A Hub for Cyclists: Queen City Cycles

It is not, in other words, filled with spandex-clad enthusiasts (though the shop does sell biking apparel). It isn’t packed with accessories aimed only at gearheads (though it does sell specialized gear), and it isn’t priced exclusively for the professional (though it does sell high-end bikes).

“There are a lot of good bike shops in town, but I like going into Queen City Cycles because it’s not a super-competitive, let’s-go-race-bikes kind of place,” says Thom Hutchison, a Springfield computer programmer and bike commuter. “It’s like going into a bike shop and you’re 10 (years old) again and everyone’s all excited and everyone’s like, ‘Let’s go ride bikes,’ no matter what kind of bike it is.”

Since opening in late 2004, Queen City Cycles has gained a reputation as a laid-back venue for bike enthusiasts, as a hot-spot for unusual and custom-made bikes and as a top-notch repair shop for bikes new, old and just plain odd.

In fact, some customers half-jokingly refer to owner Miles Hamilton as “the bike whisperer,” Hutchison said, because of his almost-uncanny ability to work on bikes.

Downtown demographics

Hamilton learned the bike business by working at and managing bikes shops for years in Springfield and Chicago. When A&B Cycle moved from downtown Springfield to South National Avenue, Hamilton saw an opportunity.

He and business partner Josh Even created Queen City Cycles in October 2004 in an 800-square-foot space on Patton Alley.

“We knew we had to start small because we didn’t have any money,” Hamilton recalls.

What they had was their personal bikes and credit cards. So Hamilton and Even sold their bikes, maxed out the credit cards and didn’t pay themselves a salary for the first year.

“It was basically week to week,” Hamilton recalls. “It was max one thing out, pay it off. Max another thing out, pay it off.”

It worked.

By October 2005, the shop had grown enough that Hamilton and Even moved to their current location at the corner of Walnut Street and Patton, a space that is about four times bigger than the original shop.

“And we definitely still need more room,” said Hamilton, who bought out Even’s share of the business in November.

Hamilton credits the growth partly to the shop’s downtown location and to its urban attitude, which caters to bike commuters as well as to weekend warriors.

But the shop also has carved out other niches. The shop takes trade-in bikes and fixes them up, which means it has options for almost any budget. It builds custom bikes, such as the double- and triple-decker contraptions that were on display during this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade through downtown Springfield. The shop also works on older bikes, not always an easy task since today’s parts don’t always fit yesterday’s bikes.

“We run into that daily, having to get parts to fit by grinding them down or whatever,” said Paul Denney, one of the shop’s two employees. “It can be frustrating, but we also enjoy that.”

Freewheeling

Finally, Queen City Cycles has become the local fixed-gear bike headquarters.

For Hutchison, that was initially a large part of the shop’s appeal.

He had been interested in fixed-gear bikes, which have no freewheel, no gears and often no brakes. Instead, the pedals directly control the bike’s motion. As long as the pedals are moving, so is the bike. If the pedals stop moving, so does the bike.

“It’s pure elegance in biking,” Hutchison says.

When he heard that Queen City Cycles built fixed-gear bikes, he was hooked.

He wasn’t the only one. Hamilton estimates that during its first year in business, Queen City Cycles built 50 fixed-gear bikes, including Hutchison’s.

Queen City Cycles’ growth has happened with almost no advertising other than the shop’s T-shirts and bike stickers. Word has just spread.

For example, a Paul Mueller Co. employee after having visited Queen City Cycles suggested the shop become the service station for the dozens of three-wheel bikes that Mueller employees use to navigate the manufacturing facility. Also, the shop regularly sees out-of-town visitors who have heard about Queen City Cycles at racing events or other biking venues.

And customers sometimes take an active role in the bike shop’s future. Hutchison, for instance, manages the shop’s Web site as a “labor of love,” he said.

“I think people feel comfortable here,” Hamilton said. “But we know our shop’s not going to be for everybody. Not everybody likes what we sell; not everyone likes our feel.”

Bike, Bus, Walk Week

During the week of May 14–18, Ozark Greenways is encouraging people to leave their cars behind on their daily commutes and to instead choose biking, walking or busing as their option.

During that week, among other perks, Panera Bread will offer a free breakfast to anyone who participates at least one day; City Utilities will offer free bus rides to those traveling with a bike; the YMCA and Cox Fitness Centers will offer free showers and towels; and Ozark Greenways will give free membership to anyone participating three or more days. Ozark Greenways will also help participants plan their routes.

Workplaces and schools can register for the event and get more details at www.ozarkgreenways.org or by calling (417) 864-2015.

Registration will also take place during First Friday ArtWalk on May 4 when there will be a car-free area on South Street, bike-through art events and free bus shuttles along Boonville Avenue between Commercial Street and downtown.

Queen City Cycles

Founded: October 2004

Address: 301 W. Walnut Street, Springfield, MO 65806

Phone: (417) 831-0800

Fax: (417) 864-5440

Owner: Miles Hamilton

Web site: www.queencitycycles.com

Services: Bike repairs, custom bike work and sales of bikes and biking accessories

Employees: 2[[In-content Ad]]