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Desire to get outdoors keeps bike shops busy

3 years 10 months 3 weeks ago Tuesday, May 05 2020 May 5, 2020 May 05, 2020 7:06 PM May 05, 2020 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE – Unlike many shops that have seen a decline in business or had to stay closed, bike shops in the area are booming.

“It's very crazy. Very very crazy,” long-time owner of Capitol Cyclery, Bob Cullen said.

People looking for ways to de-stress during the pandemic and get out of the house have found that through biking.

“Certainly getting some fresh air does you good and getting some sunshine,” Doug Perron said, who drove to the LSU Lakes Tuesday to go for a spin.“ I go every day, sometimes twice a day if time permits.”

Due to a resurgence of biking, the demand for repairs has skyrocketed.

“Repairs are stacked up for at least two weeks,” Cullen said. “People have been bringing bikes to me that they look like they've been in a barn. They have so much dirt on them you could probably grow corn. So we try to clean them up. We change out tires, change out chains, we change out tubes."

A room in the back of the shop of Florida Blvd. shows how hectic the business is. At least 50 bikes are stacked next to each other waiting to be fixed.

“We're tired. Everyone is getting tired. It's worse than Christmas time and it doesn't end. It just keeps coming,” Cullen said.

Even though it's hard work, one thing Cullen is appreciative of is seeing how much joy biking is bringing families during a time when it’s needed most.

“It’s great,” Cullen said. “I see more people in the neighborhood riding bikes. The kids are riding bikes, the parents are riding with them. It’s been great for the families.”

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