New bike shop opens

Sat., Aug. 1, 2009

Juli Wasson

A new bicycle shop has opened in Spokane Valley and the owners plan a year-round venue for cycling.

“We want to offer a lot to the industry and get everyone involved,” said avid cyclist Nichole Andreasen, who is helping her husband and downhill mountain bike racer Chris Andreasen open The Bike Hub. “We hope to offer indoor cycling classes” as weather turns, she added.

The Bike Hub opened June 1 and features 2,500 square feet of retail space filled with bikes, helmets, cycling gear and bicycle parts. Bike brands include Trek, Diamond Back, Raleigh and Gary Fisher and prices range from about $250 to more than $10,000. The shop also features a service and repair shop for all bike models.

The new shop is located in the building connected to the Sports Creel, which sells ski equipment and Local 77 Board Shop, a snow, skate and wake board store. It is owned by Andreasen and John Abernathey, who also co-owns Wheel Sport on East Sullivan Road.

Chris Andreasen noted that a few bicycle shops in the Valley have closed over the past several years and said he opened The Bike Hub because he thinks the area needs another one. He’s worked in the industry since he was 14, and he’s confident his shop will stand apart from others for its customer service, bikes, accessories and service department.

Andreasen, a 1998 Central Valley High School graduate, grew up riding bikes and worked in local bike shops. He has been racing as a semi-professional downhill racer since 2005 and plans to continue the sport professionally. He is a licensed cycling coach, a certified bike fitter and Master Bicycle Mechanic. He also is an avid trail builder, an organizer of sanctioned races, and active in developing bike parks.

At The Bike Hub, he offers basic and professional bike fittings and one-on-one riding instruction. Nichole Andreasen organizes a Monday night women’s bike ride for all levels of road riders, and the couple hope people will come indoors with their bikes for the stationary bike riding class that will be set up in a basement of the shop.

Are you opening a new business in the Spokane Valley? Is your business expanding, moving or remodeling? Are you wondering about that new store that has opened in your neighborhood? Send an e-mail to Juli Wasson at juliwasson@gmail.com or contact us by fax at (509) 927-2175 or by writing to Business Notebook, Valley Voice, 13208 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley, WA 99216.