Sean Carter worked in the bike industry for more than a decade but noticed many bike shops only catered to hardcore cyclists. He wondered why there was nothing for the recreational rider. “The mainstream bicycle business isn’t as tuned into the casual cyclist,” says Sean. So he opened BikeBike on 17th Avenue in 2010, to market to families and casual riders looking not for speed but for relaxation on two wheels. “The big focus is family products,” says Sean. “We sell cargo bikes, which allow families to ditch the car and use it as a second vehicle. It’s literally a car replacement.”
Calgary has hundreds of kilometres of off-street pathways linking the city. They are ideal for a slow ride and, no matter, where you live you’re close to one of those trails. This meant BikeBike had a waiting and willing audience when it opened its doors. “Since we opened, we surpassed any and all of our best forecasts,” says Sean. “In a couple of years, we threw away the forecasting part of our business plan because we were well exceeding any of our best ideas on how it would go. It’s been a great ride.”
