Cranked

A love of cycling spins into a successful business

Airdrie’s Nick Lynem got his first mountain bike when he was in Grade 7. That bike ignited a passion for cycling that has spawned two businesses and an international mountain bike racing career.

“We were a pretty active biking family, so we did a lot of biking out in the mountains,” says Lynem, who grew up in Calgary. “One of my first trails was Pocaterra in Kananaskis, and then Goat Creek Trail from Canmore to Banff.”

A natural racer, Lynem was always way out in front of the family. His dad recognized this and entered him in a beginner race at Calgary’s Blackfoot Park. Lynem won by a long shot and began to race competitively. In 1996 he placed second in the Canada Cup cross-country mountain bike class.

After finishing business school at Grant MacEwan in Edmonton, Lynem opened up Bike Pedlars in Cochrane in 1998 and ran it for twoand-a-half years, while continuing to develop his cycling.

“I really enjoy being out in the wilderness riding with groups of people,” he says. “It’s a good social sport, and I like the challenge of climbing long hills and doing long distances. It’s a great way to stay in shape.”

In 2001 he moved to Las Vegas to focus more on his training, taking advantage of the consistently good weather of the Nevada desert. He raced for three-and-a-half years on the Mountain Bike World Cup series for the Gary Fisher and Giant teams.

After limited success on the World Cup circuit, Lynem stepped back from competition and started looking for a place to set up another bike shop. Drawing on his business school education, he studied the market and demographics and settled on Airdrie. The city’s young and growing population made it a good fit for the business.

The bike store, Cranked, opened in Luxstone seven years ago and moved into a larger space in Stonegate last August.

Now well established in the community, Lynem is an advocate for cycling in Airdrie and he would like to see the City finish connecting the pathways system, as well as incorporating separate bike lanes into major public roadways. “It’s hard to bike on the streets with large trucks around,” he says.

Outside of the city, he likes to take his road bike from Airdrie to Cochrane through the Bearspaw area. “Burma Road is my favourite,” he says.

For those interested in seeing their community from a different perspective, Lynem hosts a riding club with members of all skill levels who bike around Airdrie on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and sometimes on Sundays.

For beginners, he recommends starting out with a bike appropriate for what they’re going to be doing. “If you’re going to start road riding, definitely start on a road bike,” he says, “and then go talk to your local bike store owner about the best trails.”

A bicycle doesn’t burn gas, provides free exercise and doesn’t get stuck in traffic. What a great way to enjoy the summer! life

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