Gus’ Bike Shop in Hampton will celebrate its 50th birthday next year. Its founder, Gus Van Cauwenberg, was a bike racer from Belgium who was active before World War II.
As a local neighborhood bike shop, Gus’ sells kids’ bikes, high end racing bikes and everything in-between. It is a dealer for Felt, Raleigh and Parlee (stock and custom bikes). Gus’ also sells electric bikes by Izip, Haibike and Diamond Back. Gus’ provides full- service bike repair for all makes and models. A full line of bicycle accessories, as well as a men’s and women’s department, is available on site and online. Gus’ offers bike fitting so riders will become more comfortable and meet their cycling goals. The store provides a variety of group rides. Its Thursday night Gus’ Gals ride is one of the biggest women’s group rides in the country and was listed as one of the top 100 shop rides by “Bicycling Magazine.”
Supporting the bike community is a big focus at Gus’. It is a strong voice advocating for bike infrastructure and Jeff Latimer, Gus’s owner, is very involved in making biking better in the Seacoast and New Hampshire in general. He served on the SABR (Seacoast Area Bicycle Riders) Board of Directors and the NH Dept. of Transportation Complete Streets Committee. Jeff is currently the President of Granite State Rail Trails and is a member of the Rails to Trails Coalition.
Jeff fell in love with cycling in college and says, “It’s a great way to exercise. Nothing is better than riding down the road with someone and getting to know them from the seat of a bike!” Jeff enjoys seeing people in the shop get excited about biking.
Gus’ is a partner in Bicycle Benefits, a national program that promotes bike riding. Participating businesses offer a discount to arriving bike riders who show a program sticker on their bike helmet. Gus’ offers 10% off all accessories, clothing and parts when you shop by bike and ride in with your Bicycle Benefits sticker on your helmet. Stickers are available for purchase at Gus’. “It’s a great program”, comments Jeff. “It shows the economic impact bicycling brings to a community and encourages people to recognize bicycling as transportation.”
Gus’ has also been recognized as one of “America’s Best Bike Shops” for the past ten years.
Please visit Gus’ Bike Shop at www.gusbike.com for more information.