Central District Cyclery grand opening!

The long-awaited opening of Central District Cyclery is here, and the community is invited to come celebrate Thursday, March 15, at 5 p.m. with a ribbon cutting officiated by Mayor George Heartwell. Refreshments from local businesses will be served, as well as tunes by DJ Josh Brewer of GR Soul Club.

Within seven months, a full façade renovation and additions to the interior have brought to life a long-vacant storefront on Monroe Center. It is also thanks to the former interior that Nate Phelps was attracted to the space. Formerly a high-end men’s clothing store, the bike shop seems destined for this location with the ceilings’ beautiful wood beams resembling the spokes of a bicycle wheel. The fireplace will remain with a TV screen insert, and the circular apparel build-out is perfect for the men’s and women’s styles to be offered. Core Wear, Club Ride, Twin Six, Ibex and Smart Wool are just some of the brands, and they are not just for cyclists.

Nate has worked hard in finding the right partners to provide unique bike products that will match a broad audience. Lines of bikes carried will include the Linus Town Bike of San Francisco which is an “urban bike,” available for rentals as well. The Surly brand of Minneapolis covers road, mountain, and touring, and Trader Cycles of Seattle is considered a road-style urban bike.  Local company 616 Bicycle Fabrication out of Rockford will also be on display. For those who like customization, Velocity Wheels will have custom colors on display.

For Nate, downtown Grand Rapids was the perfect location due to lots of foot and bike traffic. “I’m excited about the bike lanes—especially the Division Avenue bike lane. We are also in great proximity to the Grand Loop, which is an urban-based mountain bike trail system.”

Because of unassuming nature, one wouldn’t know right away that Nate is president of the Mountain Bike Association, and works on bicycling efforts nation-wide. So far Nate has three teams: first, his two full-time employees Bob Hammond and Tim Gunnet; second, Team Troll, a racing team sponsored by the Parkinson’s Division of the VanAndel Institute; and third, a social riding club, also known in the cycling world as bike polo. For bike enthusiasts and others, Nate will make one feel at home, and help find whatever level of product is desired.

   Nate Phelps, Central District Cyclery     

   (616) 990-1402 /[email protected]