Life and Times of Pure Cycle - Chapter 1

An inside look at the life of a bike shop owner! Follow along as we accompany a bike industry lifer through a bike season full of riding, selling and living bikes.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Erik Larson. Many know me as Big E or E and some call me Larson or “guy” or “dude” or “bro” or one of the hundred other options available. I am a bike shop owner. Many people ask me what started me out or how I ended up owning a bike shop. The honest answer is a cheesy “love of the game” type answer. So to really give the background, we need to take the DeLorean up to 88mph and travel back in time.

Story inside,
In 1985, when I was ten I bought my first mountain bike. 10 speeds, no suspension, no index shifting, you get the idea. It was basic but it was a life changer. Up until that time, BMX bikes were what any self respecting young man handled his business on but this mountain bike thing was not to be denied. It took a couple more years before I fully realized what you could do and where you could go on a mountain bike but by then I was more than hooked on riding dirt, it was a way of life

Fast forward to 1993, out on a training ride with friends and we come across a bike shop being built near our local riding area. Once it opened we were in there more than we were home and I eventually took a part time job there. Having taken some basic mechanic lessons at another shop the year previous, I was keen to be an official bike mechanic! Well easier said then done. There is a big difference between fixing your own bike and being paid to fix a customer's bike. There was much to learn, but as far as I was concerned, this was the life. Fixing bikes, selling bikes, talking about bikes and best of all riding bikes any time I was not at the shop.

The years rolled on filled with racing, riding, and bike shop life. Along the way to being a bike shop owner I also did a couple of side trips into the world of bike distribution and even helped start a small bike brand(more on this later in another chapter). One thing never changed all the while as the years flew by, and that was the addiction to bikes. Not simply riding but the whole world of bikes and the people who rode along side me in it.

Fall of 2004 and I find myself sitting in a restaurant in Toronto. I am at the Canadian bike trade show. Sitting with me in the booth of this fine eatery is Derek Lee the owner of Calgary Cycle and a couple of other bike industry lifers and good friends. The talk turns to the prospect of a bike shop opening up in Calgary’s deep south. One thing leads to another and Derek and I decide it should be us that opens this bike shop. From there the ball just kept rolling. I took a job at Calgary Cycle in 2005 and we worked like madmen to get our new project “Pure Cycle” ready for launch in 2006. Bringing our skills and belief in customer service to the new spot had us all pretty fired up!


March 3, 2006 the doors of Pure Cycle open and before I know it I am now a bike shop owner. In and amongst the chaos of being a bike shop owner I also became a father and I am getting a even deeper appreciation for the saying “nose to grindstone”. Now the secret or not so secret agenda of all bikers is to lay down as many miles on the trails as possible and I am no different. Finding the time to use the awesome bikes that we sell is always a challenge, but it is the main reason why it all started in the first place.

Late February 2010. Working on multiple shop related projects and praying for bike season to hit so we can quit jonesing for riding and get off the indoor trainer. I have watched every mountain bike vid about 227 times this winter. My downhill bike is sitting in the shop and it is angered by lack of use. Hopefully soon it will be appeased by an early trip to Swansea for some shuttle missions. During one of our brainstorming sessions someone suggests it would be cool to write an ongoing story about bike shop owner life for Pinkbike. Some phone calls and texts later, the project is a go.

March 2010. Starting bike season number five at Pure and the gong show is as crazy as ever. Trying to get our March Madness Spring Sale primed up and ready is taking a lot longer than I want and I am also trying to take advantage of our nice weather. I have committed to a Moab trip with some very fit riding friends during the first week of May and I am working hard to have some fitness for the trip. I just put together a 2010 Trek Remedy 8 with a few juicy bits added in and the first few rides while pretty short and basic have left me with some serious love for this bike. I am very pumped to get on some trails with this bad boy. Check it...


Stay tuned to this space for stories, photos, videos and more on the life of a bike shop owner. You can always visit www.purecycle.ca or Facebook or follow along on Twitter to see what we’re up to.