Our good friends and fellow founders of The SMBC, Progression Bikes was set up in Dunkeld in 2011 by Adam Flint. In five years the company has grown from a hire and guiding business into a thriving bike shop at the heart of the exploding Dunkeld bike scene. So, whit’s the craic Adam?
When we began there was the downhill track, and some remote tracks up to Loch Ordie or Glen Garr. That was about it. Now we host two Enduros, an SDA, and have multiple trails on every hill, and international riders revisiting some world class trails. Obviously this didn’t all happen without a growing local crew of riders and trail builders, working with landowners to keep things natural, and safe.
The shop now has a full range of hire bikes, including plus sizes, e-bikes, bob trailers and singletrailers from tout terrain and Mountain Trike off road wheelchairs too. There is so much riding to be had straight from the shop. Whether a full days road riding or retribution on the Enduro circuit, we had to step up to ensure there were bikes available for hire, demo and purchase. We are set up for the cycle to work scheme, and a 0% finance package.
We are also into our second year of bike camps at Dunkeld, and this has expanded to every school holiday, and overnight/multi day trips too. The kids (and parents) love it, and we see them come back bigger, stronger and more technically able. And they still love it!
New for 2016, we are also delighted to be offering women’s specific coaching as part of Muckmedden’s “Muckmaiden” Ladies Days. These coaching sessions are designed to boost confidence in female riders and will focus on specific skills such as cornering, drop-offs and jumps. We will run two coaching sessions at each Muckmedden race venue, which will be split into novice/intermediate and intermediate/advanced levels.
Also new for 2016 is our race team! Focusing this year on Mountain Biking, we have already had riders on the podium at some big events including SDA, BDS, and a win at Vallelujah. We provide full pits support and coaching/fitness programs to those that are after it. It is great to see some of the bike campers coming through the ranks, and always hungry for the win. Progression Bikes racing is a force to be reckoned with!
The uplift at Dunkeld is also still going strong and with the SDA here, and up the road at Dull, the local downhill scene is thriving. Articles in recent biking mags always help to boost every aspect of the trails, and the business, and there are so many great trails that are off the beaten track.
It all shows how far we and Dunkeld as a whole have come in the last few years!