Sunny Cycles

What Sunny Cycles does

Sunny Cycles is a Glasgow-based charity and social enterprise (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registration SC052135) founded in 2022 that delivers inclusive cycling activities to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. The organisation operates from three physical community hubs across Glasgow — Glasgow Green as headquarters at Montieth Row, Victoria Park, and Maryhill Burgh Halls — offering led rides, one-to-one cycling lessons, women's-only sessions, bike-skills training, adapted and cargo bike hire, and corporate team-building experiences. Stated beneficiary groups include people with physical, learning, or hidden disabilities, women and non-binary individuals, refugees and asylum seekers (New Scots), children and families, older adults, and corporate partners. Reported impact includes 2,756 participants cycled with the charity in 2024, hundreds of people with disabilities enabled to cycle using the adapted fleet (hand cycles, companion bikes, trikes, cargo bikes), and an affiliated Glasgow Gals Cycling Club with 162 active members that won Scottish Cycling Club of the Year 2018 and Scottish Women in Sport Sporting Champion Award 2021.

The business model is donation-led and explicitly non-commercial at the point of use: every cycling activity is provided free of charge, framed as cost never being a barrier to access. Funding streams comprise voluntary donations collected via JustGiving, bank transfer, and in-person card/cash; a small e-commerce merchandise line (buffs, string backpacks, t-shirts, and pin badges priced £3–£22, fulfilled through SumUp) where two of four SKUs are already sold out; corporate partnerships encompassing sponsorship, employee volunteering, in-kind support, and team-building sessions; and a paid consultancy service advising organisations on setting up cycling programmes covering programme design, adaptive cycling expertise, and operational safety. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on commodity SaaS tools including Plinth for activity booking, JustGiving for donations, SumUp for payments and merchandise e-commerce, Google Analytics for web analytics, reCAPTCHA for form protection, and Microsoft Azure for hosting. The workforce comprises seven staff supported by an elected board of trustees and a broader network of trained volunteers and sessional staff.

Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: participant acquisition occurs through physical hubs, free taster sessions, and a recurring calendar of annual flagship events including Petal Power (a sunflower growing fundraiser), Ride Bright (a women's night-safety ride scaling to a second edition in 2025), Kidical Mass (a family cycling advocacy ride launching in 2026), and Bikes, Bells & a Picnic (a New Scots inclusion programme funded by the Glasgow 2026 Festival). Marketing channels span Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok, complemented by an email newsletter and Plinth-based bookings. Distribution is exclusively physical and regional within Scotland, with no digital product or downloadable service offered.

Name

Sunny Cycles

Legal name

Sunny Cycles

Website

https://sunnycycles.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sunny Cycles is a Glasgow-based charity operating three community hubs that deliver free inclusive cycling activities — led rides, lessons, women's sessions, and adapted-bike hire — for people with disabilities, women, refugees, families, and corporate teams, funded by donations, merchandise sales, and partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inclusive Cycling Services

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Bike Fit, Performance & Training Retail/Studios (CRAMAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cycling Events (Road Races, Gran Fondos, Sportives) (MPAKAIAC), Bike Apparel, Helmets & Protective Gear Retail (CRAMAHAC)

Keywords

• Adaptive cycling services
• Inclusive cycling programs
• Women's cycling sessions
• Community cycling rides
• Cycling charity services

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations: Free membership is offered; donations are solicited via JustGiving (one-off or recurring monthly), bank transfer, and in-person cash/card at sessions via SumUp card machine. Donations fund adapted bikes, community sessions, ride leaders, and subsidised access for disadvantaged participants.
2. Merchandise Sales: E-commerce store selling buffs (£8), string backpacks (£8), t-shirts (£22), and pin badges (£3) via SumUp-powered storefront. Products are printed to order. Proceeds fund adaptive bikes and inclusive cycling sessions.
3. Corporate Partnerships & Consultancy: Offerings include corporate sponsorships, employee volunteering, in-kind support, and cause-related marketing partnerships. Consultancy services support organisations setting up cycling projects, including programme design, community engagement, adaptive cycling, and operational safety.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Sunny Cycles is a Glasgow-based charitable organisation (SCIO) that delivers inclusive cycling activities and programmes to the local community. It runs led rides, cycling lessons, women's and non-binary cycling sessions, bike skills sessions, adapted bike hire for people with disabilities, and corporate team-building events, and it sells branded merchandise to support its operations.

