Look Mum No Hands! in Old Street

THE owners of a popular bike café and workshop said they have had to close the business due to the pressures of the post-Covid cost of living crisis.

Look Mum No Hands! (LMNH!) in Old Street has been open for 13 years and was sometimes described as the cyclists’ version of the famous Ace Café loved by motorcyclists.

It was the idea of Matthew Harper, Lewin Chalkley and Sam Humpheson, who founded it together in 2010, having felt that cycling culture was finally gaining attraction.

The three friends who shared a passion for cycling left their day jobs to set it up but said rising bills and rent costs had proved too much.

Mr Harper said: “There wasn’t a single thing going in our favour, we couldn’t see that anything was going to get better soon. We were just losing money every week and had to stop at some point.”

LMNH! was a combination of café, bicycle workshop, shop, bar and exhibition space hosting themed events such as open mic nights, film and sporting screenings and even speed dating nights for cyclists.

They created the space for cyclists to watch bike racing events such as the Tour de France while enjoying a coffee or a pint.

Mr Harper, a former Swiss Stock Exchange employee, said: “There were times during the Olympics and during the Tour de France when we might have had two or three different crews of journalists down at the same time. TV crews from all over the world. It was really crazy.”

He added that the after-effects of the Covid lockdown had proved disastrous as working from home continued to be commonplace.

Mr Harper said: “The thing that made me happiest was providing a space for groups on the fringes, who needed to have a place to meet and talk and have their panel discussions and encourage other people to start cycling.”

The owners have been overwhelmed by the response from customers who are sad to see it close.

Mr Harper said: “It doesn’t seem right that it should just disappear completely. It was sad closing it down. But I can’t be sad about what we achieved, because I think we did a lot.”