Bloomington-Normal's Local Bike Shop!
Hours:
Mon CLOSED
Tu-Fri 10am - 6pm
Sat 10am - 5pm
Sun 12pm - 4pm
www.bloomingtoncycleandfitness.com
Who are we?
Calling Bloomington Cycle just a bike shop is a huge understatement. When you strip the paint down to the metal, Bloomington Cycle’s truest colors show in full. The shop’s main goal is to create a community focused around all forms of cycling to any, and everyone in town. Whether you are a new, regular or expert level rider, it’s our mission to have something and someone to help you continue down the road of life in cycling. It’s so easy to lose focus when a company doesn’t start from the ground up. Community is the foundation we want our business to be created on. A bicycle is only a pedal away from true freedom.
I have worked at Bloomington Cycle for almost 5 years now. When I started, I was the furthest away from beginning to claim this nerve wrecking title of “cyclist”. I was out of shape and over weight. I weighed 305lbs and had only ridden a bike a couple times in my entire life. I started coming to Bloomington Cycle after a couple of negative experiences with cycling in the community. It was my last ditch effort on something I really wanted. I never felt like anyone has ever created an environment for the “regular guy” who simply wants the freedom of getting out and about by bike. After hanging around the shop, I realized the owners were accepting and helpful. They began giving me small pieces of advice and support over the course of about 6 months. I fit in. That statement alone was worth its weight in gold at that time, because I couldn’t fit into much back then. I did what I was never able to do with any other activity before in my life; I was able to stick with it and not give up. Had I never experienced a true relationship and great experience, I would have given up because I wasn’t able to commit to something feeling like a complete outsider. I realized then and there that this was an industry that I would love to be a part of. When I received an offer to manage the store I couldn’t believe it. Every work day, I really try to remember that people are going to come from all walks of life, and this is more about getting someone into something they can be a part of than being all about a sale or an ego boost. It is after all, the only sport that we can truly feel like a child again. With the wind blowing through your hair, the beauty of the outdoors and the slow motion travel through the town and into the country, you can pretty much do anything but not smile. With a staff that has always had the people’s interest at heart, we have successfully created a space to create and grow.
Our pattern of community-first thinking has brought us a multitude of events, groups and rides that allow us to connect directly to our customers on a personal level. We have rides going 5 days a week during the summer and even 3 a week during the entire winter. We have a great women’s ride that is also a social club (created by our owner Caryn) called the Spokeswomen that has allowed women to connect and get into the sport together. Because of these groups, we have been successful in reaching out to hundreds of people who never would have imagined themselves getting dressed in tight short-shorts on Sunday morning, and heading out to ride an unknown part of beautiful Bloomington-Normal they have never seen. We are members of town committees and bike advocacy groups that all help turn the town into something more than just paths to ride on. We ride bikes. We love bikes and people with all our hearts. We want to make a difference.
I am now 80lbs lighter, have completed rides that I never in a million years thought I would be able to do and have met a group of phenomenal people that I never would have, had I never enjoyed my experience at Bloomington Cycle. It’s my family, not just my place of business. If you ever want to try riding again, or have been your whole life and just want to connect to a great group of people, please stop by and get information. We would love to help you get on that perfect bike, ride group or club to get you out riding and enjoying this beautiful town and all it has to offer. I know that without a shop like this, I would have never had something mean so much to me. I am grateful and simply want to pass on my experience to the next person with uncertainty that walks through that door.
