Lance Armstrong's New Shop Encourages Bike Commuting

As the growth of downtown continues to explode, so does the need for commuter-friendly transportation alternatives — enter the bike. Granted, it's nothing new, save for Lance Armstrong's recent unveiling of plans for a commuter biker shop.

According to Armstrong, "This city is exploding downtown. Are all these people in high rises going to drive everywhere? We have to promote (bike) commuting."

Mellow Johnny's, based on the nickname Armstrong earned while wearing the yellow jersey, will serve as a bike shop, commuting center, training facility and cafe. Showers and a locker room will provide commuters a chance to clean up, store their bikes at the shop, and catch a ride on a pedicab or walk the rest of the way to work.

Located near La Zona Rosa, the 18,000-sq-ft building—painted in yellow and black, of course—plans to open in May. While this can easily be characterized as just another bike shop, partner Bart Knaggs is quick to articulate the macro-level vision:

"There's a bigger ambition we're going to go for here. It's not like there's not a good bike shop in town. We want to add something to the community that will catalyze interest around riding bikes, about being bike friendly and folding it into life in Austin," Knaggs said.

Will this serve as yet another destination for the diehard gearheads of the city? Or will it really serve as a user-friendly gateway for rookie riders? Based on the "Armstrong effect," there's a decent chance this could be the turning point in making Austin a true bike commuter city.

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By paigedd in News on February 19, 2008 1:05 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

turd_on_the_run

I hope Lance's shop doesn't fall into the "sell expensive mountain bikes or super-expensive road bikes to poseurs who put them on top of the Tahoe and drive out to the country" trap so many others have.

Can you please post the rules? I mean, you seem to know them. So, could you share what appear to be the very limited ways its ok to be a cyclist?

Alan Sudo

Will we be able to carry our beers out of the cafe?

kenneth1

That's the old Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH) building. So the showers are already there, all they need to do is clean the feces out of the drains.

misssteak

Awesome -- I loved the facility at Chicago's Millenium Park (http://www.chicagobikestation.... -- complete with stations to lock the bikes, shower/locker facilities and busses that left frequently for spots around downtown or el transfers. This has the potential to be similarly as excellent.

mdahmus

There are some shops that have some good stuff for commuters, but it's spread a bit wide. Waterloo Cycles, for instance, is run by a guy who is a real transportation cyclist, and a nice guy to boot.

I hope Lance's shop doesn't fall into the "sell expensive mountain bikes or super-expensive road bikes to poseurs who put them on top of the Tahoe and drive out to the country" trap so many others have.

mdahmus

There are some shops that have some good stuff for commuters, but it's spread a bit wide. Waterloo Cycles, for instance, is run by a guy who is a real transportation cyclist, and a nice guy to boot.

I hope Lance's shop doesn't fall into the "sell expensive mountain bikes or super-expensive road bikes to poseurs who put them on top of the Tahoe and drive out to the country" trap so many others have.

Jooley Ann

This is wonderful! I'm a bike commuter, and I'm thrilled that we'll soon have a good resource for commuter-bike gear, which can be impossible to find in this town.

Also, when I worked downtown I biked part or all the way; most downtown offices don't have showers. I'd have definitely used the facilities described.

Biking is a fabulous way to start and end your work day, and in spite of the incessant bitching to the contrary, for most people it's not that hard to cobble together a decent route. This shop is a perfect fit for Austin.