Cheney's Bicycle Time to close doors by October

Mark Sheldon got involved in the bicycle repair business when he was 15 years old - a 45-year career that will come to an end this October with the closure of his Cheney business, Bicycle Time.

Sheldon's first job at an actual bike shop was with the former Velo Sports in Cheney 38 years ago. He also worked in Spokane at Spokane Sport and with North Division Bike in the early 1980s.

"I was the first employee he (North Division Bike) ever had," Sheldon said of his time there.

A friend of his decided to open a bike shop in Cheney, and he asked Sheldon to join him. After buying tools from a business in Spokane that was closing, the duo opened up in his friend's garage, with his friend handling the business end and Sheldon taking care of the bikes.

Eventually Sheldon took over the business, moving it to his house on Second Street. He got his business license in 1999, repairing bicycles in his spare time while working full time as a social worker in Spokane.

In early 2002, he quit the social work gig to devote himself full time to Bicycle Time. Within a year, Sheldon had outgrown the 20-foot by 20-foot building and needed to expand.

During the permitting process, Cheney building inspector Cliff Ferguson told Sheldon he knew he would eventually outgrow the building he was planning. Ferguson encouraged him to go bigger, something that eventually became today's shop.

"Cliff was really helpful about that, as much as he was a stickler about regulations," Sheldon said.

Sheldon has built his client base through hard work, attention to detail and an understanding that businesses achieve success through customer service. Cyclists bring their bikes to Cheney from as far away as Liberty Lake to have Sheldon work on them.

Bicycle Time has also served as a dealer through the years, beginning with Fuji mountain bikes. Cheney is not a market for high-end bikes, Sheldon said, which helped the popularity locally of the less-expensive Fuji brand since Bicycle Time was the only dealer in the area.

"It didn't make a lot of sense to keep $50,000 in inventory," Sheldon said of the higher-end bikes. "If people wanted that, they'd go to Spokane."

Eventually Wheel Sport purchased the Fuji line, ending Sheldon's run. But he's also specialized in selling what he terms "Bikes for Boomers" - bicycles for people who don't want to spend their ride hunched over the handlebars, need 30 gears or something that's "super light."

"That's been a pretty good bike," Sheldon said. "Most shops in Spokane don't want that. That's worked for the Cheney market."

Sales for those bikes has decreased over time, as has the sale of parts and accessories, Sheldon said, due to the popularity and ease of ordering items online. Sheldon said he orders bike items online as well, and despite the myth that smaller shops such as his are more expensive, said he's pretty much "on par with mail order."

Over the years, Sheldon has been encouraged to expand even further, but has resisted, since doing so would require adding overhead such as employees and renting space "and you know what rentals are like in Cheney." His success has come through owning his own building and doing all the work himself.

Sheldon said he plans to liquidate his inventory through progressively dropping his prices on bikes, parts and accessories. Eventually some of the latter will end up for sale online.

Sheldon said his future plans once Bicycle Time closes are helping his wife Marissa with her real estate business and possibly picking up some part-time work here and there. His biggest regret in closing is it leaves Cheney cyclists without a local outlet.

In going to Spokane for bicycle needs, Sheldon said they might also spend money on other items they might otherwise have purchased in Cheney, thus depriving revenue to local businesses.

"I feel bad about it in a lot of ways," Sheldon said. "You know, my customers really count on me being here so they won't have to go into Spokane."

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.