A New Link: The Community Bicyclist

I just added The Community Bicyclist to the collection of links from JBar Cycling. I try to make it a point to spread the love for local bike shops as fairly as I can, but it is difficult to give equal coverage, if for no other reason than that we have many very good shops in Central Arkansas.  When Diane and I started riding, we went to Bikeseller, now Competitive Cyclist, because Craig and Elaine Zediker were long time friends and we had attended enough store Christmas parties that we felt like we owed Craig a little payback for the annual ration of beer, wine and finger food. The result was a string of bike purchases, customer satisfaction and a great service experience, even though I'm sure that there were times that Craig wishes that he'd referred me to Chainwheel. I was starting to ride a lot of miles and I showed up at their door for every creak, squeak or pop until I learned to do most of my own work. You might say I was a demanding customer. Z man would likely say that I was a pain in the ass, but that's a subject for a longer article and a different blog. Since then, we've purchased bikes from the Community Bicyclist, Chainwheel, Arkansas Cycling and Fitness, and Spokes. That's about all of the business that we have the means to spread around, but shops like J&P and Riders Ready have gotten high marks from their customers as well.
In wrapping up this ramble, I'll say welcome aboard to Community Cyclist. In addition to the variety in product lines and the convenience of the various locations, each shop has its own vibe and personality. Choose the shops that have what you need, that provide you with good service, and that simply feel the most comfortable to you.  We've got great local shops and the chances are good that you'll see the folks you deal with at the store out on the roads and trails. That's being part of the community.