It was a long standing love of cycling that propelled (or peddled, really) Josh Castola into opening East Dulwich’s new bike shop, L’Atelier Du Vélo.
A cycling enthusiast for as long as he can remember, Josh had spent the last decade working in all areas of the industry: fixing bikes in workshops, manufacturing them, managing shop floors and holding several roles in professional racing.
He’d worked in independent shops as well as the big chains like Condor before turning his attention to opening up a bike shop of his own on Lordship Lane.
For Josh, running his own shop was an opportunity to pump more passion into bike repairs, and also stronger ethics than he’d witnessed elsewhere in the industry.
In his own words, it’s about “making sure we’re more environmentally focused, community focused and welcoming to our neighbours, and providing a really high quality of work rather than sending bikes out in not as good condition as they could be,” he explains, when we speak one month into the shop’s opening.
How’s he finding it so far?
“It’s been a big learning curve!,” he laughs. “I’ve managed businesses before, but there’s a huge amount I’ve learned in terms of leases to the property and communicating with the local council.”
Settling in has been relatively smooth, though.
“In terms of spreading the word, I’ve never been strong at promotional stuff, so I’m hugely grateful to the community of East Dulwich for helping spread the word for me.”
While the business’s name is a nod to France – the epicentre of cycling culture and home to the sport’s most famous race, the Tour de France – its focus is on serving the East Dulwich community, which Josh describes as “very active”.
L’Atelier Du Vélo’s opening in SE22 is no coincidence.
“There’s a lot of cycling heritage around here: whether it’s the [Herne Hill] Velodrome or the long-standing cycling clubs, there’s a history of old races.”
But it’s not really the racing cyclists Josh is keen to focus on. “We want to provide a service to the commuters and the people who have a bike in the shed they want to bring back to life,” he insists.
“With the Covid lockdowns, there was a huge uptake [in cycling] for obvious reasons. We’ve had people coming in and saying they haven’t ridden a bike since they were a kid but they want to get back into it as it seems to be the better way to get around.”
So, how does he plan to engage with south London’s less serious cyclists?
“We’re running classes in the evenings just to teach people how to repair bikes.”
Far from worrying that teaching cyclists his skillset will mean they no longer need his services, Josh is an advocate for everyone being comfortable tinkering with their bike.
“The reality is tools are so expensive people aren’t going to invest in them. We’ll teach as much or as little as people want to learn.
“It’s more about empowering people and making them comfortable using their bikes,” he reasons. “If they have an incident on the road, having a knowledge of how stuff works will maybe help them know what to do instead of having to call a taxi or jump on a train.”
L’Atelier Du Vélo founder Josh Castola
He’ll be running guided cycles too.
“We’d like to organise group bike rides to show nice routes out of London to Surrey and Kent,” he says. “The idea is not to be taking super keen, fast cyclists out, but to show people who are relatively new to cycling how to cycle safely as a group.”
The plan is also to make the shop something of a community hub.
“We’re trying to make the shop very welcoming, so we offer free coffee and then beers on the weekend. We’ve always got the live sport on TV, screening the big races like the Tour de France.”
Drop in with the kids, and there’s a corner with comics and colouring books to keep them busy while you get your bike fixed. And there’s plans for a community garden coming soon.
“We’re going to set up loads of planters so anyone who is keen to grow their own vegetables, we can allocate them a planter.”
Unable to use the garden for business purposes, Josh will be offering plots on the allotment free of charge, so long as gardeners carry out their own maintenance.
“If we can help people make new connections, get to know each other and feel comfortable to just pop by, then great,” Josh says.
He and his colleague Matthew, who he describes as integral to the business, are enjoying exploring the offering at their fellow local businesses.
“We’re spoiled in this corner of East Dulwich, especially on Lordship Lane. It’s nice to see lots of independent shops like the DIY shops nearby…One business that’s been really kind to us is a cafe called Spinach that makes really tasty salads and coffees.”
What advice would he give to nervous cyclists, intimidated by the high-speed, lycra-wearing tribes tearing along the cycle lanes in central London?
“It’s all about baby steps when you’re new to cycling in the city. The key thing is planning out your route. Try and find quieter roads rather than main roads,” Josh advises.
“Make sure you’re well prepared in terms of having the appropriate lights and the right helmet.
“Having the right clothing makes cycling so much more pleasant,” he adds, listing waterproof clothing and padded shorts as among the essentials for added comfort.
Finally, “make sure you’re as visible as possible: as uncool as High Vis clothing is, it pays dividends in terms of safety.”
L’Atelier Du Vélo, 205 Lordship Lane, London SE22 8HB.
Monday – Friday, 8am – 6pm; Saturday 9am – 6pm; Sunday 10am – 5pm.
