When the bank he worked for downsized years ago, Don Miller decided it was time to turn an avid hobby into a career. The result is Bicycles Etc., a shop offering hundreds of bikes at 6460 College Rd., in Lisle.
“I’ve always been interested in riding, along with my family,” Miller said. “We’ve taken a lot of club rides during the years, so when the downsizing occurred with the bank job, we decided to start this business.”
Miller, who initially opened the shop in downtown Naperville, moved to Lisle about a dozen years ago. He found the present location via a tip from a customer who now runs a video store in the same strip mall.
“We were renting a small space from friends of mine who owned a hardware store but, after they went out of business, we needed another place,” Miller said. “Things worked out because the rent today in downtown Naperville would be prohibitive for a store like ours.”
Bicycle Etc. stocks around 750 bicycles throughout the store and also rents downhill and cross-country skis during the winter. Miller works with his sons, Russ and Brian, who occasionally rely on some outside help.
Longtime employee Travis Engel, a sophomore at Bradley University in Peoria, began logging hours at the bike shop before he started high school.
“I was in 7th grade, and I wanted to buy a bike,” he said. “I had saved an awful lot of money–$800–and bought a bike here. It was a heck of a purchase. Then I just fell in love with this place. It was my store. I developed a great friendship with the owner who let me start doing repairs.”
Engel had to get a permit to work in those days because he was under age. But he still comes back to help around the shop when school isn’t in session.
Bicycles Etc. sells a number of brands including GT, Schwinn, Klein, SOFTRIDE and Univega. Engel said customers run the gamut from tikes in search of their first bike to grandparents who are rediscovering cycling.
“One of the good things about the bike industry is the fact they’ve become more comfort minded,” Engel said. “Seats are softer, people can ride bikes that are more upright. A lot of older people are discovering cycling again because of bikes that are comfortable for them.”
Miller said interest in bicycles is on the rise because people are realizing it’s a fun way to help keep fit and healthy.
“There’s been a renewal of interest in recreation and health. There are things like in-line skating, scooters and other options,” Miller said. “Riding a bike is one of them.”
Some folks are discovering recumbent bikes, a new design that allows riders to sit in a car-like seat away from the handlebars and push pedals away from them as opposed to cranking up and down. Engel says most of the recumbent buyers are somewhere in their mid-30s.
Miller says the recumbent “is a new and growing market” that currently represents a small percentage of his business. Price is a factor in recumbent sales, he said.
“You’re talking about bikes that begin at a price around $750,” Miller said. “That’s probably more than most people want to spend. The average these days is somewhere around $350 to $400.”
Like most sports and activities, biking is seasonal. During warmer weather, Miller sells about 50 bikes a week, he said. The shop also services more than 2,000 bicycles every year, he added.
Like other shop owners, Miller supports commuting by bike and wishes traffic in DuPage County was more conducive to cycling.
“I have a few customers that are commuters in this area, but I wish there was more respect from drivers to cyclists and the other way around,” he said. “I think more commuting by bike would be great for everyone.”
Bicycles Etc. is also an active participant in local bike races. This year, the store is sponsoring the DuPage Off Road Challenge featuring all-terrain bikes. Races are generally held in June, July and September.
