Take A Look Inside The New Location Of City Cyclery

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City Cyclery has opened back up in Windsor–with a lot of old and a lot of new aspects.

The establishment, which is now under new owners, is located closer to the “core” of the city at 400 Erie Street.

Ben Baillargeon, a City Cyclery employee now turned store co-owner, looks forward for what is to come at his newly opened shop.

Sam Miller, the Shop Manager of the Repair Shop, stands with store co-owner Ben Baillargeon.

“In August 2017, when the previous owner was closing City Cyclery, he offered it to all the employees. I was the only one who took it.”

Ben, who owns the store with Michael Underwood and Michael Benard, has a great passion for bikes and cycling. He has been working in the bike industry for 11 years.

“A while ago my brother’s friend noticed my attention to detail as an airbrush artist. He wanted to give me a job [related to bicycles] and it all started from there.  I worked at Courtesy Bikes for six years. The City Cyclery for four. And now I own it.”

Ben was born and raised in Windsor started his interest in bicycles with “stunt riding,” which would often bring him to the city’s core to participate in. “It’s all mainly downtown,” he explains, which is why he chose the location that he did.

The shop had previously been in the Walkerville area, and when it was sold, Ben and his team had moved it to the Erie Street area.

In terms of the cycling culture in Windsor, Ben realizes there are obstacles, but sees a lot of positive change in the city. “There’s a lot more bike lanes which is great. Lots more open venues for enthusiasts.”

“I wanted to be closer to the core of the city, because I find the closer you are to the centre the more you ride a bike. I wanted to be here to support those people…We help people who want to bike to work, who want to be healthier, who want to better themselves and the environment.”

The shop offers merchandise, with dry fit, moisture-wicking shirts as well as cotton ones.

There is an emphasis at the new City Cyclery location that they are not only here for cycling enthusiasts and competitive cyclers, but also those who commute by cycling as a lifestyle or because they have to.

“Even me,” Ben explains, “I have a truck, but I bike everywhere. No matter the weather. I don’t have to pay for gas, it helps me free up some of my capital to do things I enjoy.”

The new location brings a lot of what the old location have, but also brings a lot of new items and fixtures. Much of what is in the current shop was put together by Ben and the City Cyclery team.

To continue the emphasis in the establishment that is a “commuter” shop, the in-store stock does not feature anything over $1,000. “We want people to come here and not feel intimidated. We don’t want to sticker shock the community.”

The shop is, however, able to order more professional and leisurely bikes to deliver to the store for any interested customer.

The new City Cyclery location features a lot of open floor space, to not overwhelm a customer with product. There is also a garage door that would be kept open in the hotter months, to really open up the store and have it welcoming to everyone.

The shop stocks Kona bikes, EVO bikes, and Devinci bikes are able to be ordered. “We stock a lot more casual, less competitive bikes. For people who want higher end stuff, they usually come in with the idea of what they want and we can order it. But at the store we have more commuter bikes.”

Ben has taken being a new business owner with stride, working on the new location since August and had it open in late December. He not only has a passion for cycling, but also for fixing problems that arise in the shop.

“I’m a person who takes things apart to find out how they work. I guess I have that adaptability in my mind when looking at something to understand it and see what is broken, and how to fix it.”

“When the opportunity came up [to own the business,] I told myself I was going to do it. If you break it, I can fix it; I have a passion for that. I like to define the problems, not just replace them. I hope someone comes in with an issue that I haven’t seen before, so I can learn how to fix it for the next customer that has that problem.”

City Cyclery is honouring the services from the previous location as well as with the warranty tunes. The shop also offers free air and bicycle lubrication to anyone who stops by, as well as test rides.

In addition to the items in the shop, the City Cyclery also offers spin classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Tuesday and Thursdays cycling times at 6pm to 8pm, and they are “free spin” times; there is no instructor. An attendee comes in, hooks up their bike, and goes at their own pace.

“The lights are dimmed and it is a comfortable, safe space… no one yelling and you go at your own pace and can chat with the other participants,” Ben explains. “We put a projector up with a movie, and have free coffee at the end.”

Sunday’s spin classes are instructor by the co-owner Michael Benard, and run from 8:30am to about 9:45am.

The shop’s winter hours tun Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5 pm, and the spring hours will run Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 6pm.

The shop can be found at 400 Erie Street, towards the back off of Mercer and Brodhead.

Learn more about the City Cyclery at their website here and Facebook page here.