Paul Davis | Photo Editor

Turning a passion into something tangible is much easier said than done — often the “what-ifs” or the questions of how to accomplish the goal in mind can block a person from seeing their idea fully through. However, those what if’s were overcome by the owners of The Bicycle Shop Monmouth, Graham Howard and Brendon Gallant.

Howard is a transplant from Michigan who moved to Oregon in 2010 while racing bicycles and  has lived in Salem ever since. Gallant was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and moved to Oregon to attend Willamette for undergraduate and graduate school.

“We met while racing in the local road racing circuit in 2010 and we have been friends since,” said Howard.

Not only did they stay friends over the years, but they also discussed how to manifest their love of biking into a potential reality.

“Me and Graham often talked about how can we translate our love for bikes into something real,” Howard said. “Something that can pay the bills.”

And The Bicycle Shop Monmouth has done exactly that: made a love of bikes into something valuable.

From bike chain lube to a new helmet, The Bicycle Shop Monmouth carries everything you could possibly need as a bike rider. And, if you’re not currently a rider, they could get you started with a new bike, ranging from one of their frankenbikes, a bike created from the components of multiple bikes to bring together one higher quality bike, to one of their top of the line racing bikes. But the product they are most excited about is their selection of E-bikes, which allow you to enjoy riding with the assist of an eco-friendly electric motor which means that you can get anywhere with little to no effort and no impact on the environment.

However, their most rewarding and favorite work comes in the form of restorations. One of their most recent projects was an old Merlin bike that was in disrepair, which they then transformed into a modern day high-end road bike with the look of a classic Fixie.

For anyone in search of a new bike The Bicycle Shop Monmouth on Main Street is open and ready for business. Howard and Gallant love to see their customers and help them find a new appreciation for something they hold near and dear to their heart: taking a good, long ride on a bike.

Contact the author at pfdavis14@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis