Hoops Walton: Meet Lee
Hoops Walton: Meet Lee
Hoops wouldn’t be what it is today without our fantastic team across our three stores, so in our ‘Meet’ series we’re going to introduce you to the people that make our cogs turn. From store manager to shop floor staff, one thing we all have in common is our love for all things two wheels – everyone has their cycling story, so let’s dive in!
First, we take a visit to Walton-on-Thames, home to Hoops Walton and perfectly poised for some fantastic bike riding in the Surrey Hills and beyond! Store manager Lee has been part of the Hoops Velo family for many years now, having been here since the days of Walton Cycles way back when. Though he may not get so much time to ride these days, he still lives and breathes bikes, and has plenty of stories to share.
How did you get into cycling?
Cycling started for me back in my Sixth Form days, but mostly as a mode of transport – if I wanted to see my friends or get to and from school, cycling was the only option. As I started to ride more, I started enjoying it more! Oftentimes I would take the long way home, and that eventually led to riding in my spare time at the weekends – I definitely had the bug!
What has kept you cycling?
Nothing beats the freedom of cycling. If you want to go somewhere, you can – surely that’s better than sitting at home on the sofa! The Surrey Hills are an almost endless resource for fun on the bike, especially if you like hills, so I’ll often go exploring without a route and see where the wind takes me. Admittedly this has landed me in some trouble on more than a few occasions, having to phone home to get rescued after running out of inner tubes or a nasty mechanical – that’s all part of the fun right?
How did you get into the bike trade?
Once I caught the bug for bikes back in Sixth Form, I was hooked. One thing I enjoyed was tinkering with my bike, whether it was upgrading parts or trying out different setups – on one of my many journeys to the local bike shop, I saw an advert in the window looking for shop staff. I inquired, and a few days later I had the job! Here I gained lots of valuable experience, working both on the shop floor and in the workshop – the rest is history.
When did you join Hoops?
Well, I’ve actually been in this exact shop since the days of Walton Cycles where I worked with now Hoops’ owner and good friend Gary. Once Walton Cycles eventually closed down, Gary took over and reopened the shop with Hoops, and I was presented with the opportunity to be the manager of the store – an offer I couldn’t refuse! As store manager, I do a bit of everything, whether that’s in the workshop, serving customers on the shop floor or keeping tabs on general shop goings-on.
What do you like most about working at Hoops?
It’s got to be the customers. As a lifelong cyclist, there’s nothing more satisfying than setting someone up with their perfect bike, and then hearing about how much they’re enjoying riding it. Aside from that, working at Hoops gives me the opportunity to tinker with bikes every day, whether it’s old classics or cutting-edge tech, and there’s always a new challenge.
What would you do if you weren’t in the cycling trade?
Goodness knows! Getting into the bike trade wasn’t the plan, but after all these years I can’t see it happening any other way – I like cycling, I like bikes, what else could I possibly do?! If I had to do something else, I’d probably be some kind of tradesperson as I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and tinkering, so I guess that would make sense. Ultimately the cycling trade is my happy place, so I haven’t given it too much thought.
Best day out on the bike?
I’ve spent many days on the bike over the years, cycling around my local lanes and on escapades abroad, but if I had to pick it’d probably be my Pyrenean adventure as a youngster. I can’t remember the exact year, probably mid to late 80s if I had to make a guess – Stephen Roach era. I flew to Geneva with a group of friends, where we followed Le Tour to the Alps and across the Pyrenees over a week fully packed with all our belongings. Plenty of memories were made, I mean it’d be hard not to have good memories from a place like that!
Aside from that, I’ve been cycling in Mallorca several times and have many fond memories there. I also spent my late teens and early 20s doing one-day races with some success, but admittedly I was better at time trialling!
Any exciting cycling events/adventures coming up?
Unfortunately in recent years my cycling has fallen to the wayside somewhat, so I’ve got nothing immediately on the horizon. However, I would love to go back to the Alps or Mallorca again one day, this time without panniers!
Current bike?
I’ve had my current no.1 for many years now – a LeMond Victoire from 2008 (keep an eye out for a blog delving into the details of our bikes!). Greg LeMond is my all-time favourite rider, and really inspired me in my early days of cycling. The bike rides like a dream and has served me well since I got it, and it still remains one of the lightest bikes in the shop even after all these years!
I’ve also got an old Columbus-tubed Eddy Merkzx which is now retired to the garage and will never be sold – I’ve ridden many miles on that bike, so it holds a lot of sentimental value. Oh, and I’ve also got my trusty old 653 Reynolds Raleigh that used to make a whistling sound once it got up to a certain speed, so naturally the goal of every ride on that bike was always to make it whistle!
Keep an eye out for more blog posts about the team here at Hoops. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop and be the first to know about any deals and offers!
