The backstory
Brad Wimberly and his wife, Jeni, opened Bikealot at 4418 Pack Saddle Pass, Austin, in the spring of 2012, later moving to their current location in Crockett Center on Menchaca Road.
Owner Brad Wimberly said he decided to own a bike shop in high school when he worked at various repair shops and spent the rest of his time at skate parks and delivering mail and packages in Houston.
His courier friends nicknamed him “bike-a-lot.”
“The decision had been made at a pretty early age,” Brad Wimberly said. “So bicycle shops remained part of my life.”
He learned most of his bike repair skills and techniques at Sunshine Bike Shop in Springfield, Missouri, where he worked in college. He said his time there allowed him to move around and find employment at other shops until settling in Austin.
Bikealot offers bicycle repairs and sells upright and drop bar commuter bikes, gravel grinders, kids bikes and mountain bikes, as well as parts, tools, accessories and gear.
Brad Wimberly said they focus on utilitarian and practical bike investments.
“After around 30 years in the bicycle industry, I enjoy helping other people who have projects and come in to find the right tool for the next stage of that bicycle rebuild. ...” Brad Wimberly said. “I really enjoy keeping people safer riding bikes and just like selling bright rechargeable lights, has actually brought me a lot of joy, just to know that people are out there equipped.”
Jeni Wimberly said they can also help cyclists find their routes because transportation safety is important to them. They advocated for the bike lanes on Jones Road when Bikealot was on Pack Saddle Pass.
They continue to do their best to continue to foster the growth of bike lanes and safe biking trails and keep people informed on updates to transportation infrastructure in South Austin.
“We try to help the community know how to stay engaged or know what's going on. ...” Brad Wimberly said “Trying to use our tools, like the website, to help bring the community together around issues that matter."
The Wimberlys said sustainability is important at Bikealot.
“When you're getting from Point A to Point B with a lower carbon footprint, then you can feel like you're part of the solutions that we need in the world,” Jeni Wimberly said. “We're so passionate about that that we've made sustainability our bottom line at Bikealot.”
She said they believe in the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit. They want to offer customers quality products that will last and ensure the process to get there is sustainable and efficient. In turn, they said it draws people outside to use their community resources like greenbelts and trails.
“The nature in Austin has been beautifully preserved,” Jeni Wimberly said. “We have access to a lot more green belts and trails thanks to people who really fought for our community just a few generations ago, and we want to carry that forward.”
- 5330 Menchaca Road, Ste. C, Austin
- www.bikealotaustin.com
