Things you like to hear…

A week ago, a group of over 100 cyclists rolled through Point Reyes. The Almaden Cycle Touring Club’s annual Sierra-to-the-Sea ride came through Point Reyes on their way from the foothills of the Sierra’s down to Golde Gate Park. A bunch of them stopped in through out the day. The last couple of guys through at 5:00 stopped because of a broken spoke. A beer and 15 minutes later, he was back on the road and able to finish his tour. Most notable, though, was a couple who wandered in and mentioned one of those things you like to hear as a bike shop owner – “now this is what a bike shop is supposed to look like.”

I’m not really sure how to clarify what exactly she meant, but I’ve heard same thing on more than several occasions. I’ve only got a handful of new bikes for sale. Nothing in carbon fiber. No full-suspension mountain bikes. Some kooky looking Dutch bikes. A whole row of archaic mountain bikes with odd brakes. And a nicely stocked accessory section with just about anything to keep a wandering cyclist clothed, fed, helmeted, and their bike on the road.

There’s nothing fancy going on. I don’t have any high-tech lights in the ceiling creating a “mood.” Maybe that’s what it is that prompted her comment; the lack of pretentious over-thought display cases, dramatic lighting, and sales people running around in monogrammed shop polo shirts. Maybe some people get tired of the sterile retail environments and corporate coffee shops. Maybe some folks just like a simple shop that smells like tires and chain lube. And that’s the person this shop is for.