March 28, 2024

Warm weather brings the return of cyclists, customers for Baxter business

Last week, as the weather warmed up, it signaled good news for Revolution Cycle, a motorcycle repair and fabrication shop located in Baxter.

Motorcyclists could be seen across Jasper County returning to the roadways as the temperature broke 50 F on Thursday and 60 F on Friday.

“We’ve had some die-hards out before,’ Todd England, co-owner of Revolution Cycle, said. “In February we had one day get up to about 45 (F) and one guy stopped into the shop then. These past few days have been the best of the year so far though.”

Lynae England, the other co-owner of Revolution Cycle, said there are still problems for cyclists despite the weather warming up.

“You have to be careful of the sand on the roads,” Lynae England said. “All the loose sand is dangerous for a rider … they can slide on it and fall. Until we get rain to wash it away, it can be very dangerous.

The shop owners also look forward to the return of bike nights in April. They said the weekly Wednesday event can draw in several hundred motorcyclists to the Baxter business district.

While the Baxter business looks forward to a boom of local business in the spring, they are hardly reliant upon it. The shop receives orders and shipments from around the country throughout the entire year.

“Sixty percent of our business is always coming in in boxes,” Todd England said. “We never have any problems with an ‘off-season’, but we love our local business once it warms up. With the people that actually come into the shop, we get to know them as friends as well as customers and once people know you and trust the work you do, they will always come back.”

The shop, which employs five people, was opened in Cedar Rapids in 1996. Todd England made the decision to relocate the business to Baxter, his hometown, in 2004 and has operated at that location since then.