When The Spin Cycle in Cary closed earlier this year one of the many things that ran through my head — after bumming about losing a great neighborhood store and a great supporter of the Triangle cycling community and hoping the staff would land well elsewhere — was, "Who on Earth will be able to remedy my attempts to fix my own bikes as well as Matt Lodder?"
Cycle surgeon Matt Loder working out of a field hospital during his Spin Cycle days.
Dating back to the mid-1990s, Matt has been fixing my mistakes with unwavering politeness and efficiency. "Here's the problem," Matt would say without hint of judgement. "You put the derailleur on upside down. Anybody could have done it."
Probably not anybody. But it was nice of him to say. So I was especially pleased to hear that Matt will once again be able to keep my bikes rolling despite my best efforts. Monday, he opened his new shop, The Cycle Surgeon. You can find out more about his operation at carycyclesurgeon.com, by emailing him at carycyclesurgeon@gmail.com or by buzzing him at 819-1060. He'll also have a physical location; more on that to come.
Meanwhile, here's a quick interview with Matt:
What made you decide to go out on your own?
I have always thought of having my own business, I got my entrepreneurial spirit from my father. I worked for a leading bike shop for 13 years and learned a lot. When The Spin Cycle closed, I had to decide what to do next. What pushed me into action were all the customers/friends who asked me where I was going to be working next so they could still use my services. I never realized so many people trusted me to help them. I decided this would be a good opportunity for me to start my own business. In this economy, relying on myself seems to be the best bet. I figure that if a business can survive now, it should do well when times do get better.
Speaking from personal experience, you're very tolerant of helping aspiring self-made bike mechanics clean up their messes. Will you be conducting any classes/clinics to help people do anything from basic maintenance to pulling their bottom bracket?
I will be offering classes similar to what I taught at The Spin Cycle. The classes will teach people to be able to do various levels of maintenance/repair on their own bikes. They will range from flat tire repair and basic maintenance to a full bike overhaul. (Check out his Web site for details.)
How is it being on your own after working for The Spin Cycle for — how many years were you there? Have there been any surprises so far?
I was fortunate to be able to work at The Spin Cycle for 13 years. Setting up my own business has been fairly time consuming, there are a lot of details to work out. I have been very busy getting licenses/permits, insurance, merchant services, etc. I can’t wait to get all this set up completed so I can start working with customers again.
As a wrench you see all sorts of bike issues. What's the one common problem you see that could be easily avoided? That is, the one problem people come to you with that could have easily been avoided if only they'd done X?
The most common problem would be people using the wrong tool when trying to fix their own bikes. They use whatever tool might be lying around the house and this can cause problems because modern bikes tend to require very specific tools. Another thing that can get people into trouble is assuming bikes are simple. For the most part they are, but people can get into trouble in a hurry when dealing with high performance wheels and carbon fiber components. The number one thing that people can do is ask questions. One thing I tried to do at The Spin Cycle was to answer customer questions and I will continue to do that as The Cycle Surgeon. By asking questions you can understand limitations and save yourself from potential problems.
