Brigstow Bike Café

08/09/2026

An update from Brigstow

We've made the difficult decision to close Brigstow Bike Café.

We opened eight months ago with a fairly simple idea: to create a good independent café in Mangotsfield alongside our existing bike business. We've given it a proper go, but unfortunately there simply hasn't been enough regular trade to make a separately staffed café viable.

We had a really encouraging period in July which made us think we'd finally turned a corner, but August was extremely quiet and the beginning of September hasn't improved. The reality is that recently we've been doing roughly a quarter of the turnover we'd need just to break even.

At that point, carrying on simply because we want it to work doesn't make sense.

We know Brigstow was never the perfect café. We worked with the premises, parking, space and budget we had and tried to create something a little different. There are things we'd do differently if we were starting again, but we're proud of what we created and we're certainly not going to apologise for giving it a go.

Most importantly, we're incredibly grateful to the people who did use it. Some of you became genuine regulars, came in several times a week, brought friends and family, recommended us, left lovely reviews and really tried to help make the place work. Thank you. It genuinely meant a lot.

A huge thank you as well to all the girls who've worked at Brigstow over the last eight months and put their time and effort into it.

So, to be completely clear, Brigstow Bike Café will not be reopening in its current format. The café as we've known it is closed.

That doesn't necessarily mean you'll never be able to get a coffee from us again.

The Revolution Workshop next door remains extremely busy, and we're now going to concentrate our time, money and energy on developing the bike business. If coffee does return in the future, it will be something quite different – a small part of a much broader bike business rather than a standalone café with its own staff and overheads.

We'd still love to get the garden open eventually, serve really good coffee and create somewhere nice for cyclists and local people to stop. But it would need to work as an addition to a successful bike shop rather than being expected to support a business in its own right.

There are no promises on that yet. We've learned not to get ahead of ourselves.

What we can say is that we've got some pretty exciting plans for the bike business, including some things we're hoping to have in place in time for Christmas.

We'll say more about that very soon, so if you're interested, keep an eye on The Revolution Workshop page.

For now, thank you to everyone who came through the Brigstow doors, bought a coffee, had some lunch, sat and chatted with us or supported the idea.

Sometimes you try something and it works. Sometimes you try something and it doesn't.

This one didn't – but we're glad we tried.

Will & the Brigstow team

23/07/2026

☕ LONGER OPENING HOURS + HALF-PRICE REFILLS! ☕

We’ve had a pretty decent response to our post a few weeks ago, and we’ve also been listening to your feedback.

So, starting tomorrow, we’re trialling longer opening hours on our busiest days. Brigstow Bike Café will now be open 8am–4pm every Friday and Saturday, until at least the end of August.

We’d love to eventually extend our opening hours on the other days too, but first we need to build enough trade to make those longer hours sustainable.

We’re also introducing half-price refills every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday — our quieter days.

So whether it’s your second coffee, third, fourth or fifth, settle in and stay awhile — every refill is half price! ☕

If things continue moving in the right direction, our next step will be extending the hours on Thursdays and Sundays, followed eventually by Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

A huge thank you to everyone who has visited, shared our posts and helped spread the word over the last few weeks.

We’re not quite there yet, but it really has made a difference. ❤️

23/06/2026

🚨 The future of Brigstow Bike Café depends on the next few weeks.

This is probably the most important post we've ever made.

Since opening, we've had fantastic feedback about our coffee, food, atmosphere and staff. Most people who visit us come back, which tells us we're doing something right.

The problem is that not enough people are discovering us in the first place.

Despite months of hard work, footfall remains far lower than we need to make the café sustainable. If that doesn't change, we'll need to make some difficult decisions about the future of the café at the end of July.

We're not asking for charity.

We're asking you to give us a try.

If you've been meaning to visit but haven't got around to it yet, now is the time.

To make that first visit as easy as possible, we're offering any standard coffee, tea, iced coffee, iced tea or milkshake for just £1 when you visit.

If you're already one of our regulars, this offer is for you too. You've helped keep us going so far, and we're incredibly grateful for your support.

We're proud of what we've built here and we'd love the chance to show more people what Brigstow Bike Café is all about before we make any decisions about its future.

If you want to help:

☕ Visit us

📢 Share this post

👍 Follow our page and invite friends to do the same

Thank you for reading, and thank you for supporting independent local businesses.

31/05/2026

29/05/2026

17/05/2026

Bacon butty update!

Our sourdough bacon sandwiches have been seriously popular — but we’ve also learned that sourdough, while brilliant on a plate, isn’t exactly built for life in a takeaway bag.

So, for those grabbing breakfast on the go, we’ve added bacon rolls to the menu.

Plenty of properly cooked bacon, packed into a soft roll, easier to eat, easier to carry, and just as satisfying.
£4 gets you a seriously solid bacon roll, whether you’re sitting in or heading out.

Perfect for commuters, riders, dog walkers, or anyone who wants proper breakfast without putting you into a food coma.

16/05/2026

Spring fair on today at St James's church!

15/05/2026

Introducing our new House Brewed Sparkling Iced Teas.

Freshly brewed English Breakfast tea, lightly sweetened in-house, served over ice with sparkling mineral water and bold flavour.

Now pouring:

Raspberry

Fresh, fruity, and seriously refreshing.

Rhubarb

Sharp, crisp, and a little more adventurous.

Hibiscus

Bold, vibrant, and beautifully different.

Proper iced tea. Proper flavour. No bottled shortcuts.

And this is just the beginning — Peach is already on its way.

What flavour would you like to see next?