Late Wednesday, Melbourne, Australia’s beloved Off Course Bike Shop was destroyed by a fire, the cause of which remains unknown, and will be closed until further notice. Find a quick update on the devastating situation here…

Situated in Melbourne’s beautiful Brunswick neighborhood, Off Course Bike Shop, formerly Commuter Cycles, has long been a model for what a great bike shop can look like. Staffed by a friendly, passionate, knowledgeable crew and incredibly well-stocked with a highly curated selection of sensible, quality bikes and gear for touring, commuting, and bikepacking, it sets a standard that few shops can match. Off Course has played a vital role in shaping bicycle travel in Australia and beyond, and more personally, they were instrumental during the months I spent living in Melbourne, just blocks from the shop.

We’re deeply saddened to report that Off Course was lost in a fire late Wednesday; the cause is under investigation. Heartbreaking as it is, knowing founder Huw Vellacott and his team, they will surely return stronger than before, though it’s too early to know what that will look like. According to reporting from the Brunswick Voice, Huw said he is “determined to rebuild.”

In the meantime, Off Course shared the following statement on their site: “On the evening of Wednesday May 27th our workshop was tragically destroyed by a fire. Thankfully no one was hurt, but we’ve lost a lot of stock and all of our workshop capacity for the time being. We’re now in the process of figuring out what’s next. If you have an existing order, service, or bike build, we’ll be in touch as soon as we can. Please bear with us, and only contact us if absolutely necessary. We’re so grateful for all of the love and support we’ve received from our community. We’ll miss all your faces, and look forward to riding with you again soon. With love, The Off Course Team.”

Our hearts go out to Huw, Will, and everyone affected by the disastrous fire. We don’t know of a way to directly support the shop yet, but we’ll be sure to share an update if and when there’s a way for folks abroad to take action and help Off Course get back up and rolling again. For now, you can leave words of encouragement and follow the shop’s next chapter via Instagram.

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