Dear Santa, All for I want for Christmas is a new bike (from a local bike store!)
About ten years ago, I purchased a bike at a local shop and it served me well. The kind of bike you take out on short trips. I rode it all over the Riverway on our bike trail system. However, this year I joined with some friends for a 2-day, 200+ mile cycling adventure. I realized very quickly that my old bike needed an upgrade. We averaged 60 miles a day for the first two days, then 75 miles on day three. If I am going to do that again I will need a faster bike, and one with more comfort features.
One thing that makes the Riverway so special is the regional paved trail system. No other place in the country can boast of more than 300 miles of interconnected trails. It was almost fifty years ago that the first mile of trail was laid in the City of Troy through a partnership with the Miami Conservancy District. This first mile led to many other communities embracing bike trail development of the benefit of us all. And while the number of miles of trails have grown, so has the number of locally-owned bike shops in our Riverway communities.
If a bike is on your Christmas list, or someone you are buying for – shop local! The bike shops listed below sell new and used and let you test ride them before you buy. They also do repairs and tune-ups, sell parts and accessories, and other bike related items.
To get help choosing a new bike, I visited J&D Bicycles in Troy. The shop owners Joyce and Dennis Ferguson patiently showed me five or six different brands and models, all of which I test rode. I selected the C:1 Hybrid City Bike from Roll Bicycles, an Ohio-based bike manufacturer. I love the bike!
So for all of your bicycle needs, support a local business! Riverway bike shops:
Spoken Bicycles (Ohio’s only bike shop where you can order a beer while you wait)
Picture of Joyce and Dennis, J&D Bicycles, with Dan Foley, Riverway Director
