Good News For Local Cyclists: Rainier Cycle Sports Comes to University Place

Since University Place's only bike shop, , went out of business last year, the city has been without a biking resource.

No more.

Bike business, Rainier Cycle Sports, opened its doors in the former Spoke and Sprocket location at 2621 70th Avenue West, Suite D last month. The store has been serving the community's biking needs for nearly 25 years. Rainier Cycle Sports previous home was in Tacoma's Proctor District.

Dave Devine, manager of Rainier Cycle Sports for the last seven years, welcomed the move to University Place.

"It's a better fit for us in the long run," stated Devine.

"We are happy to be here in University Place. At this point, we are fairly well settled in to our new home. Because this space was a bike shop before and already had separate repair area, the space was ready to go for us."

The store is definitely ready. Rainier Cycle Sports offers all categories of bikes for sale (road, hybrid, BMX, city, and children's). In addition to bikes, they have a full line of biking accessories and clothing. Other bike resources include biking maps and information about upcoming local biking events.

With an experienced staff, the store is also pleased to offer a full bike service shop for tune-ups, repairs, and builds.

With Rainier Cycle Sports longtime experience in the business, I asked Devine what seems to be the biggest sellers at the moment and some of the more popular local biking events and rides.

"Hybrids and road bikes continue to be popular particularly due to commuting and transportation," notes Devine. "Also a special kind of mountain bike called a 29-er is also popular. It has a larger diameter wheel that holds speed a little longer and is a little stronger."

"For events, the charity rides seem to be the most popular, like the Courage Classic and the STP (Seattle to Portland). In late February, there is the Chilly Hilly ride which is the first event of the season."

When asked about local rides, Devine's face lights up.

"There are so many local rides that are great. From U.P., riding along Grandview and Chambers Bay is popular. In fact, cyclists can really ride all the way to Dupont from that point without having to get onto I-5."

"Going across the new Narrows Bridge is great,too. It's so much safer. For the casual rider, the Cushman Power Trail, which is paved, is a good ride. For the serious road rider, there are all kinds of rides across the bridge that can be found on the Pierce County Biking Map."

"Then of course, there's always Pt. Defiance, the old standby for a good ride."

For more information about bikes and biking, stop by the store. The hours of operation are weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also visit the stores website at rainiercycle.com and visit their Facebook page.