The History of Velorution: A Timeline

When I acquired Velorution, I thought the brand dated back to around 2009. I was wrong.

After a recent edition of our newsletter, Andrea Casalotti — the man who actually created Velorution — got in touch. We spoke on the phone and the real story turned out to be older, messier, and considerably more interesting.

Before the shop

What strikes me most about Andrea's origin story is how familiar it sounds.

He wasn't trying to build a retail empire. He was trying to make cycling feel normal — accessible to people who didn't think of themselves as cyclists. He started with a blog because that was the tool available to him. The shop came later, almost as a consequence of the community he'd already built online.

In 1997, Andrea was working as a London representative for Christiania Bikes — the Danish cargo trike manufacturer — while running a courier service called Zero (Zero Emissions Real Options). Around the same time, he co-ran a website called workbike.org with a collaborator called Daniel. It carried news and commentary about cargo bikes, and the banner across the top read "Velo Revolution." The word Velorution hadn't been coined yet — but the idea behind it was already there.

Image credit: Andrea Casalotti

Then, aroudn 2001, a dedicated cycling blog followed — hosted on Blogger, with a red title banner. The mission was simple: to make cycling look like an activity that anyone can do or start. To make cycling look normal. The domain was velorution.biz. Andrea didn't acquire velorution.com until 2011.

Velorution.biz in 2005

Velorution.biz in 2010

Velorution.com in 2019

The shop years

The Great Titchfield Street store opened in 2005. It sold bikes that most London shops didn't stock — cargo trikes, belt-drive commuters, folding bikes with character. Things designed for people who wanted to get around the city, not race through it.

By 2013, the wider cycling community had noticed. A shortlist in the London Cycling Campaign Awards among 2,500 nominees wasn't just a pat on the back — it was confirmation that Velorution had built something that mattered.

2015 brought the unlikely spectacle of a Velorution concession inside Selfridges on Oxford Street — complete with a €36,000 gold bicycle adorned with Swarovski stones. It was a long way from a cargo bike blog, and somehow entirely consistent with it.

Image Credit: Velorution

2016 saw the launch of the Little Black Book of Bikes, an equity crowdfunding campaign, and the acquisition of Mosquito Bikes — a beloved Islington independent that had its own loyal following stretching back decades. Two communities, brought under one roof.

The years that followed brought more stores, a dedicated electric operation, and a second stint inside Selfridges. Velorution kept moving.

The end of the shops

In 2023, two vehicles crashed into two separate Velorution stores within the space of a month. The brand went into administration in August. Every physical shop closed in September.

It felt like the end.

Image Credit: Velorution

What comes next

In December 2023, the digital assets of Velorution were acquired with the goal of keeping the brand alive online — even without the shops.

What wasn't fully appreciated at the time was that this returned Velorution to almost exactly where it started: a blog, trying to make cycling look normal, run by someone who genuinely believes the bicycle is the world's greatest mode of transport.

Andrea began with that mission on workbike.org in the late 1990s, under the banner "Velo Revolution." It's still the mission now — just with a better name.

Velorution has come full circle.

Image Credit: Velorution

The full timeline

• 1997 — Andrea Casalotti begins working as a London representative for Christiania Bikes and runs a courier service called Zero (Zero Emissions Real Options).
• Late 1990s — Andrea co-runs workbike.org with a collaborator called Daniel — a cargo bike blog and news site under the banner "Velo Revolution." The business side operates from workbike.org/zero. The term Velorution hasn't been coined yet.
• Early 2000s — A dedicated cycling blog launches on Blogger at velorution.biz, with the mission to make cycling look normal and accessible to everyone.
• 2005 — The first physical Velorution store opens on Great Titchfield Street, London.
• 2011 — Velorution moves to Great Portland Street and acquires the velorution.com domain.
• 2012 — Velorution is acquired by Bike Republic, with Jonathan Cole taking the helm.
• 2013 — Shortlisted in the Best Retailer category of the London Cycling Campaign Awards among over 2,500 nominees.
• 2015 — Velorution opens a concession inside Selfridges on Oxford Street.
• 2016 — Launch of the Little Black Book of Bikes. Equity crowdfunding campaign. Acquisition of Mosquito Bikes on Essex Road.
• 2017–2022 — Further expansion including London Fields, Velorution Electric, and a return to Selfridges.
• 2023 — Two vehicles crash into two separate stores within a month. Velorution goes into administration in August. All shops close in September.
• December 2023 — The digital assets of Velorution are acquired to keep the brand alive online, beginning a new chapter.

Have a memory of Velorution — from the stores, the magazine, or anywhere else? Comment below — I'd love to hear it.

Viva la Velorution.