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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Bill's Bike Shop opens in new location, sells first bike

A view of the sales floor at Bill's Bike Shop, which opened today at Snake River Landing.
Bill's Bike Shop's, an Idaho Falls institution since 1947, sold its first bike at its new location this morning, a carbon-fiber Cannondale Stumpjumper mountain bike to Jeff Hobbs.

The new store is at 930 Pier View Drive in Snake River Landing. "(It's) what I've been envisioning all along," said Gary Wight, who bought the business from longtime owner Stan Murdock in 2010. With 10,000 square feet store the store features massive tri-level displays, a large classroom and an expanded service area equipped with the latest gear, to help the staff keep up with the massive amount of repair work they do.

The future of the store on South Holmes Avenue, where Bill's has been since 1987, remains uncertain. The current lease goes through August, and they are using it as a warehouse and a place to build bikes.

Wight said that when it came to finding a bike-friendly location, Snake River Landing, with its miles of paved trails and access to the Idaho Falls Greenbelt, presented itself as an ideal place. "I wanted to be where it was bicycle friendly," he said.

The date for a grand opening will be announced later. To find out more about the business, visit the Web page at: http://www.billsbike.com/. On Facebook, they can be found at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bills-Bike-Shop/231427136940710.
Bill's Bike Shop owner Gary Wight in his new office.