OTHER new businesses may be finding it hard to pedal uphill in dauntingly steep economic terrain, but good preparation has meant that Jon Dean has been clicking through the gears to success.

From a standing start, in less than a year Jon’s bicycle sales and repair venture, CycleStreet (York) Ltd, in Heworth Village, has achieved a £241,000 turnover.

It has also earned the respect of the cycling community, not just for the standard of its repairs and variety of stock, but also because of its innovations.

These include a monthly in-store rider clinic service, where a local sports injury specialist helps riders to fine tune their bikes to their bodies. Word of mouth has meant that most sessions are fully booked and there are also plans for regular evening maintenance courses for aspiring bike mechanics.

Now Jon is entering CycleStreet (York) Ltd in the New Business Of The Year and Retailer Of The Year categories in The Press Business Awards 2011.

Redundancy meant that cycling-mad Jon could beam in on his long-held ambition to open a cycle shop. With the help of Business Link Yorkshire he drafted a plan, considering the competition and population density of shortlisted areas.

But he knew what would attract the public. “Frequently, bike shops adopt an arrogant and derogatory manner towards ‘normal’ bikes.

“In planning the business and its operation, I made a conscious decision to treat all customers equally and offer products and services to suit all pockets.

“As part of this research I worked in a York bike shop for six months to experience the operation of a successful business, identifying the good and bad processes and making contacts within the trade.”

Then, to finance the venture, he sold a property and took over a two-year lease, after inspecting premises with the help of local bike specialist, John Anderson, formerly of Russell’s of York on Clifford Street.

Jon soon installed a specialised computerised workshop, sales and stock management system and the wheels began turning.

Now he is looking for larger new premises in the area to cope with expansion – and he plans a transactional website by the end of this year.