Anyone any thoughts on this?

[ccdjg]

Reading one of the recent threads about pellets made me wonder why it was always traditional for cycle shops to stock airgun pellets. I can't see any real reason for this, other than a vague sporting connection, and yet it always seems to have been that way. Does anyone have any bright ideas as to why this odd relationship developed, and is it peculiar to the UK?

[MattyBoy]

This was the style of "drive-by shootings" back in the good old days... a youth with a BSA Scorpion cycling past on his Raleigh Chopper at speed letting loose with a .22 Bulldog or Milbro Caledonian slug...

Oh I'm getting all misty eyed just thinking about those lovely, former, safer times...

Matty

[Unframed Dave]

Not all things in retail make particular sense:

"Anything for the weekend Sir?"

Dave

[Rob M]

I'd like to know that as well. Could it be that some bike shops started out as hardware shops that sold pellets, and kept on selling pellets as the rest of the business changed? Or maybe, it's simply that bicycle shops were popular with boys and the shopkeepers knew their customers' interests.

[I. J.]

I'd like to know that as well. Could it be that some bike shops started out as hardware shops that sold pellets, and kept on selling pellets as the rest of the business changed? Or maybe, it's simply that bicycle shops were popular with boys and the shopkeepers knew their customers' interests.

Or perhaps its just that theres a good mark up on pellets and they dont eat owt and never go cheaper.

In my youth several local pet shops sold airgun pellets and air guns. M

[piggy589]

Didn't BSA produce bicycles at one time?.

[Paradox]

Motorcycles not push bikes as far as I am aware

[larrylamppost]

Motorcycles not push bikes as far as I am aware

they did make bicycles

[DCL_dave]

Motorcycles not push bikes as far as I am aware

BSA did make bicycles!...I remember as a kid, having an old grandad bike with a BSA badge on it.

[piggy589]

BSA did make bicycles!...I remember as a kid, having an old grandad bike with a BSA badge on it.

I vaguely remember the local butcher having a delivery bike with the piled arms logo on the headstock.
As a kid I marvelled at the strength required to pedal the black monster with the basket fully loaded .

[Lakey]

BSA did make bikes, before they made airguns. and it wouldnt have suprised me if the hastily arranged marketing team that was put together to market the new air rifle (better than its original designer Lincoln Jeffries) was made up of staff from their bicycle marketing team (as up until that point all BSA gun manufacture had been strictly to government contracts - so didnt need to be sold to the public). It would have made perfect sense to sell pellets to established BSA customers and dealers - in the shape of bike shops and hardware shops ( whilst they developed their main outlets - the gun shops) After blazing a trail with the airguns, the pellets were a logical add on. I guess the gun shops eventually played catch up and became the more established and logical outlets for the guns, but the pellets were an easy and convenient line for the bike shops and hardware stores to continue with. In the end I guess they became traditionally associated with Bike shops in a way the guns never did (perhaps due to tightening gun supply laws ??)

Lakey

[ogilkes]

Yes it was the bad marketing network. One reason bad was so successful with air rifles, they had distribution!

[Peter Dunkley]

I can well remember meeting my old dad from work most Friday evenings and him buying me a box of Marksman 177 pellets from a bike shop which we had to pass.
They were always gone by Sunday night.

[mel h]

It's probably down to the simple fact that people who started cycle shops were good at mechanical repairs and could fix most things, airguns could be bought wholesale and were probably not seen as requiring the attentions of an expensive gunsmith, besides airguns and pellets, the local cycle shop often sold early radio sets.
Mel.

[Peter Dunkley]

Yes the bike shop I got my pellets from also used to charge the batteries for our radio.