Spin - the Cycling Festival back in 2016 with Manchester instalment

Urban cycling festival Spin London is back for 2016, and this time it's got a sibling - Spin Manchester. 

Started in 2013 the annual consumer event now known as Spin - the Cycling Festival acts as a springboard, and sounding board, for bicycle, bike fashion and accessory makers. 

The Manchester event will take place 6-8 May at Victoria Warehouse, next to Old Trafford, while the London show returns to its original home at the refurbished Truman Brewery for 20-22 May, with a competitive criterium on the Brick Lane cobbles on the cards. 

Organiser - and to this point the main driving force behind the festival - Alex Daw, will add road and mountain bike elements to the urban/lifestyle show, as well as talks from characters across the cycling world.

He said: "We're trying to make it as accessible as possible. Last time we had loads of families and that's something we are going to build on, also road cycling, and mountain biking, especially in Manchester where there's lots of trails."

"A lot of people come to the London event who don't own a bike, and just use the bike rental scheme!"

"I want to have different areas of the show that cover different areas of cycling, whether that's ex-pros, people who have led interesting lives, so the programme and the content is just as important as the latest products".

The festivals will feature more than 200 exhibitors, from bikes and accessories to film premieres, coffee and street food to bike art. There will also be an outdoor test track as well as a children's bike park, and even an e-bike circuit. Organisers are expecting the events to attract 30,000 visitors.

Daw said he has long wanted to run a show in Manchester, which is close to where he grew up, and to tap into the growing cycling scene in Manchester.

He said: "British Cycling is up in Manchester, and though the urban scene is in its infancy there is a  hell of a lot of infrastructure going in."

Spin London, which was a runner up in this year's London Cycling Awards for cycling event of the year, has merged with trade show operator, Mercury Events, and is about to announce a media partner.

He said: "There might be some bigger brands this year to help support and improve the event."