Local Bike Shops of Research Triangle , N.C …( part 1 of 2 )

Local Bike Shops of Research Triangle , N.C …( part 1 of 2 )

On a recent trip to the North / Central area of North Carolina I decided to checkout the local bike shop scene.   Also know as “The Triangle”,   The area is comprised mainly of the three cities of Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill….and houses NC State, Duke University and the University of North Carolina respectively.   College towns always seem to have a good energy surrounding them so I was looking forward to the experience.

 I harken back to my days at Purdue University as I roamed the campus on my steel grey Nishiki (nope..cannot remember the model..!)

 

Cycling Spoken Here…Cary, NC

Cycling Spoken Here  offers a nice selection of bike brands, including Trek , Salsa, and others. (checkout their website for more info).

Cycling Spoken shop sign

They also offer a comprehensive “dynamic fitting” service which incorporates motion video capture to enable reactions to different settings under load. The store was welcoming and had a nice contemporary, clean look about it. Towards the back of the shop, there was a customer lounge, complete with (3) flatscreen TVs.. and flanked by a cycling jersey “wall of fame” of sorts.

Wall of Jerseys

Tom, the general manager, was also kind enough to let me take out the resident “High Roller”, a big-wheelesque tricycle for adults..It Was a Blast..! (insert pic ) He encouraged to do a few burnouts, which I obligingly did…!

Cycling Spoken Here also maintains a comprehensive group ride calendar on their website for both Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter seasons. Please checkout their website for more information. If you are in the Cary or Western Raleigh area, stop in to see the folks at Cycling Spoken Here.

IMG_5537

 

The Bicycle Chain…Chapel Hill / UNC …

Bicycle Chain Building

 

My next stop was The Bicycle Chain in the Chapel Hill district. They have been in business over 20 years and have five locations across the northern/central part of North Carolina. The shop was located on Franklin Street, which is one of the main drags near/around the University of North Carolina social scene.

Bicycle Chain Service

I was greeted by Kip who gave me the lowdown on the shop and also provided great overview of the greenway/trail system of which he regularly uses himself to commute to work. He took the time to show me various maps of the local rails-to-trails network as well as some other cycling maps for the “triangle area”.

I really got a kick out of the skull mannequin that they use to illustrate the proper way to wear a cycling helmet..!

bicycle chain skull

Checkout any of the five convenient locations of The Bicycle Chain.

 

 

 

 

(in my next blog entry “Local Bike Shops of Research Triangle Part 2”

 

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