Cykel Shop Owner Pursues Bike Passion

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Cykel Shop Owner Pursues Bike Passion
Gib Turner displaying his bikes inside his and his fiancees’ Cykel Shop. Courtesy | Gib Turner

Gib Turner has died three times. After flatlining thrice during a minor operation, he realized that doing what he loves most is paramount. 

“Life is short. Do what you want and be happy. That’s why I own a bike shop,” Turner said.

In April, Turner opened the Cykel Shop, a full-service bike shop in downtown Coldwater that services and sells mountain, fat-tire, cruiser, road, and BMX bikes. He loves swapping stories with his customers. This is his. 

The son of an Army general, Turner was born in North Carolina and grew up on military bases around the world, spending about four years in Turkey during his childhood. Despite his international upbringing, he can’t kick his southern roots. 

“When I have a couple beers, my southern accent comes out,” he said. 

Turner completed his undergraduate studies at Ferris State University and earned a Master of Public Administration degree at the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University. During his roughly two-decade career in public administration, he worked in economic and community development throughout Michigan.

Craving a change of scenery, in 2009 Turner moved to Polson, Montana, where he managed a $20 million loan portfolio and consulted Flathead Indian entrepreneurs on how to attract startup capital for their businesses. One of his most memorable advisees was the creator of Silent Thunder Buffalo Jerky.

“It was fun. I learned a lot out there,” he said. 

Four years later, he returned to the Midwest, moving to Coldwater to be near his parents. He kept himself busy helping his parents manage their 40-acre wooded property, but soon found that semi-retirement didn’t suit him.

In 2015, Turner began working as a bicycle repairman at the Dally Tire Company. A lifelong bike enthusiast, he worked on bikes in his youth and raced for a bike shop in Big Rapids while studying at Ferris State University. He commuted on bike and worked in bike shops while he earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees, so taking a job at the Dally Tire Company was a natural fit.

Established in 1968 as an expansion of the Dally Tire Company, the bike shop has grown into a standalone business. Early this year, Craig Dally, owner of the Dally Tire Company and son of its founders, sold the bike shop to free up time to manage the company’s automotive department. He offered to sell the shop to Turner, who accepted.

In June 2019, Turner and his fiancee, Jessica Olson, reopened the shop as the Cykel Shop.

Turner rearranged the shop, hanging bikes from a ceiling mount to increase floor space, and expanded its offerings. He added Kona and Trek bike lines and a variety of bike accessories and gear, such as gloves, helmets, bottle cages, bike computers, bags, and lights from top brands. Turner prioritizes local brands, and is proud to offer bikes from Otso and bike parts from Wolf Tooth, both Minneapolis-based companies. 

In addition to regional brands, Cykel Shop also offers a variety of specialty products, including Fi’zi:k shoes and handlebar tape, Osprey backpacks, Thule bike baskets, Swiftwick socks, and Hammer Nutrition endurance fuels. The Cykel Shop carries Kona, Trek, Electra, Gunnar, Surly, and Otso bikes in a variety of colors, sizes, and models.

“I’m always looking for cool new products,” he said.  

Dally, whose mother had the idea to open a bike shop, is confident that the shop is in good hands. 

“Gib has a great personality. He’ll do a terrific job over there,” he said. “The bike shop is his baby.” 

Turner services all makes and models of bikes, and does his best to coax them to tip-top shape no matter the condition they’re in.

Jim Borden, a sales and marketing manager at Real Estate Elite Team and avid cyclist said he appreciates Turner’s thorough work. 

“Gib gets things done fast when you need them,” he said. “He gets anything you need.” 

Although he has advised dozens of small-business owners, Turner never planned to become one himself. But he has come to enjoy business ownership, relishing the autonomy and daily challenges it brings him.

“When I wake up in the morning, I don’t dread coming to work,” he said. “People are in a good mood when they come in. They’re looking to buy fun.” 

The Cykel Shop keeps Turner busy, but he still makes time for travel, a lifelong passion of his. He spent a year in Finland as a high school exchange student, and during college jetted to England for four-day weekend trips whenever he could score an airfare deal. In 2004, he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with his father and brother, and since then has returned to Africa for safari and hunting trips. 

“Now, with two dogs, I’m a little more tied down,” he said, explaining that he and Olson try to travel internationally every few years and hope to visit Asia soon.

Once, while on safari in Africa, he spied a man at a rest stop with a broken bike. The man did not speak English, but through a translator he and Turner agreed that Turner could fix his bike. 

“You meet very interesting people from all over that you never would have met if not through biking,” he said. 

This is one of the many stories he gets to share. And for Turner, the best part of owning a bike shop is sharing conversation with customers. 

“Come in and hang out.” he said.