Banjo Cycles based in Newbury is probably the best bike shop in West Berkshire if not the UK.  Banjo Cycles has now been trading for 6 years, it doesn’t seem possible!!!  Mark started as a one man band, and over the years Mark has grown the Banjo Cycles business steadily.  This saw Mark move to new larger premises in 2007 and increase the team of people in the shop to support the ever- growing demand!  And it is to Mark's credit, because he and his wife Jenny have driven the Banjo Cycle business and made it the great bike shop it is today…  Mark's formula is simple: deliver great customer service, have knowledge of your subject, provide great products and let the business take care of itself...  Mark is confident that 2010 will be another great year….

By way of a brief history: Mark Letters is following a long family tradition of bike shop owning, as his father also ran and owned a bike shop in Newbury for many years.

Mark Letters feels that there has never been a better time to buy a new bike from Banjo Cycles and take up cycling, stating that “It’s very green and helps you get regular exercise in an interesting way. It has a low impact on the joints and gets you out in the fresh air too.  Also, with the recent recession, we have all had to tighten our belts and cycling just make so much sense."

Following on from the Olympics success of Rebecca Romero, Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Bradley Wiggins and others in the World-beating British Cycling team and the second stage of the 2008 Tour of Britain finishing in Newbury, this has greatly driven local interest in cycling… It really has helped drive people out of their living rooms and onto two wheels…   and whether you are buying a bike for the youngest or the oldest member of your family, Banjo Cycles has a bike for you!

Banjo Cycles has a fantastic range of bikes from practical round town bikes to top-end mountain, & road race bikes.  With famous brands such as: Specialized, Giant, Felt, Zipp, Powertap, Cyclops and from this year, the classic Italian brand Colnago.

Also, just like having a made-to-measure suit, you can now have Banjo Cycles build a bespoke bike built just for you, to your own requirements. This technology is called 'Full Body Geometry Cycle Fit' (FBGC or BGC for short), which will enable Banjo to measure you and fit the bike to your body size.  And whilst the service is still in its early days, it is becoming very popular with the road racing community…

Banjo Cycles also offers a superb range of test bikes too, Mark says, "This means that you can take a 24-hour test ride on many of the mountain & road bikes you can see in the shop: you can 'try before you buy'. This approach allows you to make the right choice, before you spend your hard-earned cash on a new set of wheels.”

When it comes to spares and repairs, Banjo Cycles does a really excellent job in stocking an wide range of spare parts and prides itself on reuniting the fixed bike with its owner asap!

Newbury and West Berkshire is an fabulous area for bike riding on every level and not so level! It has some great rural roads with twist & turns and great ascents and descents, testing off-road tracks and of course, Greenham and Snelsmore Commons. So after a hard day in the saddle, why not visit Lucky’s Indian Tapas Bar to refuel?

Mark himself likes nothing better than a visit to Lucky’s for great Indian food, Mark sees a lot of his work ethic in the way that Lucky runs and manages Lucky’s Indian Tapas Bar.  Namely, a Great Service, with knowledgeable hard-working staff, serving a great product in atmospheric restaurant.

Some of us that have lived in Newbury will remember that Lucky’s Indian Tapas Bar was a bike shop just like Banjo Cycles once…

David Owens 10.03.2010