Longtime Fraser bike shop serving triathletes, others closing; owner rolls into retirement

Yahoo

06-02-2025

The sign with a bicycle by the checkout counter encapsulates it all: "Life is a beautiful ride."
For longtime shop owner Paul Rogers that ride — at least the retail business part of it — is rolling to a stop as he announced this week the closure of Fraser Bicycle, a bike shop that has been in business in Fraser for nearly six decades.
"It's all good," he said as he stood inside the crisply organized store in Macomb County hours after posting the closure news on the store's Facebook page, adding that he is retiring.
Rogers, the store's owner since 1987, wrapped up talking with a customer and shook hands with him. A short time later, longtime customer Steve Scribner, 58, of Rochester Hills, came in after seeing the Facebook post, which began: "With heavy hearts we are sharing the news that we're closing our doors. And no, this is not an early April fools joke."
Scribner, like Rogers, said he has competed in several Ironman competitions through the years.
"There's not many bike shops that have the same kind of service ... (that) cater to triathletes," Scribner said, adding that Rogers' shop helped athletes like himself find the right bicycle and service it. "The triathlete wants to go as fast as possible. You want that bike to perform as best as possible."
Triathlons involve swimming, cycling and running.
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Scribner, who teaches organic chemistry at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, said he was at home working Monday when he saw the store's post. He took the approximately 25-minute ride to the store to talk with Rogers and discuss what he should buy next for his bike as he plans to compete Nov. 1 in an Ironman competition in Florida.
Scribner also planned to probably leave the store with a bike for himself and possibly his wife for more leisure riding on trails and in neighborhoods.
"I'm gonna miss it," Scribner said of the shop, where he has been coming since 2010 and where he said he and others would gather in the basement cycling lab for virtual team rides.
During those earlier years, Scribner said, he would drive up from Wyandotte to be with the team two or three days a week in the winter.
Rogers, 65, said the shop has been open for 59 years and was first known as Fraser Cycle Center. He bought it from the previous owner after leaving a quality control job at General Motors he had for about nine years.
Rogers attended Barnett Bicycle Institute, a bicycle mechanic school, according to his biography on the store's website, and he completed his fourth Ironman with his sons in November 2018. Upon retirement, Rogers said he plans to spend more time with family, including four grandchildren and his wife, Kim, of 45 years, who is a nurse.
Rogers said the store has been in its current location on Utica Road since 2001, moving about 1½ miles from its prior location.
Its athletic team, Team Fraser, was based there from 2008 to 2022, Rogers said. Scribner said the team brought together people — people who became his friends and part of his social network.
The shop has served thousands of customers from metro Detroit and beyond, Rogers said, including a couple who are triathletes and live north of Petoskey who "only came here."
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On Monday, Rogers' phone was ringing constantly and Facebook messages were pouring in about the pending closure. Commenters lamented the closure, with one person saying he drove two hours to the store when he needed services or products, and others remembering their time riding in the bike lab or thanking the staff for its service.
In addition to closeout sales, Rogers said, they will take care of customers' maintenance needs, thanking those who patronized the store, and saying they will "do our best until the doors are locked."
Rogers said business challenges compared to years ago have included online sales hurting brick and mortar stores and finding dedicated employees who want to stay long term.
An opinion/analysis piece last month in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News indicated it's possible bike shops are going out of business at unusually high rates.
Heather Mason, president of the National Bicycle Dealers Association, wrote in a letter in the group's 2024 annual report "that retailer and supplier health remains a priority" and indicated the industry faced challenges last year, including weather-related incidents that devastated businesses, economic hurdles, shifting market conditions and supply chain issues that led to the closure of retailers and suppliers.
Rogers said he owns the building where his shop is located and he will rent the space once the shop closes. He said the shop has about four employees in the winter, including himself, and his son worked there, and three or four part-timers in the summer.
Rogers said the store may be open for about 60 days, as no new inventory will be coming in and the store will be selling the inventory it has, with sales already in place. The bike shop has many high-end bicycle brands, including Cannondale and Specialized.
"This place is closing," one customer said as he was walking away from the counter after making a purchase. "Man, it's sad."
Contact Christina Hall: [e-mail]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Longtime Fraser bike shop owner rolling into retirement, closing store