Avid cyclist and biking advocate Nate Phelps has become a pillar in the Grand Rapids biking community. His advocacy and passion for the sport has transformed Grand Rapids into a vibrant cycle-friendly city. This past March, he took this passion one step further by opening Central District Cyclery, a community focused urban bike shop located on Monroe Center in the heart of downtown.
Nate’s passion for biking began as a young child and only grew stronger with time. For the past 12-15 years, he has considered himself a “lifestyle cyclist,” biking to and from work as much as possible. Over the past few years, he noticed more cyclists coming out of the woodwork -- people who enjoyed living and working downtown, people who didn’t see a need for daily car transportation. An already vibrant biking culture in Grand Rapids was gaining momentum. “More city dwellers are biking to and from work now more than ever. I saw a need to provide them with easy access to bike advice, maintenance requests and bike purchases,” says Phelps.
Nate took his time searching for the perfect place to house Central District Cyclery. When Phelps saw the inside of 52 Monroe Center for the first time, he knew right away that this was it. The inside of the space seemed to be modeled after a bicycle wheel. In the center of the store’s ceiling, there is a beautiful wooden hub with spokes shooting out symmetrically in all directions. Though formerly a gentleman’s clothing store, and after that a deli, it truly seems as if this space was made for him.
Central District Cyclery caters to both the experienced cyclist and the beginner by providing their customer base with high quality city and mountain bike models such as Traitor Cycles and Linus Bikes. Phelps has also stocked his store with hand-made bicycle apparel and accessories by Gore Bike Wear, Club Ride Apparel, Ibex and Twin Six. Phelps is committed to elevating the local industry by showcasing West Michigan mountain bike components and apparel manufactured by 616 Bicycle Fabrications, Velocity Wheels and Mercy Leatherworks. “Velocity Wheels makes an extremely high quality bike wheel,” says Phelps. “They customize their wheels with interesting finishes and colors -- their wheels last. That enhances the longevity of the bike and translates to less maintenance for the owner and us.”
What really sets Central District Cyclery apart from the competition is the attentiveness they pay to novice cyclers. While the store was still under construction, something like a bike track was created in the center of the store. Nate planned to do away with the open space until he realized how much customers enjoyed test riding their bikes inside. “Some beginners aren’t comfortable with taking their first ride alone. This open space allows me to stand right next to them the whole time, supporting them and ensuring their safety,” says Phelps. “The shop” where Phelps and his co-workers Josh, Bob, Tim and Glen repair bikes is very different and built ready for customer integration and interaction. Instead of housing the repair shop behind closed doors in the back, it’s instead situated in the front window taking up part of the store floor. “I want my customers to be able to understand how to change a tire and perform basic maintenance tasks on their bike. That’s not possible if our work is behind the scenes,” says Phelps.
Phelps also understands that purchasing a quality bike is no drop in the bucket; it can be a significant expense. For this reason, he decided to provide bike rentals to the people of Grand Rapids at affordable rates. This is the only shop offering this service to date. “Biking should be available to everyone,” says Phelps. “How can a person be expected to purchase a mountain bike if they aren’t sure this sport is for them? Renting allows someone to get a feel for the sport and helps them decide what kind of bike is right for them.” Nate also expects people to rent his bikes for recreational purposes during outdoor events such as ArtPrize and Celebration on the Grand.
Phelps wanted to enter the business of bike retail by developing an undertone of community engagement and bicycle advocacy, providing all demographics in the city with a common ground to learn, grow, interact and improve. He envisions Central District Cyclery becoming a hub of information, connecting seasoned bikers with young fledging roadsters. “I want to serve as a liaison to the biking community by reaching out to underground urban bikers, biking associations and coalitions, developing a common connection between everyone,” says Phelps. Phelps has been a bicycle advocate for years; he led the development of the
Grand Rapid Mountain Bike Park and still serves on the board of the
Greater Grand Rapids Bicycle Coalition. With his help, four more mountain bike parks are in the development process at high traffic locations such as Richmond and Ken-o-sha Parks.
The opening of Central District Cyclery brought in more business than Phelps could have anticipated. “The response has been amazing. People are coming in off the street to check us out, and get a feel for what we offer.” So far, Phelps has experienced an influx of maintenance requests, accessory purchases and bike purchases. “The Linus bike has been a hot selling item,” says Phelps. “It has been featured in well-known publications such as
USA Today and
Dwell Magazine.” Phelps also predicts the Traitor line of bikes will take Grand Rapids by storm very soon. “The brand isn't well known yet,” says Phelps, “but their frames are nicely made and built to last; they are going to be big very soon.”
The future for Central District Cyclery is bright. True to Phelp’s belief in advocacy and empowerment, he plans to hold several bike safely workshops in the coming months. He also features local artists on a monthly basis within the shop, and plans to have product demonstrations and coordinated groups rides in the near future. “You can’t just talk the talk, you have to walk the walk,” says Phelps. As a lifetime cyclist at heart with community engagement at his core, we can’t wait to see where Central District Cyclery takes us next.
For information on upcoming events, please visit Central District Cyclery online
here.
Chelsea Slocum is a resident of Grand Rapids. She works as an educator and enjoys learning about new and different things happening in the city. Follow her on twitter @cslocum.
Managing Photographer Adam Bird put together a slideshow of images from Central District Cyclery:
Created with flickr slideshow.
PHOTOS:
The new Central District Cyclery in downtown Grand Rapids.
Photography by ADAM BIRD
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