North Liberty Bike Shop Gears Up for RAGBRAI

By Mark Geary, Reporter

Tools

By Aaron Hepker

Story Created: Jan 31, 2011 at 1:04 AM CDT

Story Updated: Jul 24, 2011 at 3:36 PM CDT

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa - Thousands of RAGBRAI riders are getting ready to take a journey across the state in six months. Eight cities will host an overnight stops during the 470-plus mile route.

From west to east — those stops include Glenwood, Atlantic, Boone, Carroll, Altoona, Grinnell, Coralville and then Davenport.

When RAGBRAI comes through a town, it brings excitement, energy and business to all the surrounding areas as well.

North Liberty’s Sugar Bottom Bikes began gearing up for a fresh round of RAGBRAI customers the moment everyone learned Coralville will be an overnight stop.

“It will be a lot of work, but I like working on bikes,” Josh Kersten, an employee at the shop, said.

Store owner Jon Yetley said, “It’s great for the whole corridor area. It brings a lot of business into the area and people go to the hotels, eat the food and enjoy the entertainment.”

Before anyone decides to trek across the state on a bike, it’s always a good idea to have a professional take a look at your ride.

“Get your gears tuned up, chain lubed up, good tires, good air pressure in tires and make sure your breaks are all adjusted and that you have nice brake pads,” Kersten said. “If you’re putting on a good 100 miles a day, even casual riding, you never want to get stuck with a busted tire or a broken spoke.”

Employees expect to spin plenty of wheels in the weeks and months to come.

“We’ll be getting swamped with tune-ups and everything,” Yetley said.

Even though the route just got announced, customers are already getting excited.

“This is supposed to be relatively flat, in the middle of the state. So, logistically, it works out good and I think the ridership will be really strong this year again,” customer and 12-time RAGBRAI rider Steve Rudin said.

Right now, business is about what you’d expect at a bike shop in the winter, but once the weather warms up, everything will kick into full gear.