You might recall that last year in spring, summer and autumn, we connected with some of the UK’s most-loved cycling stores and put on a series of laidback adventurous picnic rides. Well, Brooks is back on tour and this year the roadshow is heading to a smattering of bike emporiums around Europe.

The first three rides had a distinctly Francophone feel, taking place in Paris, Dijon and Bruges – and there was plenty of pain, vin and Boursin to go around. Not to mention some stunning sights, plenty of princess gravel and a big dash of medieval majesty.

As bike shop origin stories go, La Chouette’s is a little more underground than most. The business began life as a hobby project, with founder Jacob Burke buying beat up old bikes, stripping them, rebuilding them and selling them on again “barely making any kind of profit”. Jacob and his mate were doing this out of a ‘cave’, a rented basement space you often get under French apartment buildings.

When the tide began to rise in Parisian cycling, Burke and his partners decided to emerge from underground and take on a proper bricks-and-mortar shop, while also taking the opportunity to expand what they offered.

“Most of the bike shops at that time had poor customer service,” says Burke. “Think know-it all mechanics laughing at a first-time cyclist just dipping their toe into the world of bikes, and these monsters are jumping out and snapping their teeth saying ‘you don’t know how many gears you want?! What tyre size you need?!’

“La Chouette is not, and never will be, that sort of vibe. We’re about having conversations to figure out what might work for you. About encouraging the world of cycling and making it absolutely accessible.”

These days the shop is extremely well-loved. It leans toward retro MTB and adventure bikes, but naturally being based in the Marais district of Paris, there’s also a big city bike culture infusion. Burke is understandably proud of the selection of brands he has curated.

Starting from central Paris, it would’ve been rude to eschew the tourist sights entirely and the day’s ride took in both the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. A picnic lunch in the Bois de Boulogne park awaited the participants – and spirits were only slightly dampened by the rain.

“Everyone I spoke to on the ride and after, said they had a really good time,” said Burke. “They liked the fact that it was a sort of balade as opposed to a bunch of guys flexing their muscles. One lady bought a saddle when we got back to the shop.

“I think everyone was happy with the day and I saw plenty of smiles, and some new faces too, so thanks for inviting new people to the shop!”

The first Baroudeur shop was opened in Lille. The branch in Dijon is something like a satellite site. It’s smaller, newer, but located on the cusp of some of the most interesting gravel riding in France.

The brand as a whole is focused on adventure and bikepacking bikes, and commuter cycling culture melds with contemporary gravel overtones.

Nicolas Segura runs the Dijon outpost of Baroudeur.

“Our mantra is selling what we ride, or want to ride: all our brands like Sour, Brother Cycles, Moots, René Herse or Brooks are the result of a conscious selection of well manufactured products and small companies like us.”

The ride was quick, certainly by Brooks picnic standards, and the Baroudeur-bus rattled out into the hills in what felt like moments. Within just four or five kilometres, you’re rolling on beautiful gravel roads and the city feels far behind. 

“When the lads from Brooks asked us about a picnic ride in the trails around Dijon, that made sense,” says Segura. “Sharing a good bottle of wine, some cheese and snacks with our community, that’s for us the true bikepacking and gravel spirit! Have some fun with people from our community, sun (it’s really rare in Burgundy) and some good food, it was amazing.”

The region of Burgundy is, of course, famous for its wines… and Dijon itself for its marvellous mustard, and this ride more than the others had a very gastronomic flavour.

The menu included pain d’épices, the French equivalent of gingerbread, a cheese picnic featuring jambon persillé (very local, and very delicious) and –  naturally – some superb red wines enjoyed responsibly. On the way back riders were treated to a drop of cremante de Bourgogne and oeufs en meurette.

After the ride, Segura said.

“We’re so glad to share the same values with an iconic brand like Brooks, it inspires us and shows us that our vision of cycling still makes sense in 2026. Everyone enjoyed and appreciated that you guys came from England to meet us and have a good time together.

“Even people who couldn’t make it talk about how cool this ride was!”

Steershop is run by founder, Ben Francis, his partner Lise, and their employee, Brecht, in the city of Bruges. Famous for its medieval centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city welcomes millions of tourists every year. 

Steershop is located on the fringe of the really busy part of Bruges, but the wider city is not so large – and a ride out of town into the countryside of Flanders takes hardly any time at all.

As you might expect with a location like this, one of the Steershop regulars who joined the ride makes a living as a tour guide, and shared plenty of interesting tidbits as the picnic parade made its way out of town. 

“I started Steershop in 2013 and from day one the focus was personalised bikes,” says Francis. “We launched right in the middle of the moment where a kind of counter-culture within cycling was starting to emerge.

“My background working in a local high-end road bike shop, combined with a youth spent growing up in skateparks and BMX trails, made me believe there was room for a different kind of bike shop in the rather conservative landscape of Bruges.”

The terrain on the Steershop ride was – unsurprisingly – flat. We made our way over the reclaimed land north of the city, called a ‘polder district’, taking in sights of treelined canals, farmlands, nature reserves and, naturally, a windmill or two.

“Over time, we evolved into a more mainstream bike shop,” Ben continues. “But authenticity, respect and love for the craft continue to keep our niche spirit alive.

“Even though we ‘sold our soul to the devil’ a little bit – and big brands and carbon bikes have become the norm in the shop today – this is still a place where you can come for a truly solid custom bike.

“We offer a wide range of steel, titanium and carbon frame brands, building custom bikes with a strong focus on ergonomics, quality and aesthetics.”

The final kilometres were a mini-city tour with a final stop for an artisan burger, and yes, maybe a couple of Belgian beers.

Brooks wishes to thank all the participants for this trio of Euro-tripping picnic rides, and Petor Georgallou for the photographs of each.

The next stops on the Brooks England Eurotour are:

• Velokurierladen, Bern – 17 June
• Guten Biken, Munich (BITW) – 19-21 June
• Mortizberg, Nuremberg – 24 June
• Off The Map, Maastricht – 26 June