Charley’s Cycle and Radio Service in Ballybough in Dublin has been selling bikes for two generations.
Even through the bad times when everyone was using cars and you could not find somebody to fix a puncture, Charley’s was there.
In the midst of a petrol strike caused by a crisis in the Middle East, RTÉ reporter Pat Kenny pays a visit to the shop and speaks to the owner Charley Boles to find out how his business is being affected.
Charley says it is currently impossible to get a second hand bike in the City of Dublin. This is down to a combination of the petrol strike, buses being too dear and bikes getting stolen.
The petrol strikes have caused an upsurge in people bringing in bikes to be fixed. Almost all of these bikes are in very bad condition as they have come from barns, attics or ditches.
Tyres falling off, tubes falling off, no breaks, saddle is very badly worn, just generally rubbish.
Men have always been good customers, but in the last couple of years Charley has noticed that women are beginning to use bikes a lot more.
An ‘Ireland’s Eye’ report broadcast on 8 October 1980. The reporter is Pat Kenny.
