CINCINNATI, OH (BRAIN) Monday May 21 2012 8:47 AM MT—Reser Bicycle Outfitters in Newport, Kentucky, is expanding in June to a second location across the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, that will focus on commuter cycling.
“Even though it’s in another state, it’s not that far — two miles tops,” said co-owner Jason Reser, adding that Reser Bicycle Outfitters has been the closest shop to downtown Cincinnati for a number of years.
The Kentucky store specializes in high-end road and mountain but also sells a lot of commuter bikes, including to city dwellers across the river. And redevelopment in Cincinnati’s downtown core is drawing more people to an urban lifestyle that goes hand in hand with cycling, Reser said.
Additionally, Cincinnati’s recent strides in becoming a more bicycle-friendly city have helped make the time ripe to establish a retail presence there, he believes. In just five years, Cincinnati has gone from being named one of the 10 worst cycling cities in the U.S. by Bicycling magazine to winning a bronze certification from the League of American Bicyclists, noted Reser, who serves as treasurer of local advocacy group Queen City Bike.
“We really want to get in there, open up the market and take advantage of all the cycling things that are happening in Cincinnati,” he said. “I think now it’s the time that it’s really gonna work to have a commuter-oriented shop.”
The new shop will be housed in about 1,000 square feet in a freshly rehabbed Italianate building in the city’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood and will stock bikes from All-City, Civia, Public and Rocky Mountain.
And though it hasn’t opened its doors yet, the shop already has a line on a potential service client: A neighboring storefront is launching a business renting out a fleet of 10 pedal-powered bars for roving parties.
