One of America’s 100 Best Bike Shops Makes Its Move
Life is like riding a bicycle,” quotes owner Joanne Thompson, “to stay upright you need to keep moving.”
After twelve years in business in Aptos, Bike Station has decided to move north in the county. “We want to give our customers a first-rate shopping experience,” she adds, “so we are opening in the Brown Ranch Shopping Center near Trader Joe’s.”
Bike Station prides itself on quality product offerings, personalized attention, and top-notch mechanic services. In fact, the shop was just named one of America’s 100 Best independent bike shops in the country, an honor bestowed by the National Bicycle Dealers Association.
“The on-line application asks shop owners to explain what sets them apart from the competition, how they develop customer loyalty, and what they are doing to make their corner of the globe more bicycle friendly,” explains the NBDA.
Bike Station is the only shop in Santa Cruz to achieve this distinction. The award required a detailed entry form, addressing not only the shop’s day-to-day service, but also its philosophy, community involvement, and cycling advocacy. This was weighted by the score of a “secret shopper” to see if the shop truly practiced what it preached.
“It’s a tremendous honor,” Thompson says, and gives credit to the helpful and professional staff she employs as the real heroes. Among its usual inventory of road and mountain bikes, there will be an increased focus on “around town” bikes including the ever-expanding market of e-bikes. Bike Station was one of the first bike shops in the county to offer e-bikes, and they pride themselves on a good selection as well as a commitment to service and quality.
E-bikes are bicycles but with electric motors, so the maintenance and repair entails a whole other level of expertise. “With gas prices not going any lower, e-bikes are a way for the environmentally conscious to reduce car travel and get exercise, especially with the ups and downs of Santa Cruz County roads,” Thompson points out.
Santa Cruz County has one of the highest rates in the country of commuting by bike at 9.5% of the population. In 2015, Santa Cruz was elevated from a Silver to Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Cyclists.
Bike Station will initially occupy a space between Trader Joe’s and Bed Bath and Beyond, and plans to expand in the spring. Look for Bike Station in its new location beginning in October.
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Bike Station: 3555 Clares St., FF. Capitola, CA 95010. 831-226-5050