Congratulations on being voted the “Best of Lawrence”! How does it feel to receive this recognition from the community?

It’s our first year owning Cycle Works and it means so much to us that the Lawrence community we love has recognized all the work we’ve put into providing great products and outstanding service.

What do you believe sets your business apart?

We pride ourselves on providing the best customer service, by really listening to what people would like and matching them with the right bicycle and by tuning their bikes for the best possible ride. After customers bring in bikes they bought at other stores and we tune them, it’s not uncommon for those customers to tell us the bikes ride better than when they first bought them.

Along with best-in-class customer service, we pride ourselves on deep expertise on bicycles. I’ve been working in bike shops since I was 14, in every role from mechanic to manager and now, three decades later, store owner. My wife jokes that I eat, sleep, and live for bikes and she’s not wrong – when I’m not working or riding, I’m probably reading about bicycles, Googling a mechanical challenge, or thinking about how to improve our service.

Can you provide a brief overview of your business’s history, including its founding, initial goals and how it has evolved over the years?

Cycle Works was founded in 1973 and as the new owners of the shop, we feel lucky to bring our vision of a great bike shop to a store with such deep roots in the community. After we bought Cycle Works, we spent the first four months giving the store a refresh and we’re excited about the mix of gravel, mountain, road, e-bikes, commuter, and family bikes we carry.

We are passionate about helping everyone find the right bike for their needs and tuning bikes for the best possible ride. We’re also really excited about e-bikes: they’re great for hauling kids and groceries, making hills feel flat and long rides feel short, and replacing a family’s second car. Also, they’re just really fun. When people test ride one for the first time, they have the biggest grins on their faces and tell us they feel like kids again.

If you haven’t been in the shop recently, we’d love to meet you and have you see the shop’s glow up.

Community support is crucial. How do you engage with the local community, and how has this engagement impacted your success?

We have lived in Lawrence for about 8 years and are deeply committed to making biking safer and more fun for everyone. I love hosting rides from the shop (stay tuned to our newsletter and

@cycleworksks Instagram page for the spring ride schedule!) and joining other community rides. We’ll also be at the Community Bike Ride on Saturday, July 19 showing options for safe family cycling. And my wife Jenny advocates for better bike infrastructure in Lawrence as a member of the Connected City Advisory Board and the Bike Plan Steering Committee.

Are there any upcoming projects, events, or initiatives that you’re excited about and would like the community to know?

As the weather gets nicer, we’ll be hosting rides from the shop, including a beginners’ ride and longer riders for more experienced cyclists. We’ll be hosting some fun social events for Bike to School Day on Tuesday, May 7, and Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 16, and we’ll be at the Community Bike Ride on Saturday, July 19.

We share rides and community cycling events on Instagram (@cycleworksks) and on our website (www.kscycleworks.com). Come pedal with us!

How do you ensure that your business remains an inclusive and welcoming place for customers of all backgrounds?

One of our great joys in life is riding bikes and we want to share that joy with anyone who is interested in riding, whether that’s a kid getting their first bike, a gravel racer customizing their bike to maximize performance, or an older adult who feels more comfortable on an e-bike or a trike. Everyone who wants to ride or is even just curious about riding is welcome in Cycle Works.

Outside the shop, my wife Jenny and I are committed to making Lawrence a community that’s safer and more accessible for all riders. We lead a weekly “bike bus” to our daughter’s school to help kids build skills and confidence on their bikes. Jenny also sits on Lawrence’s Connected City Advisory Board and the Bike Plan Steering Committee.

Staying ahead in your industry requires keeping an eye on trends. How do you anticipate and respond to changing market dynamics?

E-bikes are a game changer. Whether you want to ride further, faster, carrying kids or more stuff, or just have more fun, electric bikes will change how you ride. We use our cargo e-bike to take our daughter to school and haul groceries. I use my e-bike to keep up on distance gravel rides on the weekends and my wife uses hers to commute to work from one end of Bob Billings Parkway to the other.

The e-bikes we carry have pedal assistance, meaning you have to pedal to power the bike, but pedaling feels easier. You can adjust how much assistance the bike is giving, so you can get as much or as little of a workout as you’d like.

The “Best of Lawrence” title often indicates a commitment to excellence in customer service. How do you ensure that every customer has a positive experience with your business?

We’re interested in getting to know each of our customers and building long-term relationships. We want to know how each person rides and how we can make riding more comfortable, which means we spend a lot of time listening, getting to know people, and collaborating on finding the best fit for their needs. And we want feedback – how can we make our shop better?