A Word About Retail

Pedal Moraine, Mountain Outfitters, and Expedition Supply keep rolling along, year after year, and Washington County is lucky to have them. Other bike shops in our area have come and gone, some after only a brief time in business. The Bicycle Shop in Hartford appeared in 2013 and disappeared under suspicious circumstances in 2014. Neighboring Ozaukee County has lost at least four shops since 2013: Local Motion Outfitters in Cedarburg, Belgianwerkx in Mequon, ZuZu Pedals in Port Washington, and now Cedar Creek Outdoors in Cedarburg. We might count Grafton Ski & Cyclery among the fallen too. Erik’s, the Minnesota-based chain, acquired Grafton’s location and its remaining inventory in 2013.

Erik’s moved into Grafton during an aggressive expansion that also brought it to Milwaukee County, Dane County, and northern Illinois. The chain now has more than 30 locations across the Midwest. It continues to dominate the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. Its presence in our area, I think, is somewhat overshadowed by Wheel & Sprocket, the chain Chris Kegel started in 1973. Wheel & Sprocket has built a lot of goodwill and a lot of loyalty with the Wisconsin cycling community. Erik’s is still the new player and the outsider after more than a decade.

Erik’s acquired Grafton Ski & Cyclery before shop consolidation really became a trend. Since 2013, a lot of formerly independent shops have sold out not only to chains like Erik’s, but also to bicycle manufacturers like Specialized. If that’s not already a problem, then at least it has the potential to become one. It’s easy to imagine a future in which small-town customers will have just a single shop selling a single brand. A customer who wants more choices will have to visit the big city or, more likely, the websites of direct-to-consumer brands.

I visit the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News website almost daily. Reading the articles and the comments would convince almost anyone not to own or to work in a bike shop. It is a tough way to make a living. But I’m glad somebody does it. Pedal Moraine, Mountain Outfitters, and Expedition Supply—our locally-owned and independent shops—continue to prosper by understanding the communities they serve.