New bike shop opening soon offering service and beer

For weeks before the shop was due to open, people were stopping by with questions and congratulations. The newest store in Sugar Creek Center will be a little different, general manager Josh Milton said. It will be not only a retail store, but also a repair business and a gathering place.

Bella Vista's newest business, GPP Cycling, will open next week.

It's the perfect location for the business, said Jim Buckner, shop manager of a sister store in Rogers.

"We listen to our customers," Buckner said, explaining that the Rogers store has many customer from Bella Vista and even farther north. They are happy to cut their driving time to have their bikes repaired.

The new shop is located close to the end of the Razorback Greenway, Milton pointed out, and close to the mountain bike trails in Blowing Springs Park. With another 43 miles of mountain bike trails in the works, Bella Vista will have cyclists.

The shop will not only sell bikes, it will also rent bikes, including some electric bikes. The electric bikes, Milton said, are still pedaled, but a small motor gives the pedals a boost. He can send a customer out the back door with a rental bike and they can easily find Blowing Springs or Lake Bella Vista and start their ride.

Because the shop is small, Buckner said they will stock mostly mountain bikes and hybrids. The hybrids are the perfect bike for the paved Razorback Greenway. Other types of bikes, including triathlon bikes and road bikes, are available in the Rogers store and can be brought to Bella Vista if needed.

But that doesn't mean the selection of bikes will be small, Buckner said, explaining that there are many different styles of mountain bikes for different types of riders. Some riders may be looking for a bike that can tolerate jumps and drops, while others are looking for a bike that can be used for crosscountry riding. There are also many different types of tires for different styles of riding. He said the sales staff will always talk to a customer and help them determine which bike is right for them.

There will also be accessories for both the bicycle and the rider, including tires and inner tubes as well as clothing, gloves and helmets.

The staff can work on any bike, Milton said, even inexpensive department store bikes. In fact, he encourages people who buy their children a bicycle at a department store to bring it in and let his staff check it for safety. They can also restore older bikes that some people will consider classics.

While they wait for their bike to be worked on, customers can make themselves comfortable at the bar that surrounds the mechanic's area. While the bar will have beverages, it will also offer Wi-Fi and power outlets for laptops, too. The shop will have a beer license as well as a coffee pot so customers can use it as a meeting place or a place to recover after a ride.

Milton expects the store and its staff will be involved with the volunteers who help maintain the trails. A group based in Bentonville, Friends of Arkansas Single Track, will probably expand to include the Bella Vista trails, he said.

Both Milton, and new store manager Seth Jacobs, live in Bella Vista and they're excited to be opening the new store in their own hometown.