Two Wheel Transit shifts location

The bicycle shop Two Wheel Transit is the newest addition to the business district along South Perry Street. The shop, which was located at Carnegie Square downtown since 1995, has opened its doors in the north end of the building that also houses HiCo Market at 817 S. Perry St.

The new location looks huge compared to the storefront at 1405 W. First Ave.

“It’s actually a little bit smaller,” said owner Geoff Forshag, about the 5,000-square-foot retail space. “At our West First location we had 60 percent of our space downstairs, out of view. Now we have everything in one spot.”

Two Wheel Transit closed downtown on Friday, spent the Veterans Day weekend moving, and opened on Tuesday.

“We are still working on the entry part of the store but we are open,” said Forshag, who has owned Two Wheel Transit with Bruce Abbotts for three years.

He said Two Wheel Transit began looking for a potential new home about a year ago, mostly because its Carnegie Square lease was up this month.

“We could have renewed it, but we decided to look around first and see what else is out there,” Forshag said.

The new location features a bright, open, industrial-looking space that allows Two Wheel Transit to have all its bikes on the sales floor.

“South Perry appealed to us for many reasons, mostly because we wanted a family-friendly neighborhood,” Forshag said. “We also got lots of parking for our customers and a vibrant business district.”

Look for a custom-made bike jersey featuring all the South Perry neighborhood businesses that will be for sale at Two Wheel Transit soon.

The bicycle shop offers a large variety of bikes, from mountain bikes to commute bikes and high-end racing bikes, and is an authorized Trek and Moots bike and components dealer.

Two Wheel Transit also has a trade up program for children’s bikes.

The new space allowed the store to set up a computer station featuring Trek’s Project One Studio which lets a customer design the Trek bike of her dreams online, order it and have it delivered to Two Wheel Transit.

“You can customize the frame, pick the colors, pick the components – it’s a great way to build your perfect bike,” Forshag said.

Part of the moving process was a major cleanup and sorting out of parts, tools and equipment.

Forshag said local nonprofits such as Pedals2People and the Salvation Army “made off like bandits” with all the stuff Two Wheel Transit wasn’t moving.

“We are just happy we can help them out a little,” Forshag said.

The sales floor can easily be transformed into a larger open area by moving store displays that are on wheels. Forshag said the space could be used for indoor cycling classes and basic bike repair classes.

“We don’t have a schedule yet, but we will be putting one together soon,” Forshag said.