FARNHAM’S newest retail business – and one of the first of its kind in the UK – was formally opened by Farnham town mayor, Pat Evans, this week.

The Electric Cycle Cafe on Downing Street, supported by the Farnham Cycle Campaign, is a new concept which brings together the best of an artisan coffee shop with the best of a modern bike shop, offering electric-assist bikes or ebikes.

There are a number of cycle cafes around the UK, but almost no electric cycle cafes.

Ebikes are opening up cycling to a whole range of new people who don’t own any lycra and who just want to travel around town whilst getting motorised boost on the hills.

For example there is an 80 year old who happily cycles up Firgrove Hill into town on his ebike and the staff at the cafe aim to offer this level of freedom to anyone using the ebikes that they sell.

Cycling into town avoids the road congestion and car park congestion.

But the cafe and shop also employs some top baristas who use coffee from Farnham’s own coffee roaster, Ricardo, at Coffee Gems Ltd.

Columbian born Ricardo regularly visits South America to personally choose the beans that he roasts in his town centre premises.

The Electric Cycle Cafe is proud that they are the only coffee shop in the town making coffee with his “wonderful creations”.

Eventually the cafe hopes to become a regular cycling destination for out of town cyclists.

But for now they are proving a popular destination for anyone seeking some exceptional coffee in town.