Social media for bike shops: a practical guide for 2026

Most of your customers live or ride within a few miles of the shop, and they choose a bike shop on trust: will you fix it properly, quickly and for a fair price? Social media should prove that week after week with real jobs, real bikes and real people.

Google Business Profile matters because people search for a bike repair near me when something breaks. Google says you can publish updates, offers and events there, with a photo or video and a button that links to your booking page. Instagram suits new bikes and workshop videos, Facebook suits group rides and local cycling groups, and YouTube suits longer maintenance guides.

Source: Google Business Profile Help: Create and manage posts on your Business Profile, checked 15 October 2026

Two to four posts a week is enough. Plan around your own rhythm: busy spring service weeks, new model arrivals and your regular group rides.

• Monday: a workshop job. Before and after of a full service, a wheel build or a tricky fix, with the customer's permission if the bike is recognisable.
• Tuesday: a quick tip. Tyre pressure, chain cleaning or how to tell your brake pads are worn.
• Thursday: new stock or a bike of the week, with the full price and sizes in stock.
• Friday: the weekend ride. Route, distance, pace, start time and what to bring.
• Monthly: a person. A mechanic, a long-time customer or the club you sponsor.
• Seasonal: spring service reminders, winter lights and mudguards, and gift ideas in December.

E-bike posts get attention and questions, so the details have to be right. In Great Britain, GOV.UK says an electric bike counts as an electrically assisted pedal cycle (EAPC) if it has pedals that can propel it, a motor with a continuous rated power of no more than 250 watts, and a motor that cannot propel the bike when it is travelling at more than 15.5 mph. You can ride one from age 14, and it does not need a licence, registration, tax or insurance.

A bike that does not meet those rules is classed as a motorcycle or moped. GOV.UK says it then needs to be registered and taxed, the rider needs a driving licence and a motorcycle helmet, and it can only be ridden on the road. Never describe a de-restricted or high-power bike, or a twist and go, as a normal e-bike, and never post tips on removing a speed limiter.

Battery safety is the other big issue. GOV.UK statutory guidelines published in December 2024 say it is an offence to place a lithium-ion battery on the market if it is not a safe product, and the rules cover batteries sold online or for use with a conversion kit. The OPSS safety message tells buyers to buy from a known seller and to use only the manufacturer's recommended battery or charger. In the US, CPSC has called on manufacturers to certify e-bikes to UL 2849, the safety standard for e-bike electrical systems.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country and change, so check with your local Trading Standards service, regulator or a lawyer before you post claims, prices or offers you are unsure about.

1. State the motor power and assisted top speed in every e-bike post, and use the same figures as the manufacturer.
2. Never post content about de-restricting, tuning or bypassing speed limits.
3. Only show and sell batteries and chargers that are approved for the bike, and say so in battery posts.
4. Use posts to share safe charging advice, such as charging with the supplied charger.
5. If a battery or bike you sell is recalled, post the recall clearly and pin it.

Sources: GOV.UK: Electric bikes, licensing, tax and insurance, checked 15 October 2026; GOV.UK: E-bike battery statutory guidelines launch (December 2024), checked 15 October 2026; OPSS: Government safety message on e-bikes and e-scooters (December 2023), checked 15 October 2026; CPSC: CPSC calls on manufacturers to comply with safety standards for battery-powered products (December 2022), checked 15 October 2026

End-of-season sales and service price lists are among your most useful posts. In the UK, the CMA says a social media post can be an invitation to purchase, that mandatory charges should normally be included in the total price, and that firms breaking the law can be fined up to 10% of turnover or £300,000, whichever is greater.

Was and now prices need care. The ASA expects at least three months of pricing history to judge a usual selling price, says the price you compare against should generally be the most recent one, and says a manufacturer's RRP is not in itself enough to show that it is the price people generally pay. If you mention a cycle to work scheme, say which scheme you work with and point people to their employer, because the scheme is set up by employers.

• Post a clear workshop menu: service levels, what each includes and the price.
• Say whether parts are included or extra for each service.
• Only show a was price if you actually sold the bike at that price recently.
• End sale posts with a clear end date, and edit them when the sale finishes.

Sources: CMA: Providing clear and accurate information about prices (summary), checked 15 October 2026; ASA AdviceOnline: Promotional savings claims, checked 15 October 2026; GOV.UK: Cycle to work scheme guidance for employers, checked 15 October 2026

Group rides are the best content a bike shop has, because people can see themselves joining in. Ask before you post close-up photos of riders, and offer to blur faces or leave people out. Never post a rider's home address, start point from their house or live location.

If you give bikes or kit to local riders in return for posts, those posts are ads. The ASA says gifts count as incentives and that the word gifted on its own is unlikely to be clear enough; the FTC says a label such as Ad or #ad at the start of a post is likely to be effective. Google's policy bans offering incentives for reviews and selectively asking happy customers, and the FTC's 2024 rule bans incentives conditioned on a positive or negative review.

• Ask every customer for a review the same way, for example on a card handed over with the bike.
• Reply to a bad review politely and move the details to a private message.
• Give ambassador riders a short written note on labelling posts as ads.

Sources: ASA AdviceOnline: Recognising ads, social media and influencer marketing, checked 15 October 2026; FTC: Endorsement Guides, what people are asking, checked 15 October 2026; Maps user-generated content policy: Prohibited and restricted content, checked 15 October 2026; FTC: Final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (August 2024), checked 15 October 2026

Plan the month on one page, then film workshop clips in batches on quiet mornings.

Disclosure: this guide is published by Zolyp, an AI social media manager. Zolyp plans a calendar around your content pillars, writes and designs each post, and schedules it to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You start in review-everything mode, so nothing goes live without your approval. Brand Brain can hold your workshop prices and words you never use, such as de-restricted, but Zolyp does not check e-bike specifications or battery approvals, so confirm both before you approve a post. Everything in this guide works just as well done by hand.

• Week 1: update your Google profile, workshop menu and opening hours.
• Week 2: film three workshop jobs and one maintenance tip.
• Week 3: post the month's group rides and one new arrival.
• Week 4: reply to reviews, check which posts brought bookings, and plan next month.