Store pedals at new location

After more than a decade of serving his customers from the Wasilla Shopping Mall on the Parks Highway, Richard Clayton moved his store, Arctic Bicycle Center, to Nelson Road, a street where at first glance it might seem like people might have trouble finding him. But that's only true if that first glance comes form the perspective of someone behind the wheel of a car. For Clayton, his location across the street from Wasilla's Iditapark park strip is perfect for catching the eye of his biking customers.

"When we first started here you had to be on the Parks Highway -- it was live or die," Clayton said. "People said if you're not on the Parks Highway you might as well close your doors."

That was 1990, and since then Arctic Bicycle Center spent 11 Christmas seasons and as many summers in the shopping mall. Overall, Clayton said the business has been fortunate, but over the last three or four years the highway traffic has generated more complaints than customers. The mall itself is doing well -- maybe too well for the bicycle shop. There was no hope of test riding a bike there and with the parking lot congestion it's getting more difficult for people in cars to get into and out of the place, according to Clayton.

Iditapark on the other hand is the perfect neighbor for Arctic Bicycle Center. Clayton wouldn't trade his spot here for a place in the busiest mall or next to the busiest big box store in the Valley.

"Is it a prime, you-see-it-every-day location? No. But it's a place where I can work and grow for the next 15 years," Clayton said.

Clayton said his company has been fortunate enough to attract customers even while large discount stores were bringing in cheaper bicycles every year. He's carved out a niche in the sports market primarily by sticking to bicycles, and making sure he's got a ride for everyone and can fix anyone's ride. The discount retailers, he says, kept him on his toes when they started building near Wasilla.

"I had to look at some of my strengths and weaknesses and try to emphasize the strengths," he said.

One of those strengths is expertise. Clayton keeps track of innovations in components such as suspension, shifters and brakes. Bicycles manufacturers are changing things faster than ever, and it can be a challenge to keep up. Part of Clayton's education takes place at Interbike, a bicycle trade show held annually in Las Vegas. Clayton said he learned about 40 different maintenance procedures from manufacturer's clinics at Interbike last year.

"We look at the new products and we attend as many clinics as we can," he said.

The shop carries several brands of new bicycles -- this year K2, Kona, Santa Cruz and Redline are in -- and Clayton said he likes to stay as independent as possible. The strategy is to provide a variety so there is something for everyone, from aggressive mountain bike and BMX riders to people looking for what the industry calls "comfort bikes."

Making the ride comfortable and safe is a key to sales -- and it's a part of the game that Clayton knows discount retailers won't likely beat him at. Last week, Clayton was tuning up a brand new, full-suspension mountain bike that came off the floor of one of his big box competitors. The bicycles appeared to have all the bells and whistles but they clearly weren't put together by a bike tech. The wheels weren't true, the gears weren't smooth, a brake rubbed it's wheel -- and this part's scary -- the stem bolt was loose so the handle bars moved inside the steer tube, Clayton said.

Clayton said some bicycle shop owners are vindictive toward large retailers that sell bikes -- so much so that they turn off customers -- but he doesn't begrudge the discount retailers himself. After all, they are putting people on bikes.

"They have their role -- and the bottom line is that for a lot of people 60 bucks is a lot of money," he said. What Clayton doesn't like, is when customers buy a "ready to ride" bike that's less than ready to ride. If the shifters only work every other time or the chain derails or the brakes are inefficient the rider might simply put the bicycle away for good.

"If someone buys a bike like that, then they could get turned off to cycling," Clayton said. "I want to get them back into the fun of cycling. I want them to enjoy the ride."