Cycle Lab
Established in 1995, the Cycle Lab was born out of humble beginnings in founder Andrew McLean’s garage. Coupled to a training studio, he soon outgrew this modest venue and in 1997 opened his first shop in the Northern suburbs of Johannesburg. From the outset, it was innovative and “different” from the rest. Focusing mainly on the “racing snakes” and “weekend warriors”, Andrew set about making a difference in the lives of cyclists.
In addition to innovative retail he developed a seeding system for event organizers to arrange safer, more efficient starts at mass participation races, hosted a cycling specific, magazine style show on national TV, expanded his spinning studios and opened one of the first “in-city” bike parks in the same area as the store. In 2013 Andrew joined forces with MoreCorp.
Today Cycle Lab is the fastest growing specialist retail cycle business in South Africa and the only group with National representation. It has Megastores (averaging 2300m2) in the major centres of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and Boksburg (East of Johannesburg). It also recently acquired Chris Willemse Cycles (another South African cycling icon) with particularly strong competencies in Online retail. This was very much a part of the strategy to deliver a strong Omnichannel solution. The focus of the business has also evolved to broaden its appeal to the recreational and beginner cyclist. The offer and proposition is now friendly, supportive and unintimidating.