Army vet launches C-Street mountain bike service business

A U.S. Army veteran opened a specialized mountain bike service center on Commercial Street.

William Angle started Trail Labs LLC, a suspension service center for mountain bikes, with a soft opening April 25 at 422 W. Commercial St., next door to Moon City Pub. He primarily works on bicycle forks and shocks for the Fox and RockShox brands.

“It sounds very specific and it is,” said Angle, who was in the Army for 10 years. “I’m the only person who does this within 1,000 miles.”

Angle’s business model will take the service nationally through an online booking platform scheduled to go live in June. Through the booking site developed by fellow Commercial Street business Mighty Sharp, he plans to offer same-day shipping on scheduled jobs.

“Once the booking site is ready, I’ll be officially open,” he said. “It’s complicated. There aren’t any pre-established widgets or software to do what I want. It’s easier to build what I need from scratch. If I ever sell the business, that is something else they’re buying from me, too.”

Through a Commerce Bank loan, Angle invested about $60,000 on inventory, tools, displays and the website. A year ago, he bought the Commercial Street building for an undisclosed amount, and just finished renovations.

Working locally with walk-ins, Angle said he’s met 80 percent of Trail Labs’ monthly goal in the first two weeks. He currently works solo but has plans to hire three by year’s end.