Rick’s Bike Shop sold to Lendrum brothers, who operate North Country Subaru

By Zander Frost, Chronicle Staff

Rick Chiasson has sold Rick’s Bike Shop on the corner of Quaker and Ridge Roads in Queensbury to brothers Eric and Jared Lendrum, who also co-own the nearby North Country Subaru dealership that was started by their father Ken.

Rick was already on a vacation Monday when The Chronicle stopped by.

Eric said he, his brother and their father hatched the idea of their operating a bike shop idea 10 years ago. “The industry that we love the most when we’re not with our cars is — we’re bikers. My brother got me on a mountain bike 10 years ago, when my wife and I moved back into the area. And he immediately had me addicted. About a week later, I owned my first bike.”

He said he, Jared and their other brother David grew up racing “anything with handlebars or a steering wheel,” including BMX bikes. Eric says 30 years ago his father helped build the Tri-City BMX track, which still operates in Schenectady.

Eric says several years ago, “Rick was at the dealership for a routine service and needed a ride home…So my dad said, ‘Hey, come on, I’ll give you a ride.’

“So they jump in the car together. And he and Rick were just making small talk about…‘your sons are really going into stuff with the business.’ And he [Rick] basically said, ‘I really wish I had something more like that available to me. I don’t have that plan and am getting closer to my 60’s where I need a game plan.’

“And my dad says, ‘Well, you know, not for nothing, my sons would love to be involved in your bike business.’ And all of the sudden, the two of them had that, like, lightning bolt moment.”

“And so we just kind of talked hypothetically about it for fun with him for years. But Rick wanted to hit his 25th year milestone, and that was last fall.”

Eric says the transaction was complicated, especially during the pandemic, but they finished the purchase just in time for biking’s busy time of year.

But it comes amid an unprecedented global bike shortage. Eric says, “The demand is still intensely high…but we have some of these global things — raw materials, shipping logistics, the Suez Canal — all of which have had an impact on the industry. The back order logs reach these brands; it is like nothing they’ve ever seen since their beginnings.”

Jared says, “Bicycles are sold out worldwide, no matter what brand you’re talking about…We could show you right now. Well, there’s nothing to show you.”

How will the Lendrum brothers balance their time between the bike shop and the Subaru dealership?

“That’s a loaded question,” said Eric. “Because in the initial phase…I’m 90% here, but this hasn’t even been a week yet.”

He says, “We didn’t buy it and just sort of like, you know, brag that we own it, and then walk away and not do anything.

He said the Subaru dealership started by their father is “something we’ve been working tirelessly on for a decade. And we have a whole facility full of extremely talented and empowered people….

There’s certain things that will need to be signed and just double checked….And there’s certain things that I’m not going to pass the torch on, because I believe those to be my responsibilities heavily in marketing and you know, product planning, etc. But this week, when those things aren’t on calendar, I’m going to be here pretty much open and close every day….

“I live by that old saying — you’ve heard it before — but if you want something done, find the busiest guy in the room.”

At the bike shop, the brothers said they aim to keep a steady course. “Rick did good things,” Jared said. “He tried to make a positive mark on the community. So that’s why we’re leaving his name on here.

Copyright © 2021 Lone Oak Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved