few years post-Celtic Tiger, but thankfully it is picking up and a lot of people are now dusting down the old bikes and trading them in for newer models.

“When you think of the investment it is money well spent and although a good bike does not come cheap, it is well worth it giving the pleasure cycling can bring and the boost it can be for your health.”

Peadar also does repairs and can be contacted on (086) 3816707. He has a number of special offers on, especially children’s bikes, as Santa will be delivering a good few bikes this Christmas.
For the man or woman in your life you can buy a top of the range machine for anything up to six or seven grand, but a more modest bike will cost you between €600 and €900.

Said Peadar: “An hour on the bike is one sure way of burning off all those Christmas excesses and regular use of a bike will see your fitness and stamina levels improve dramatically without killing yourself.”