Our Story

How we became a store that cares about every cyclist

Founding Teesside’s most loved bike store

In 2008 our Founder, Grant Maciver, had a flashback to his childhood when he discovered that the bike store he had a Saturday job at during his teens was listed for sale. All the fond memories of helping local people choose their new bike came flooding back and the part of him that had always wanted to run his own business was ignited. Equipped with the knowledge of how the owners liked to run their store and a genuine passion for cycling, he purchased Skinnergate allowing the original founders to retire.

Since 2008, Grant has worked hard to grow the business to become Teesside’s most loved bike store. People come to Skinnergate not only for the huge selection of bikes and accessories, but the knowledge and experience of the team.

Meet the team

Honouring our roots

Even though Skinnergate entered a new chapter when Grant took over, he was very adamant he wanted to keep the ethos of the original founders alive. He wanted to ensure that the family feel that customers had experienced for so long prior was still what they felt when they walked through the door. No pushiness. No hard selling. Just excellent customer service, support and advice, and a smile with every visit. What’s more, this ethos is one of the reasons why we continue to stock a wide range of children’s bikes, unlike other independent bike stores.

Something for everyone

We’re a bike store that cares about every cyclist, regardless of their experience or reason for cycling. That’s why we have a stock range of over 150 different bikes, not just top of the range bikes for the elite cyclists. Our mission is to promote cycling by making it accessible, so we have a range of bikes for every age, budget and skill level.

View our bikes