Looking for a new hobby? Stop by at Tom's Pro Bike Shop

LANCASTER- With a 115 riders participating in the Tom’s Pro Bike Spring 50 Ride this year, the amount of money raised for the Town of Lancaster’s Heritage Trail was double compared to last year.

This annual ride started at Westwood Park and bicyclists can ride 25 miles or take on the full 50 miles. The event is in its 19th year and is held the Sunday after Mother’s Day. The $2,000 raised this year will be used toward the maintenance of the trail.

“I ride on it and it is a beautiful trail,” remarked Tom Lonzi, owner of Tom’s Pro Bike.” “I like to see that it is maintained and taken care of. It’s a great place for people to get off the road to ride or walk their dogs or anything else.”

Lonzi’s shop, located at 3687 Walden Ave., isn’t your typical bike shop; he offers a variety of high performance bikes and accessories for the first time cyclist, weekend enthusiast, pro cyclist, and riders of every fitness level.

“What’s kind of unique about us as a bike shop is we draw from a lot of areas,” said Lonzi. “We get people from the south towns, north towns, Rochester, and Syracuse. We’re a very unique shop. The reason we draw from a wide area is because we are known in the area to have the best service and we also stock a large amount of high-end bikes and accessories.”

Lonzi, who is an avid bicyclist, opened the doors to his Lancaster shop on Sept. 1, 1997, but originally he started his business on Delevan Avenue in the city in 1980.

“We’ve been around a long time,” commented Lonzi. “The neighborhood changed so we wanted to find a good location where we were centrally located.”

Lonzi added the bikes sold at the shop start out at around $500 and can go as high as $18,000. These bikes are high performance bikes, meaning they are lighter and roll easier. They are the same bikes they would use in the Tour De France.

“A lot of people say these bikes must be for bike races, but generally not, I mean they could use them for that, but most people are enthusiasts,” said Lonzi. “That’s their hobby. Rather than them playing golf or tennis, or boating that’s what they like to do.”

Lonzi added that Specialized is the shop’s No. 1 brand, but they also offer Litespeed, Fuji Bicycles, and Co-Motion Cycles, just to name a few.

When a customer comes into the shop, Lonzi said they will ask a number of questions such as what they expect out of the bike and what they plan on doing with it.

“We want to sell them the right bike so that it is going to meet their goals,” commented Lonzi.

Afterward, Lonzi, who is a certified bike fitter, along with two other workers at the shop, will fit the bike to the rider.

“So, when we look at somebody it is not just their height, but their body proportions,” remarked Lonzi. “It is kind of like if you had a custom dress made or custom made suit. The bike fits like a glove.”

The shop also offers repair services and accessories, including helmets, clothing for both men and women, and shoes for any cyclist.

A big part of what they do at the shop is educate new cyclists and teach them how to use their equipment properly. In fact, four to five times a year, the shop will hold a service clinic, which is opened to the public and free, that will address how to make minor adjustments to your bike, how to change a tire, and the overall care of the bike.

“We want people to use the equipment they have and make sure it works right,” commented Lonzi. “What I really like is when I see people that are just starting to ride and we work with them and we see them evolve into serious bike riders. Then it spreads the sport because they talk about it and get other people riding. So, our goal as a bike shop is to grow the sport of cycling.

Also, in mid-September the shop’s expansion project is scheduled to be completed. The shop which is currently 2,800 square feet will increase to almost 10,000 square feet.

Tom’s Pro Bike is opened from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday; closed Wednesday but will be opened on Wednesday’s in the spring; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and closed Sunday. To contact the shop call 651-9995 or visit www.tomsprobike.com.