Product overview

Sunny Cycles is a Glasgow-based charity and social enterprise offering inclusive cycling activities and programmes. The core offering consists of cycling services including Led Rides, Cycling Lessons for Kids and Adults, Women's Cycling, Adapted and Cargo Bikes, Bike Skills sessions, and Team Building experiences. The organisation also operates community events and campaigns including Petal Power (sunflower growing campaign), Ride Bright (women's safety night ride), Kidical Mass (family bike ride for safer streets), and Bikes, Bells & a Picnic (for New Scots). Supplementary services include Corporate Partnerships, Consultancy for organisations setting up cycling projects, and free Membership. A dedicated Merchandise Store (powered by SumUp) sells branded items including Buffs, String Backpacks, T-Shirts, and Logo Pin Badges, with proceeds supporting adaptive bikes and cycling sessions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Led community rides

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,756 people cycled with Sunny Cycles in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Glasgow 2026 FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Funding partner for the Bikes & Bells programme. The Glasgow 2026 Festival Fund supports free cycling lessons, skills sessions, and rides for New Scots women and families, culminating in Bikes, Bells & a Picnic on Glasgow Green.
• Cycle Law ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCycle Law Scotland is a specialist legal service representing injured cyclists across Scotland. Listed as a current supporter on the corporate partnerships page. They are passionate advocates for safer cycling and provide support in making inclusive cycling more accessible.
• Women on WheelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for Ride Bright (women's night safety cycling event celebrating International Women's Day) and Kidical Mass. Women on Wheels is a women's cycling organisation contributing to event design and delivery.
• Parents for FutureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for Kidical Mass Glasgow, a family-friendly bike ride advocating for safer streets. Contributes to event organisation alongside Sunny Cycles and Women on Wheels.
• Little Foragers KitchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the Foraging Ride event — a combined cycling and foraging experience at Cuningar Loop. Little Foragers Kitchen leads wild food tasting and foraging education while Sunny Cycles provides guided cycling. All profits support Sunny Cycles' community work.
• Glasgow Gals Cycling ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA women's-only cycling club based in Glasgow with 162 active members and 25 volunteer ride leaders. Many volunteers involved with Glasgow Gals also volunteer with Sunny Cycles. Chair Carol Thompson also chairs Glasgow Gals. The club won Scottish Cycling Club of the Year 2018 and Scottish Women in Sport Sporting Champion Award 2021.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cycling Scotland: Scotland's national cycling promotion body, providing the ride-leader qualification framework and quality assurance scheme that Sunny Cycles' instructors operate under. Comparable through shared training and inclusion agenda, but operates as a national umbrella rather than a single-city provider.
• Cycle UK: UK-wide cycling charity (formerly CTC) covering lobbying, community groups, and inclusive cycling initiatives. Comparable through inclusive cycling mission and community ride leadership, but at a much larger national scale.
• British Cycling: National governing body for cycle sport in the UK, whose Ride Leader qualification is held by several Sunny Cycles staff. Comparable in certification ecosystem and women's cycling programmes (HSBC UK Breeze), but focused on competitive and club cycling nationally.

Direct peers

• Cycling Without Age: International charity offering trishaw rides for older adults and people with mobility limitations. Closely comparable to Sunny Cycles' care home partnership work (e.g., enabling a 96-year-old resident to ride again) and adapted-fleet operating model.
• Freewheel North: Scottish charity providing adapted cycling opportunities for people with disabilities across central Scotland. Closely comparable to Sunny Cycles' adapted bike hire and inclusive ride leadership offering.
• Bike for Good: Glasgow-based cycling charity offering refurbished bikes, learn-to-ride sessions, and inclusive cycling programmes for refugees and low-income communities. Directly comparable to Sunny Cycles in mission, geography, and free-to-participant operating model.
• Wheels for Wellbeing: UK-based charity campaigning for and delivering inclusive cycling sessions for disabled people. Comparable focus on adapted cycles, accessible led rides, and advocacy for inclusive cycling infrastructure.
• Glasgow Gals Cycling Club: Glasgow women's cycling club with 162 active members that shares leadership and volunteers with Sunny Cycles. Comparable focus on women-only led rides and confidence-building cycling sessions.
• The Bike Project: UK charity refurbishing donated bikes and providing them to refugees and asylum seekers alongside cycling lessons. Directly comparable to Sunny Cycles' New Scots inclusion programme under the Glasgow 2026 Festival.

Others

• Love to Ride: Cycling participation platform running workplace and community challenges. Adjacent to Sunny Cycles' corporate team-building and community events (Petal Power, Ride Bright), though it operates as a digital engagement platform rather than in-person service provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SunnyCyclesGlasgow
• Facebookfacebook.com/sunnycycles22
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sunnycycles
• Instagraminstagram.com/Sunnycycles22
• TikToktiktok.com/@sunny.cycles

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sunny Cycles