BioWheels Asheville has ‘Raised the Bar.’

February 6, 2008 on 6:14 pm | In Growth | No Comments

BioWheels opened the doors before the building was actually complete. (We were closed only 2 days during the move!). We are still preparing to have a blow-out grand-opening party this Spring. There is still touch-up painting, small carpentry projects to complete before we will call it done. Fortunately, customers have kept us so busy that we have not had the time. And yes, we are still saving up for some fancy signs.

Moving forward, our building and all hot water will be heated by the power of the sun through our newly installed solar hot water panels. Incidentally, the efficiency of our building kept even our highest summer electrical bills low (especially compared to our 76 Biltmore address). Next to air conditioning, heating of space & heating of water are typically the top two utility expenses. After we have one year of billing, we plan to publish our energy audit on this website.

Since our relocation, our sales have grown and our staff has changed. Both Nate & Lela have moved on. Lela will still lead road rides, and Nate is on the BioWheels-sponsored Industry 9 Pro Road Team. Their departure was timed perfectly the arrival of Andy Grabowski. Andy has been a long-time friend of BioWheels. Born & raised in Asheville, Andy has been in the bike industry since his first W2 form. He is an incredible mechanic, and also brings tremendous product knowledge to BioWheels family. “These guys have it going on, and I want to be part of it” stated Andy.

In the Service Department, we have sold off many our older tools and replaced them with fresh ones. We have also replaced our mineral spirits parts cleaner (a varitable fire bomb) with a microbial system, so the formerly filthy underbelly of our service department is now a warm soapy tub that uses the greenest cleaning technology on the planet. Our workbenches are 100% recycled newpapers and our countertops are 100% sunflower husks - both are held together with soy-esthers.

Our bike vendors - Scott, Cannondale, Bianchi, Jamis, Cervelo, Ellsworth, Breezer, Maverick, Independant Fabrications, Swobo, Niner, Spot & Schwinn - have all given us the big ‘attaboy’ for our eco-efforts.

Thanks to all of you BioWheels customers who ‘get it’! You understand that BioWheels reinvests your purchases into our entire community, not just our personal retirement, and that we are eco-conscious with our buying decisions.
Follow this final picture to a slideshow of Winter ‘08 store shots.