Chattanooga's locally-owned community bike shop
The smell of fresh rubber tires greets me as I walk through the doors of Cycle Sport. Owner Curtis is hard at work inside and greets me with a smile, excited to tell me, a 26 year-old who has never mastered riding a bike, all about his passion.
Vibing off the calm atmosphere, I tell him my secret, that I’ve ridden a bike maybe twice in my life and it wasn’t my proudest moment and he assures me that I can still master it.
“We had a guy come in last Christmas wanting to buy his wife a bike, but she’d never even ridden one. They were in their sixties and she went from a non-rider to riding daily in Battlefield Parkway,” says Curtis, giving me hope that I can one day bike with my husband, who is constantly begging to get me on two wheels.
If you’re new to biking or want to teach someone, Curtis suggests starting at Battlefield Parkway to get acquainted as Battlefield has lots of one-way traffic roads with top speeds for vehicles at 5 mph and some non-vehicle roads as well. And Cycle Sport is here to help when you’re ready to learn.
“We’re all about our community. And it’s really important to me that people know we are locally owned. I’ve always lived in the area, and every dollar spent here goes back into the community,” says Curtis. “It goes directly into two of our two favorite things, breweries and pizza.”
As well as being passionate about the local economy, Cycle Sport’s “big thing” is that they strive to bring their passion for biking to Chattanoogans, no matter their expertise level.
“We’re not necessarily racers, but we are top level mechanics. And we focus on attracting people that are afraid of coming in because bike racing is taken so seriously. There’s no pressure here, it’s a very calm atmosphere,” says Curtis, adding with a grin.
Stop in and talk rentals and bike sales with Curtis or an associate. Cycle Sport rents mountain bikes, city bikes and road bikes varying in hours per rental and pricing, all which can be found on their website. And when it comes to buying a bike of your own, Cycle Sport is the place to go.
“I’m a certified master fitter through a system called Body Geometry Fit,” says Curtis. “It’s an in depth, two to four-hour process that will perfectly fit your bike to you that will guarantee you’re comfortable, and comfort equals speed.”
Curtis is one of the few people in the world that can fit pro-level athletes, but his expertise extends beyond pros and includes everyone from individuals who just bought a bike to those who get paid to race.
As well as rentals and sales, Cycle Sport is known for their repairs, including bike pickups and drop offs inside or outside of business hours with a scheduled appointment. Call the guys, give them your location and they’ll send someone out to pick up your bike to take it into the shop. With one of the fastest turnarounds in the city, Cycle Sport guarantees a twenty-four-hour repair and return unless a part needs to be ordered.
And for those of you with your bikes all ready to go, check Cycle Sport’s website for events like the upcoming Oktoberfest Chattanooga Challenge in which riders will be able to, for the first time ever, bike up Ox Highway as it’ll be closed for the event.
Choose from a 50-mile route or 100-mile for a day of fresh air followed by great beer.
They also do Wednesday night rides at 6pm. It’s a fun trip around the city to get your out of the house for bikers of all levels. Call for information on Saturday morning rides as they often change times and locations.
And an important note, Cycle Sport will be staying open later than usual this weekend to accommodate the athletes in town for the Ironman so call the shop or head on over for all your biking needs!
Cycle Sport
516 E. Main St.
on the Southside
(423) 531-7623
Mon-Sat: 10am-6pm
Closed on Sunday
csctenn.com