Bicycle Outfitter, 39 Going on 40

A couple months ago, a friend gave me a bicycle. It was the most important gift anyone could have given me, because bicycling is fun, great for my health and good for the environment.

Fred Chestnut and Dean Hovey may have felt the same way when they opened Wheeler Dealers, the original name of the at Loyola Corners 39 years ago. Many changes of hands later, the store gradually expanded to occupy the whole building and is now owned by Bud and Neal Hoffacker and managed by Dave and Kathy Prion.

I met Dave Prion, who has been in cycling since 1974 and rode his bike across the country in 1976, covering 3,315 miles in 26 days. He’s like an old friend you never knew you had. I felt as though I could have asked him any question about bicycles and would have received an expert, honest answer. The same goes for the rest of the staff, which is important for someone like me, who knows little about bicycles.

The Bicycle Outfitter caters not only to novice bicyclists but professional cyclists as well, selling such brands as Trek, Fisher, Orbea and Ridley and more. There is a wide variety of kids' bikes and accessories, and adult tricycles for those older adults who might still want to ride but are concerned about balance.

I was really impressed with the quality of gear sold by Bicycle Outfitter, such as jerseys, compression shorts, jackets, bicycling shoes and helmets, books and nutritional supplements—and bikes, of course. Not only are there a variety of bicycles from mountain to road bikes from several different manufactures, but Bicycle Outfitter also sells children’s bikes and has several tandem bicycles. Looking at all the bikes made me want to get a new one, perhaps a pure mountain bike. Right now I have a hybrid bike, a cross between a road and mountain bike.

For individuals who already own a bike, the shop has a full service department, which can take care of nearly anything that might go wrong with your bike. One of the coolest things in the store is the bicycle shower, which looks like a large, steel shower stall with hooks on which your bike is hanged and then sprayed clean. I could really use that with my bike, which unfortunately is draped with pollen, dust and mud.

When buying a bike, making sure you have the right type of bike for your frame  is essential, and the shop has such a device on which you can set a bike and make that assessment.

 The staff is friendly, approachable and knowledgeable. And it spreads its knowledge, with weekly clinics on Saturdays at 9 a.m., which will teach you to maintain and fix your bicycle.