Local bike shops promote riding
Local stores serve as gateway to mountain bike trails
By Diana Gallagher
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"The trails have been around for 15 years or so," said Mr. Wladyka, who owns Rocky Point Cycle. "The amazing thing is that they're in our backyard, but people don't know they're there."
People will travel from New York City to ride on the Rocky Point trails, in Cathedral Pines, in Glacier Ridge in Farmingville and on the trails in Calverton and Eastport, he noted. "Cyclists know, but people who live in the area don't know what's available to them."
With its slogan, "Where the road ends and the trail begins," Rocky Point Cycle has outfitted road and off-road cyclists since 1991. "Anytime anyone comes in, I give them information about the local clubs," the owner said. "That information will lead to finding out more about riding on Long Island."
An eventual realization of the Rails-to-Trails proposal to build a trail from Port Jefferson to Wading River "is the stuff we'd love to see," Mr. Wladyka said. Such a trail would help communities, he said; along with promoting health and general well-being, cycling trails would also allow for people "to do small commuting, like if they're running down to the video store or going to get milk."
In the meantime, Mr. Wladyka and his staff continue to sell bikes and repair them. Rising gas prices haven't affected bike sales yet, but the owner has seen a definite increase in the number of repairs. "People seem to be dusting off the bikes in their houses. I see bikes that I haven't seen for years," he commented.
For competitive cyclists, the opportunity to race is just down the road; Carl Hart Bicycles of Middle Island has sponsored the Cathedral Pines Mountain Bike Race "on and off for almost 10 years," noted Darren Seller, the sales manager. This year's race will be held on Sept. 21, with categories ranging from beginner to expert.
The race was the first of its kind on Long Island, he said, pointing to Fred Seller, the store's owner for the past 28 years, as "a pioneer in bringing all kinds of different cycling races to Long Island."
This business hasn't experienced a leap in road bike sales, either. "Here, roads are still not bicycle-friendly," Mr. Seller said. However, he's seen that "more and more people say they want to start commuting [via bike]." Visitors to the store's Web site can calculate how much money they'll save through biking instead of driving.
For people interested in taking up biking, the hardest decision is what type of cycling they're going to get into, Mr. Wladyka said. The spectrum of bicycles between road-only and completely off-road is certainly broad; hybrids exist that include varying degrees of both types, depending on the cyclist's preference.
Customers typically go through two or three bikes before finding the one that bests suits them. And "once they embrace the sport, they usually get into both" road and off-road cycling, Mr. Wladyka noted, adding that his customers tend to start with one aspect of the sport and then try the other.
"It's very difficult for a new cyclist," he said. "They don't know if they're going to like it." For road cyclists, challenges exist with "picking times and roads, knowing the roads that are less congested, visibility."
And for the trail riders?
"Off-road people don't mind getting a little dirty," he said.
