Busy Time For North Texas Bike Shops: 'It's Going Like Gangbusters Around Here'
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - North Texas bike shops are as busy as they've ever been, as people are pulling long-forgotten bicycles out of the garage, tired of being stuck inside.
Bikes that have collected dust and rust for years, are now lined up for repairs in area shops.
New bikes are flying off the racks, too, sometimes sold with just a phone call and some advice.
"I was just in Irving," said Romain Taupier, at Trek Bikes in Arlington. "Delivering two bikes to a family just so they could ride today."
While his store normally caters to avid riders looking for the latest models, the customer base has evolved in the last few weeks he said, with anyone and everyone interested in riding again.
Bike riding for exercise, has been one of the few exemptions from state and local rules, ordering people to stay home.
At Ray Jay's Bike Shop in Arlington, Ray Atayde said the past few weeks had been some of the most profitable in the more than three years he had owned the store, easing some of the concerns he had when the stay home orders first came out.
"I thought 'Wow, this could go either way' and I was very concerned, and it's just been going like gangbusters around here," he said.
He's been working late at the shop, trying to get through repairs on old bikes. He was also preparing to build new bikes, set to replenish inventory this week.
