About Chain Reaction
A bike shop has been located near the current Chain Reaction location since just after World War II. After establishing itself as "Pedalers" in the 1980s and surviving two fires, "Chain Reaction" rose Phoenix-like from the ashes in 1997 to become one of Gainesville's busiest bike shops. Current owners Eric Johnson and Thomy Bolduc have built a thriving business based on reputation, community involvement, and word-of-mouth referrals. They strive to make cycling accessible to everyone. Owners and staff live by the following mission statement:
We will make cycling safe, comfortable, and enjoyable for everyone.
We will work with advocates and other shops to promote cycling.
If our customers don't know something, we will teach them.
If we won't ride it, we won't sell it.
Chain Reaction has a storied past. We were a long-time (ten years) sponsor of the University of Florida Cycling team during numerous SEC Championships, one national team championship (NCCA Track Cycling, 2003), and several individual national champions. Chain Reaction sponsored the Downtown Criterium series when it was on the National Race Calendar. In 2006, we provided technical support for the pro team VMG. The shop currently sponsors Chain Reaction's own Cat 3 Road Team; CycleLogic, Gainesville's largest performance-competitive team; Team Vet-Med, UF's Vet School cycling club; and is a discount partner with Gainesville Cycling Club. Chain also provides bicycles, service, and other support to University of Florida Police, Gainesville Police, and Alachua County Sheriff's Office. Our current stable of riders includes working professionals, university students, school-age kids, and anyone who loves to ride! The focus of all our team and sponsorship efforts is to foster sportsmanship and enthusiasm for cycling.
With its contemporary retail area, separate repair room, and full stable of Giant, Specialized, Pivot, and Surly bicycles, Chain Reaction is often mistaken for a "Pro" or "high-end" shop. While we do sell, ride, and repair pro-level racing bikes on a daily basis, a vast majority of the bikes we sell and repair are for everyday working, exercise, going to class, and taking trips to the store. We might have a hydraulic brake repair for a full-suspension ATB in one repair stand, and a tire replacement on a campus commuter in another. Make or model doesn't matter--we fix them all. Our service area is the heart of what we do.
Another foundation of the shop is our devotion to fit and comfort, be it for racing, pleasure, or commuting. Thomy and Eric are both certified bicycle fitters, having studied under Dr Andy Pruitt from the Boulder College of Sports Medicine. With over 120 hours of combined fit instruction through the Specialized Bicycle Components University, we provide custom fitting to all level of rider. We can help you overcome injuries, medical conditions, flexibility problems, and ergonomic issues.
Customers often wonder why we don't sell used bikes. Frankly, we are just too busy selling new ones! Our bikes usually start at about $300. Any bike you purchase comes with free life-time service adjustments, including truing of the wheels, adjusting the brakes and derailleurs, and tuning the hubs and headset. By the time you factor in our free service, our new bikes are competitive, or even a better deal, than many used bikes. We also do financing through CitiFinancial. If after all that you still can't afford a bike from our shop, we are happy to direct you to a used bike shop whom we respect and trust.
Chain Reaction is really a family of riders with a bike shop attached to it. On any given day, half the people in our store are friends, fellow riders, and other shop "alumnae." We look forward to you joining our family, and to your safe and happy cycling.
