Written by Joel on January 12, 2018/Park Tool News
Local Fix Contest Winner
We are happy to announce the winner of the Local Fix Video Contest — Canyon Cycles of Dripping Springs, TX!
All across the globe, bike shops fuel their customer’s passion for cycling, provide stoke at every level from beginner to pro, and turn the wrenches that keep the wheels spinning. Local bike shops build both trails and community while sharing their knowledge and excitement for the sport of cycling. We wanted to hear the stories of your local bike shop, and it was great to get a peek into several great shops and to see how impactful they can be in their local communities. Proving that the bike shop is where the fix is local.
Congratulations to Canyon Cycles on winning a Park Tool PRS-33 Power Lift Shop Stand and to videographer Alan H. on your new PRS-25 Team Issue Repair Stand and $100 shopping credit at Canyon Cycles.
Though Canyon Cycles calls Texas home, its humble roots lie in Ruidoso, New Mexico where Shane McAnally opened up shop in his early twenties to help fuel his professional downhill mountain biking career. Shane describes these years with the proud title of “bum” and even recalls sleeping on a couch in the back of the shop when he didn’t have money for rent. Shane eventually moved back to his home state and settled in Dripping Springs, a small town of less than 2000 people nestled in the Texas Hill Country. Many wonder how a high end bike shop can stay afloat in such a small community that is still close enough to Austin to lose business to large shops and national retailers with ample resources. The answer is truly superb, personalized service that caters to all levels and styles of riders paired with a friendly atmosphere and an honest duo of mechanics that customers can trust. During his time in Dripping Springs, Shane has played an integral role in growing the sport of mountain biking through his assistance with the middle and high school mountain biking teams. He has also offered his time, resources and knowledge on countless occasions whether it’s tuning bikes to donate to kids who otherwise would not have a present on Christmas or cutting trails for the community to ride. Canyon Cycles has fought through lean times with nothing but a smile and a vision of the future while they strive to keep the community rolling on two wheels.
Honorable Mentions
Key City Bike
Key City Bike is a non-profit bike shop in Mankato, MN that is 100% donation-based and volunteer-run. KCB continues a legacy of community investment of knowledge, tools, hard work, and donated bikes that began in the early 2000’s. Their main mission is “Recycle. Reclaim. Empower.” They re-sell all usable donations and recycle or repurpose everything else. A partnership with Nicollet Bike Shop (another Mankato shop) allows Key City Bike to easily get new supplies for repurposing bikes, obtain rewards for Earn-a-Bike volunteers (helmet, lights, and lock), and work together to properly dispose of unusable bikes and parts. The shop and its volunteers are working to expand bike culture and to provide southern Minnesota with an educational space to work on and recycle bikes. Most recently Key City Bike hosted a Cranksgiving event to give back in which around 20 cyclists took part in an alleycat style food drive for the FOCP Backpack Food Program. — Amanda A.
Rag & Bones
Rag & Bones is unlike any other Bike shop I’ve been to. When I needed a new set of brake cables, they gave me some, showed me how to install them, and let me use a stand all for about 5 dollars. If somebody comes in with a flat tire or something else that they need to fix before they can go on with their day, I’ve seen volunteers do repairs for free. And Rag & Bones also serves the community in other ways with workshops that teach tire patching, frame building, bike safety, bike chaperoning, and more. Even before biking started to get really popular in the city (recently Richmond hosted the UCI world championships, opened bike lanes, and even a Bikeshare), Rag and Bones was serving people who love their bikes, people who need their bikes — basically, folks who live on their bikes. And for some people who might have never owned a bike, doing community service at Rag & Bones is an opportunity to learn a skill that will be useful for life. — Felix M.-K.