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).
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.
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.
The Bicycle Chain…Chapel Hill / UNC …
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.
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..!
Checkout any of the five convenient locations of The Bicycle Chain.
(in my next blog entry “Local Bike Shops of Research Triangle Part 2”
