Cochrane’s Bike Bros. has been named one of best bike shops in the country, for the third year running.
“It is quite flattering. I think we are surprised every year because it is online-vote based and the assumption is always whoever has the largest social media following would naturally get it – but in the end we have certain customers that tell us they voted for the shop,” said Graham Pye, owner of Bike Bros.
Voters across Canada submitted nearly 5,000 votes within 10 days, with Bike Bros. once again listed as one of the best bike shops in the country in the canadiancyclist.com poll, along with two other shops in Alberta; BikeBike in Calgary and Pedalhead Road Works in Edmonton.
“Even though we don’t have as many fans or ‘friends’ on social media, people are pretty passionate about liking the shop which is awesome,” Pye said.
“I think there is a sincere attempt to make cycling as much as it possibly can be for people (and) people who understand the shop get that after a while.”
Pye has been cycling since his teenage years when he landed a job in a bike shop in the mid-80s when he was 15.
His passion for the sport eventually lead Pye to leave his engineer job to start his shop Bike Bros. The shop was started 12 years ago in Calgary, but in 2006 Pye said they made the move to Cochrane for a combination of reasons and never looked back.
“People have said they trust us and that they know we are going to look after them,” Pye commented. “For people who have been shopping with us for a while, they can see the extra work put into it to make sure their bike is working and they appreciate that.”
Staff said they have a loyal customer base but also get new customers in from referrals regularly, especially in the busy season. The new customers either heard from their friends who go to the shop, or read reviews online about the great customer service.
Pye said he is grateful for his customers who voted and is very proud of his staff.
“I hope they are happy because it is more about them than it is about me because they are the ones who have a lot of face-to-face with customers. It is definitely an award for them,” Pye boasted.
Pye said his shop is always trying to find new ways to improve, whether that is better customer service or proper assembly of the bikes to ensure the best ride possible.
“We are always striving to be better,” Pye said. “We are very flattered and very grateful for the award.”
For more information on Bike Bros. and the products the store offers, visit bikebros.ca.
