With bicycling season and warmer weather around the corner, Trail’s End in Coralville (498 1st Ave.) is preparing for its grand opening celebration, set for Saturday, April 25.
The newly opened bicycle and triathlon shop — located across the street from the Iowa River Power Restaurant — features fitting and repair services, training workshops and a beer lounge for thirsty cyclists.
Jessica Skeie and her father, Bob Wolff, first opened the shop in December 2014 — a project that began when Skeie, an avid cyclist, grew frustrated with the lack of cycling and triathlon-focused shops in Coralville and decided to take action.
Wolff notes that although there are a number of bicycle shops around Iowa City and the surrounding area, he and his daughter hope to “chisel out” a niche in the Coralville area to better serve the local population.
“We’re actually at the intersection junction of two or three different [bicycle] trails,” Wolff said, noting that the two couldn’t be happier with their location. “We had several locations we were looking at along the way, and each one had, I wouldn’t call them roadblocks, but I’d just call them speedbumps.”
It’s Wolff’s hope that cyclists will stop by for service, repairs or fittings and, in the process, meet other like-minded individuals in the shop’s lounge area. His goal is to turn Trail’s End into a kind of destination where cyclists can connect over beers and, eventually, go on rides together.
Although beer isn’t the focus of Trail’s End, Wolff sees the lounge as an ideal opportunity to create a stronger, more vibrant cycling community in the Coralville area.
“We’ll be a full-service bicycle shop,” Wolff added, noting that Trail’s End’s chief mechanic touts more than 25 years of experience. “Any bike that comes in, we’ll be able to fix it.”
The shop plans to hold a number of events and workshops in the coming months. Trail’s End is currently working with the Iowa Bicycle Coalition to arrange weekly training workshops, and will soon conduct road safety training sessions in collaboration with area schools, Wolff says.
Though the shop opened quietly this past winter, Wolff says he and Skeie decided to host the grand opening in April to coincide with warmer weather and the ramp-up of bicycling season.
The Coralville Chamber of Commerce plans to honor Trail’s End with a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 24. The shop’s grand opening celebration on April 25, meanwhile, will feature barbecue from Dizzy Daddy BBQ and Catering.
