If there’s one thing that Brian Lucas knows well, it’s
bicycles.
With more than 30 years of riding experience and a dozen years
working as a fabricator for a company that builds bicycles, Lucas
knows the insides and outsides of the industry. Lucas, along with
business partners Scott Marshall and Kevin Carter, owns Off the
Chain Bikes.
If there’s one thing that Brian Lucas knows well, it’s bicycles.
With more than 30 years of riding experience and a dozen years working as a fabricator for a company that builds bicycles, Lucas knows the insides and outsides of the industry. Lucas, along with business partners Scott Marshall and Kevin Carter, owns Off the Chain Bikes.
In addition to bikes, from tricycles and tiny two-wheelers – the popular 20-inch bikes for kids – and a variety of road and mountain bikes for adults, Off the Chain Bikes carries an assortment of accessories, including riding clothes, water bottles, gloves, socks, shoes, chains, locks, cables, grips, air pumps, reflectors, self-sealing tubes and safety helmets.
Some items are simply fun ways to individualize a bicycle, such as plush saddles and custom valve caps. There are also bicycle videos for extreme fans and energy snack bars and drinks.
“We carry different accessories, including BMX parts,” Lucas said. “We are a full-service bike shop. We do repairs which can include everything from repairing frames to putting a new tube in a tire. We also do tune-ups, sell new bikes and offer riding tips.
Also, posted in the shop’s window is a calendar of current rides offered to anyone who’s interested.
“There’s a group of fairly serious bike riders here in town,” Lucas said. “They often go out on long weekend rides. On Wednesday nights, time trials are held. These can be on a 5- or 10-mile loop. Once a month these riders gather to talk about what ride they’d like to do next. It’s an unofficial club. There are no fees and anyone interested is welcome to come. We’re always ready to help coordinate these events.”
According to Lucas, riders have several different venues to ride.
“There are different types of bike riding,” he said. “There is bicycle motocross known as BMX riding. It’s broken down into racing and track riding. There is mountain biking which includes trail riding and downhill. There’s also road biking which can include time trials or track riding.
“BMX biking is the most popular in town. Kids love to do dirt jumping on their bikes. In the Midwest, where it’s much flatter, street bikes are popular.”
Like all riding enthusiasts, Lucas has his own preference.
“I’ve lived in Hollister for the last eight years,” he said. “We love the town. It’s one of the best places I’ve found for road bike riding. When you get away from the center of town, there are some beautiful areas to ride in. There are a lot of places to choose from.
“For me, the favorite part of biking is being outside. There’s also a sense of freedom when you ride. All your troubles and worries seem to go away for a while when you’re riding. Instead of focusing on them, you focus on the rhythm of the ride. When a group rides together, it doesn’t matter what the individual’s background is. You’re all sharing the love of the ride, whether you’re the president of the company or a trash collector.”
During the winter months, Off the Chain Bikes offers a spin class.
“In the wintertime this class is very popular,” Lucas said. “It’s a training program to follow during the winter months. We use trainers that attach to the back of the bike, making them work like exercise bikes. We help the class visualize going different places. We plan on starting this class back up this winter.”
Whatever your bike-riding preference, Off the Chain Bikes is a one-stop bike shop.
“We try to be everything you need in a bike shop,” Lucas said.
Off the Chain Bikes is located at 341 Tres Pinos Road. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m Sunday and closed Tuesday. For more information call 636-0802.
