About Us
Sidcup Cycle Centre was established in 1994. It has a fast, efficient repair work shop and has a wide range of accessories, clothing and bicycles. The bicycle section specializes in commuting, road race, BMX, and children's bicycles.
Sidcup Cycles staff teaches bicycle maintenance courses under the Weldtech vocational training. See our Cycle Maintenance Section.
We have a bespoke bicycle fitting system called Bodyscanning CRM, where bikes are made to fit the rider, ensuring a perfect fit.
Customer guided bike rides are run from Sidcup Cycle Centre, every Saturday morning. These are aimed at the beginner- intimidate rider. The route length will vary each week depending on the conditions and the appetite of the group. For more information go to our 'Shop Rides' section.
The owner of Sidcup Cycle Centre believes every business has a social responsibility to the local community. A 'recycle your bicycle' scheme is run at Sidcup Cycles. In conjunction with the London Borough of Bexley, unwanted bikes are given to Sidcup Cycles, who renovate them and donate them to local schools. For more information go to our 'Social Responsibility' section.
Sidcup Cycle Centre also helps run charity bike rides in this country and in France. They assist with Pedal to Paris, London to Cannes, Londres-Paris.Com and The Greenwich and Bexley Hospice, Bike Events, bike rides. For more information go to our 'shop rides' section.
For more information on our activities, please contact us using our contact page.
Links:
www.britishlegion.org.ukwww.cycle2cannes.org
www.londres-paris.com
www.cottagehospice.org.uk
www.bike-events.com
Social responsibility
We believe that every company should contribute to the community well being. At Sidcup Cycles we run guided customer bike rides (see our bike tours section), participation in 'work experience program' for young people, piloting a 'recycle your cycle' scheme with Bexley Council.
Profile of Sidcup Cycle Centre- Four generations in the making
Owner: Nigel Hill Born January 1963
Married to Rhona
Children: Lizzie and Jennie
Nigel is forth generation bicycle shop owner. George Hill started a cycle business at Elmont Road, New Cross, London, SE14, around 1905. The 1920's he moved to 856 Old Kent Road. George was a noted racer of Penny-farthing at the Herne Hill Track. It was around this time when George developed his light weight framesets. But to supplement the bicycle side of the business, he had a long garden shed, in which he charged radio batteries and sold 'cats whisker valves'.
In 1937 the family business was purchased by Nigel's grandfather, Charles Hill, and traded as C.F.Hill's of London. Charles continued to develop the light weight bicycle business, building his own frame sets. Charles son Stuart, helped C.F.Hill's to grow by importing bicycle components such as Campagnolo and Huret gears and brakes from Italy and France.
It should be remembered that during the two 'Great Wars' the respective wives ran the family businesses.
A race team was created and it most noted rider was Ken Joy. Ken became best British All Round Amateur in the 1950's. His specialty disciplines were races over 25miles, 50miles, 100miles and 12hour endurance. Later in Joy's career he went on to ride professionally for Hercules Cycles, but Charles Hill, still manufactured the frames, with a Hercules badge.
Stuart Hill, Nigel's father, formally joined the family business in 1948. With Stuarts driving force, the construction and sales of fully built bikes under the name of Chas F. Hill of London increased and was popular brand in the South East of London. A second shop was purchased at New Cross Gate, in the early 1950's and closed due to redevelopment of the area in the very early 1970's.
In the 1950's the cycle trade started its decline. And Hill's cycles had to adapt to survive. Clip on engines and Mobylette and NSU mopeds were sold and serviced at 856 Old Kent Road. Hand built frames were still being made, but only to order. Then in 1974, another compulsory purchase order, to allow for the re-development of The Old Kent Road, signalled the closure of the remaining central south east London shop.
In July 1974, C.F.Hill's Cycles closed its doors and Stuarts family moved to Sidcup, Kent. Stuart Hill purchased a run down cycle shop called Osborne Cycles at 59 Well Hall Road, Eltham, London, SE9 and Hill's Cycles was created.
Hill's Cycles had twelve bikes in stock when Stuart took over this long established bicycle shop. At the height of success in the late 1980's and early 1990's, Hill's Cycle could boast a selection of eighty different display models, all in a modest size shop.
Stuart's son, Nigel, worked in the family business from the age of eleven. Not as child labour, but every school holiday and Saturdays, Nigel would be found learning his craft. However when Nigel left school in 1978, Pip wanted his son to experience the outside world of work. The British cycle industry was at one of its all time lows and it wasn't felt that the family business could support an extra wage. It wasn't until 1988 that Nigel returned as a full time employee at Hill's Cycles, when the mountain bike boom was in full swing.
Hill's Cycles survived the recession of the late 1980's, but it was clear that the premises in Eltham were not big enough to allow the family business to grow.
In 1994, the Hill family took its biggest gamble and purchased a derelict shop at 142-146 Station Road, Sidcup, Kent. These premises were previously occupied by school outfitters called Eric Thomas. Anyone who bought a school uniform in the sixties and seventies in the Boroughs of Bexley and Bromley would have bought their uniform from these premises. As Nigel did in 1974.
Sidcup Cycle Centre was created and officially opened its doors on 3rd September 1994. Over the subsequent years, Sidcup Cycle Centre its enthusiastic staff has helped Sidcup Cycles developed into a local mecca for cycling enthusiasts.
Sidcup Cycle Centre has also diversified. Weldtech Mechanics Training courses are taught by Nigel and his Team at Sidcup Cycles. And in 1994 Nigel started supporting charity bike rides by acting as an event mechanic.
The first ride the Sidcup Cycles acted as an event mechanic was the Great Kent Bike Ride in aid of the Kent Air Ambulance. This past time has now developed into a separate business supporting many, many charities.
As well as looking after many domestic one day charity bike rides, Sidcup Cycles also heads up the mechanics teams for the prestigious Pedal to Paris, in aid of the Royal British Legion, and Cycle to Cannes, and Londres-Paris.com.
Nigel's parents still keep an eye on matters at SCC and Pip and Janet can sometimes be found at 'The Shop'.
Team Sidcup Cycles was founded in 2006 and every Saturday morning, this group and Nigel leads out customers of all abilities on guided bike rides around the Darenth Valley. This group raised £13k for The Royal British Legion in 2006/7 for the Pedal to Paris bike ride.
In 2008, Team Sidcup Cycles raised £2,500, and in 2009 raised £3,100. All in aid of The Royal British Legion
Various other community projects are run at Sidcup Cycle Centre and detail of these can be found in out 'Social Responsibility' section.
Nigel was a board director of the Association of Cycle Traders (ACT) 1998-2005. Nigel joined the Committee of The European Retailers Two Wheeled Association in 1999 and was elected for two terms of office as ETRA president 2004-2009.
Photo: Nigel Hill
