New bicycle store opens in Jeffersonville
Aug. 28—JEFFERSONVILLE — A new bicycle shop opened its doors in Jeffersonville on Sunday featuring a bike ride from Upland Brewing Company in celebration of the opening.
The Bicycle Station, 707 W. Riverside Drive, worked with Upland Brewing Co. to open a second location in Jeffersonville. Their original location is in Columbus.
The Jeffersonville location is a smaller shop that offers mountain, road, commuter and gravel bikes as well as bicycle accessories. Brands of bikes they sell are Specialized, Allied and Enve Bikes.
"I would say this location is more of a boutique bike shop," said Grace Washburn, The Bicycle Station's business and development manager. "It's a little bit smaller, less service, we're not storing bikes for tune-ups or anything like that."
For tune-ups, the customer will have to be able to pick up the bike either right after it is done or by the end of the day.
"We're going to do appointment-based service since we can't store bikes," said Trey Shepard, The Bicycle Station's service manager. "We'll have people make an appointment and then bring it in and then get the service done within an hour or so."
They also offer e-bike rentals for those who would like to take a ride along the Ohio River or to go wherever they choose. The price of rentals for an e-bike is still being decided.
The location they chose is great for cyclists with its close proximity to the walking bridge, as many people ride their bikes over the Big Four to get to and from Jeffersonville and Louisville.
When it comes to people who are interested in cycling, the business takes a hands-on and involved approach to help those who want to start cycling.
"There's a lot of questions that you can ask people with what level they've biked before and what they're really looking for," Washburn said. "A lot of it is comfort level... so it just depends on the person. There's like 1,000 different questions to ask them to get them on the right bike."
Having the right bike for the customer is the store's biggest priority when someone comes in for a new ride.
"It's important to get the person on the right bike so they actually enjoy riding when they first get into it rather than being uncomfortable and not enjoying it from the start," Shepard said.
Bicycle riding is one of the easiest exercises someone can do and it will not hurt their body like running can, Shepard added.
"It helps you stay active, but doesn't put as much stress or strain on your body," Washburn said. "With the e-bike rentals, it's really nice because it can put more people on bikes that aren't able to."
