Cresco Bicycles to close

CRESCO - Cresco Bicycles has been a fixture in downtown Cresco for 15 years. Dave Puffer started the bike shop in 2007. Keith Wherry bought in as a partner in 2008; and Paul Lovell, in 2011.  The shop has been in its current location since 2013.

But come Oct. 1, 2022, Cresco Bicycles will close its doors for good. Partners Wherry and Lovell  (Puffer relocated and sold his interest in the business in 2011) said several things factored into the decision. 

“Since 2017, there’s been a steady decline in bike sales,” Lovell explained. “Young adults are not riding bikes like they used to. You’re more likely to find a 20- or 30-year-old on a UTV rather than a bicycle.”

“And then supply chain issues have been a problem, too,” Lovell went on. “We just can’t get parts. There’s some parts that you wait a year for.”

“Or more,” Wherry added, and they both chuckled ruefully.

Both men are dedicated bikers themselves and have no intention of curtailing their own riding any time soon. Both participated in this year’s RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) and fondly remember the 2017 RAGBRAI route with an overnight stop in Cresco. “Best business day we ever had,” Wherry said. “The shop was full, 12-14 hours.”

They also remember a specific Riceville Bike Rodeo that was so busy they burned up a bike pump by inflating so many tires in such a short time. Wherry and Perry Thomas inspected more than 125 bikes for 146 youth during that bicycle safety day; and by the time they were done, the bike pump was garbage bin bound.

While the sale and service of bicycles has always been Cresco Bicycles’ bread and butter, they also carried skateboards back in the day, and now have a section dedicated to snow shoes and cross country skis. “It’s something to do in the wintertime,” Wherry said. “Biking slows way down. Some will still ride – Paul and I ride during the winter time.”

They also, obviously, ride during the spring, summer and fall, and appreciate the number of great bike trails in the area. “There are excellent bike trails around here,” Wherry said. There’s the 20-mile long Prairie Farmer Trail that starts in Cresco and goes to Calmar. There’s also great trails in Lanesboro, Riceville and LeRoy.

“You could do a whole week’s vacation and never ride the same trail twice,” Wherry said.

As for which trail is the best? That’s a matter of personal taste. “They’re all different,” according to Wherry. 

“Some trails are hillier, some are longer. For a flat trail, the Prairie Farmer Trail is about as good as you’re going to get.” 

And now that Cresco Bicycles is closing, both men intend to do more biking, not less. When asked about their future plans, Wherry, who retired from Featherlite last year, said, “I’m retiring. Again. More biking and more spoiling of my grandchild.”

“I have no plans,” Lovell offered. “Fortunately I don’t have to be in a hurry to do anything. I don’t know … I may not do anything,” he said, laughing.

But regardless of what Wherry and Lovell will do once Cresco Bicycles’ doors are closed, the biking community will be lesser for the absence of this long-time staple of bike sales and service. Most customers are repeat customers who come from all over Northeast Iowa. 

“Being able to help people in need,” Lovell said in response to a question about what stands out in his memory of the bike shop. “Especially, a lot of times, out-of-town people who were surprised there was a big bike shop here. Surprised we had the parts to get them on the road.”

“We’ve just been here to promote bicycling and help people out. That’s what we do.” Wherry added.

Or, come Oct. 2nd, what they did. And the town of Cresco, and the biking community as a whole, will remember them for it.