THREE mountain biking enthusiasts are opening a new shop in the heart of Ryedale.

Mike Hawtin, 37, and wife Amanda, 36, who already run Big Bear Active mountain bike holidays, based at a guest house in Westgate in Pickering, have joined forces with friend David Beeley, who lives near Langdale End, to open Big Bear Bikes.

The shop, which is based in Southgate, Pickering, will sell a wide range of mountain bikes, including the Pace mountain bikes which are made locally in Wykeham.

Mr Hawton said: “I’ve been into mountain biking for more than 20 years, and we are one of only five businesses in the country that have Cyclists’ Touring Club qualified staff.

“We are not just going to sell you a bike, we’ll help you find the most comfortable, best performance bike for you, and we can advise you on mountain biking in general as well.”

Mr Hawtin, who lives at the guest house with Amanda and his children Ethan, five, and Emily, three, says that running Big Bear Active has given him the confidence to branch out into a new business.

He said: “I think the shop is going to be very successful, because we have already seen a great deal of interest in mountain biking in this area while “North Yorkshire is a great place for mountain biking. We’ve got Dalby Forest, which is one of the best trail centres in the country, and then there are hundreds of miles of single track bridleway over natural terrain.

“We have got a good location for our new shop – it is near the traffic lights so there are a lot of vehicles passing by.”