Bicycles can stir up memories of the fun and freedom of childhood or trigger daydreams of pedaling with the pros in the Tour de France peloton. Popular bike trails in Brownville, Harlingen, Mission and McAllen reflect the demand for safe places to ride.  At the same time, the trails encourage more people to bike for exercise, health, socializing and alternative transportation.  Of course, everyone on a bike wants to look fast, fit and cool, or as much as is possible, when clad in spandex and Lycra. shorts.

Biking is easy here in the flatlands where the biggest challenges are pedaling into the wind and unobservant motorists. Narrow-tired road bikes are designed for going serious distances at speed. Hybrid bikes, cruisers and mountain bikes enable their owners to do a few laps of the neighborhood or a trail, commute to work, get technical on off-road paths or pedal with a crowd on an organized ride, such as the 25-mile Pedal to Padre set for May 1.

The call of the road is powerful.  Valley bicycle businesses help people enjoy bicycling with great bikes and the right accessories.

Test rides 

“We invest $30,000 every year in test bikes,” said Henry Roberts of Bicycle World, who lets customers take home selected, high-end bicycles that have been fitted to them. “It’s designed to make you fall in love with the bike.   What you’re doing is educating people on the difference in bikes. Carbon fiber frames are so responsive, it feels like someone has given you a shove.”  Roberts initially was hesitant about letting $4,000 bikes leave the shop without a sales receipt, but he’s seen a satisfactory ROI.

In 1977 Roberts and his wife Kellie bought a Harlingen bicycle business at a bankruptcy auction.  Today they also have locations in Brownville and McAllen and their sons Tracy and Philip working with them.

So much has changed in cycling in 39 years, Roberts said. “When we started, we would have hundreds of kids’ bikes on layaway for Christmas. Now it’s almost entirely an adult market.”  People realize the health and social benefits of biking and meet their friends at a bike trail instead of going to a happy hour.  “Ride a bike with friends, and you’ll feel better.”

“The most exciting market is women bikers.  They toast the guys if they’re on the right kind of bike, one built for a woman.  The industry now builds saddles, frames, helmets, clothes and shoes fitted for women, not downsized men’s gear,” said Roberts, whose store devotes 30% of its inventory to women.  “Women bring in their friends and have extensive social networks. We love to teach a woman how to fix a flat:  it gives them confidence.”  Women are competing in half-marathons, triathlons and races, with some of them in plus-size jerseys. “They are an inspiration for the rest of us who aren’t perfect.”

Bicycle World has sponsored the Jalapeno 100 for 26 years.  “All events help all shops and give riders a reason to train,” he said. His staff fits riders to the bikes they buy so ergonomically, they gain power and comfort. “It’s not just smoke and mirrors. Fitting makes you a lot more efficient on a bike,” Roberts said.  “It takes extra time, but, boy, are the customers happy.  Customers have researched before they come in, so service matters.”

Group rides

Cycling friends Terry Hall and Joe Aguilar opened J.T. Cycling  in 2013 in a shop adjacent to Brownsville’s nine-mile Linear Park hike-and-bike trail.  Cyclists riding by see the sign and stop at the shop or rest at the picnic bench out back. “That’s the whole idea of being where we are,” said Aguilar, noting how popular the paved trail has become. The shop’s bike rentals allow people to test their rusty skills on the trails. “Some adults never learned how to ride, so we try to help them out a little bit,” without training wheels.

J.T. works with every level of level of biker from leisure riders and mountain bikers to experienced racers who might purchase a Cannondale or the truly high-end Eddie Merckx at $12,000.  “Having bike trails means we’re able to ride all through winter safely. It really has changed a lot. The Brownsville Police Department has been very helpful,” Hall said.  Bike Texas recently named Brownsville the ‘Bicycle Capital of the Rio Grande Valley,’ and former city cycling coordinator Fernando  Martinez, who was instrumental in elevating Brownsville cycling to a well-supported health/fitness venture, received the Advocate of the Year award.

Hall finished up maintenance on three UTRGV Police bicycles (tune-ups of brakes and gears, replacing worn tires) while talking about the increase of city bike trails and riders. On Wednesday evenings, for example, 40-60 cyclists show up for a ride.  Last year’s Pedal to Padre, which J.T. organizes, drew 1,300 riders.

Wally Alaniz of Wally’s Bike Shop has been hit by cars twice while biking McAllen’s Second Street hike-and-bike trail. “If we had a better trail system, more people could ride safely. The point of a trail system is to separate vehicles and cyclists.”

Alaniz graduated with a degree in elementary education and math but soon decided to open his business in 2008. “It seemed like a much better option than using my degree. That was eight years ago, and it feels like eight minutes.”

In Austin, Alaniz had bike-commuted for months on the capital’s pervasive bike lanes. “You could access every part of the city on bicycles. Drivers there are more aware of and respect cyclists.  Bike trails are essential parts of any metro area. It’s hard to buy a bike and ride safely without trails. Everyone’s more inclined to ride a bicycle for fun and fitness and commuting.”

Wally’s caters to the serious, competitive cyclist. “The bikes we sell are performance-oriented.  Everyone trains in groups, between 12 and 60. There’s safety in numbers,” Alaniz said. He has seen the cycling community growing in McAllen and pointed out that several physicians ride their bikes to work.

Team McAllen, a local cycling group, has been around for almost 40 years.  Members participate in Monday evening group rides that Wally’s hosts for fast riders. In April the shop is sponsoring a triathlon in La Joya.

At Curtis for Service, a one-man operation run by Curtis Whatley in Mission,  maintenance, repair and restoration are on the menu. “I am more interested in getting people on their bikes than selling bikes. Maintenance is to keep your bike running, repair is for when you don’t do maintenance, and restoration for when the first two options have been ignored for too long.  Frequently the restoration costs more than the final value of the bike, but the sentimental value is priceless.”

Bike Masters in Mission and McAllen and Sandoval’s in Alamo are among the businesses bringing bicycling back and advocating for safe cycling.

For more information, see jtcycling.com, wallysbikeshop.com, bicycleworldrgv.com, thebikemasters.com or call 519-3190 for Curtis for Service. 

April 2016 cover story by Eileen Mattei.