Ride Boutique creates Ann Arbor-brand bicycles

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 | Source: Concentrate

Ann Arborites are proud of their against-the-grain reputation, not the least of which is an ability to embrace eco-friendly trends long before they're fashionable.

One local business plans to make a mint combining those two instincts – Ride Boutique. The custom-bicycle builder is teaming up with two major bicycle manufacturers to design a pair of Ann Arbor-centric bicycles that will be sold exclusively in Tree Town.

"We're trying to brand a bike with a community that really embraces the fact that it loves bicycling," says Chad Johnston, owner of Ride Boutique.

Ann Arbor has long been known as one of those places. The city is a leader in creating bike lanes and trails (it has built 43 miles so far) along with installing dozens of bike racks and lockers downtown. It even has its own plan for non-motorized transportation.

It's why Johnston set up shop just north of downtown two years ago. Ann Arbor just seemed like a great place for bike nerds like him. Yeah he lives in Fenton, but Johnston parks his car 10 miles outside of Tree Town and bikes in the rest of the way to work... year round. To him The Deuce is ripe to sell bikes at a few thousand dollars a pop.

Today the store has four people and 20 bikes on the floor. The Ann Arbor-brand bikes will take center stage within the next few weeks.

Ride Boutique's cycles will be custom designed by Massachusetts-based Seven Cycles, whose popular Axiom bike --called Axiom Ann Arbor-- will sell for $6,000. The second will be from Wisconsin-based Waterford Precision Cycles, selling at the more price conscious $1,500.

Both bikes will have a graphic montage of trees and water around the word "Ann Arbor," along with a number of racks and lights Johnston and his staff have noticed that Ann Arborites prefer.

"Just looking at the bike you know where it's from," Johnston says. "It's a bike you see people riding in Ann Arbor all of the time."

Source: Chad Johnston, owner of Ride Boutique
Writer: Jon Zemke