Windsor’s newest bike shop is open for business

By Y. Murad Erzinclioglu

Bike enthusiasts are flocking to a popular bike shop’s new location that is creating a buzz in Walkerville.

The City Cyclery opened its new location at the beginning of November and has already drawn more than 1000 people through the door.

Ron Drouillard is co-owner and manager of the shop. He began restoring bikes with friend and now co-owner Chris Holt at home in his garage. The popularity of the duo’s work created the demand for more, which led to the opening of the first City Cyclery, originally located in a smaller space on Wyandotte Street. As demand grew so did the ambition of the business owners.

“We just saw the need and the opportunity in the core of the city, because there was no bike shop in the middle of the city,” said Drouillard.

You’ll see a range of bike lines in the shop you won’t find many other places including State Bicycle Company, known for their hip fixed-gear bikes, as well as Detroit Bike Company, a new line of bikes built in Detroit by a Windsor native. The shop also debuted a new line of Canadian built bikes called Simcoe at their grand opening.

“There was no one selling the kind of bikes that we sell. We sell comfort bikes and vintage. Our niche is that we’re selling bikes that are comfortable, made for riding in the city and I’ll say it, cool, they are pretty cool,” Drouillard said. “Some of the brands we carry you can’t find anywhere else, some of them you can’t find in Canada.”

City Cyclery co-owner Stephen Hargreaves came into the company later after creating some branding and logos for the business. He said the shop will soon offer more than just your standard sales and service.

“By spring we’ll have a café, espressos and lattes, Walkerville beer on tap and locally roasted coffee,” said Hargreaves. “We’ll have a culture hotspot, like a hub, whether you go on a bike ride or you’re just walking by, even if you don’t ride a bike.”

Walkerville resident Nathen Gelinas said the shop is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. He described the space as “beautiful” and said the prices were affordable.

“It just enforces the fact that Walkerville is an area that is really helping out the city,” Gelinas said.

To see the new shop for yourself, visit the City Cyclery’s new location at 553 Lincoln Rd.