Cyclists in Aberdeen have suffered a blow after it was announced that a popular cycling shop will close its doors later this month.
Evans Cycles, which currently has a store on Great Northern Road, has announced it will shut up shop on July 26.
The store opened in 2016.
Once closed, the nearest alternative store will be 90 miles away in Edinburgh.
Rachel Martin of Aberdeen Cycle Forum said: “It’s very disappointing, but it’s part of a wider effect where we’re not seeing a growth in cycling in the area since it peaked in 2016.
“People might say that you can buy everything you need online, and that cycle shops are not needed, but they absolutely are needed – you can’t take your bike to get serviced on the internet, you need a physical store.
“Cycling should be growing, given that we are promoting active travel for all its benefits, including health and the environment.
“Unfortunately, there’s just not the infrastructure for higher numbers of cyclists on our roads. Hopefully that will change and we will see Evans Cycles return.”
The struggling firm was placed into administration before being sold to Sports Direct International in a deal agreed last year, leading to a round of cuts.
An initial turnaround plan for the chain revealed that up to half of its 62 stores would close down.
This placed around 600 of the firm’s 1,300 staff members at risk of losing their jobs.
However, a review in March revealed the number of store closures across the UK could be as low as eight.
The company has said that staff have been redeployed to other areas within the business “where possible”.