{"id":2458809,"date":"2020-05-24T22:48:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-25T04:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/business-monday-aspen-bike-shops-crank-up-business\/"},"modified":"2020-05-24T22:48:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-25T04:48:00","slug":"business-monday-aspen-bike-shops-crank-up-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/business-monday-aspen-bike-shops-crank-up-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Monday: Aspen bike shops crank up business"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.4344512195122\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-326308-754\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Ute City Cycles shop dog Cooper looks back as owner PJ Clotfelter, center right, helps customer Danny Patterson with his bike and Greg Saxton, right, works on another bike on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"1.9333333333333\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"14.5\">\n<p><strong>Ute City Cycles shop dog Cooper looks back as owner PJ Clotfelter, center right, helps customer Danny Patterson with his bike and Greg Saxton, right, works on another bike on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/business-monday-aspen-bike-shops-crank-up-business\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-1024x682.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1.jpg\"> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Ute City Cycles shop dog Cooper looks back as owner PJ Clotfelter, center right, helps customer Danny Patterson with his bike and Greg Saxton, right, works on another bike on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Ute City Cycles shop dog Cooper keeps watch from the doorway as customers wait to be helped in Aspen on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-0.47738693467337\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9.5477386934673\">\n<p><strong>Ute City Cycles shop dog Cooper keeps watch from the doorway as customers wait to be helped in Aspen on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/business-monday-aspen-bike-shops-crank-up-business\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-1-1024x682.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-1.jpg\"> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Ute City Cycles shop dog Cooper keeps watch from the doorway as customers wait to be helped in Aspen on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Mountain bikers explore Airline Trail in Sky Mountain Park on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-0.47151898734177\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9.4303797468354\">\n<p><strong>Mountain bikers explore Airline Trail in Sky Mountain Park on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/business-monday-aspen-bike-shops-crank-up-business\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-2-1024x682.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-2.jpg\"> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/bizcover-atd-052520-1-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Mountain bikers explore Airline Trail in Sky Mountain Park on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/business-monday-aspen-bike-shops-crank-up-business\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/business-monday-aspen-bike-shops-crank-up-business\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">The ski industry\u2019s loss has been its biking counterpart\u2019s gain, at least in Aspen of late.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe day the mountains closed,\u201d as Hub of Aspen employee Austin Nevin put it Saturday, is when business got cranking earlier than usual.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That day was March 15, when <a id=\"N0x19c60c0N0x191db20:N0x19c60c0N0x18f8be8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-skiing-co-shuts-down-all-four-mountains-after-colorado-governor-orders-closure\/\">Gov. Jared Polis\u2019 order<\/a> took effect, shutting down the state\u2019s ski areas to slow the spread of COVID-19. The last of Aspen Skiing Co.\u2019s mountain closures typically happens mid-April unless conditions warrant a longer season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The crossover among skiers and cyclists is unmistakable in mountain towns like Aspen, and while other businesses and retailers have been crippled by the pandemic, the biking industry is seeing the reverse effect.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cSales are pretty much at an all-time high and service is right there, too,\u201d Nevin said of the Hub of Aspen, a full-service shop downtown. \u201cI can\u2019t get bikes out fast enough. We pride ourselves and we kind of cut our teeth on being able to service a bike between 24 and 48 hours. On service right now, that is four to seven days. \u2026 We\u2019ve never been close to anything like this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Aspen also reflects a national trend showing a surge in consumer demand for bicycles and service. The New York Times reported May 18 that nationwide sales of bicycles nearly doubled in March, citing the market research company N.P.D. Group.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The demand has led to a dearth of youth-sized bicycles in Aspen, according to shop managers and owners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI can\u2019t find any kids\u2019 bikes through my distributors,\u201d said Patrick Diet, owner of Aspen Bicycles, which usually opens in the middle of April but held off until May 7.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Diet said it\u2019s hard to keep up with rentals and sales, and locals as well as visitors are fueling the surge.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cFinancially, I\u2019ve made up for the loss already,\u201d he said of opening later than usual.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Pitkin County Board of Health also pegged bike shops as a nonessential business in the second week of April, which ran counter to state orders allowing bike sales and service, and triggering local criticism from both shops and consumers. Recognizing the order was an oversight, <a id=\"N0x19c60c0N0x191db80:N0x19c60c0N0x18f90f8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/public-health-officials-to-open-construction-bike-repair-shops-and-office-supply-stores-in-aspen-area\/\">the board changed<\/a> it to allow to shops to sell and service bicycles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Aspen Velo owner Luke Wampler opened his store April 23, the day bike shops were allowed to reopen under the revised order.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cNormally I would open May 15, but people are hungry to be outside,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">By 1 p.m. Saturday, Wampler said his business already had rented out 30 e-bikes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhen I mean it\u2019s busy, it\u2019s like it is now in July,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd this is pretty standard for Memorial Day weekend, but I was expecting the pandemic to affect it more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Bike tunes are up 20% to 30% for this time of the year, he said, \u201cand I\u2019m turning away sales on a daily basis\u201d because of a lack of inventory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Bike shops also are beholden to public health orders and keeping the rental cycles clean and sanitary. Checking employees\u2019 temperatures before they start the work day also is standard operating procedure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cEverybody who walks in and out of here has to wear a mask,\u201d Diet said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s surprising that some people still walk in without one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:rcarroll@aspentimes.com\">rcarroll@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/business-monday-aspen-bike-shops-crank-up-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ute City Cycles shop dog Cooper looks back as owner PJ Clotfelter, center right, helps customer Danny Patterson with his bike and Greg Saxton, right, works on another bike on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Buy Photo Ute City Cycles shop dog Cooper keeps watch from the doorway as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2458809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-17 01:19:22","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2458809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458809\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}