Hello Family Cyclists!
- Posted on
- By Liz Kemp
This is text from our very first newsletter.
Hello Family Cyclists!
Thank you for supporting Bishop's Family Cycles! We are excited to be days away from opening our doors and realizing a dream that started years ago.
Meet the Crew
Hello! We're Liz and Robert Kemp, avid family cyclists and proud parents to Hazel, Edie, and Bishop, whom we affectionately (and aptly) call Bash. The idea for a truly family-focused bike shop has been germinating in our minds for several years, but with fulfilling careers already (Liz in the cultural arts and Rob in outdoor adventure) and the normal demands of a young family, this dream was put on the backburner. It wasn’t until the too-early arrival of our youngest child that we, unexpectedly, found ourselves with a chance to really consider how to do it. As is often the case, one of the most stressful times in our lives gave us clarity for the future of our family, and long nights in the NICU gave us the time to finally formulate a plan. Fast-forward a few years, we are grateful to have a healthy, happy two-year-old, and are about to open his namesake shop, Bishop's Family Cycles.
Our Cycling Story
Transplants from central Ontario (Liz) and the U.S. (Rob), we’ve proudly called the west coast of Canada home for 18 years, the last eight of those in Victoria. We love all that this city has to offer - the sense of community, the culture, the natural beauty, and--OF COURSE!--the cycling scene. Supported by the city’s legendary bike shops, a community of cyclists has advocated for and influenced one of the best cycling networks in Canada, with great things still to come. We started cycling the city’s trails with Hazel fast asleep in her front-mount baby seat. With the arrival of Edie, we upgraded to a longtail cargo bike conversion kit, and eventually a proper longtail e-bike with a hooptie. The newest addition to our pedal-power collection is the shop’s demo Triobike Boxter; a three-wheeled cargo bike that can fit all three kids with room to spare. While Rob will throw all three kids (and the dog! and a Christmas tree!) on anything, Liz is still building her two-wheeled confidence but she loves the stability of the Boxter and can’t wait to test out all the other great cargo bikes coming into the shop.
Our Vision for the Shop
Reducing your carbon footprint has never been so fun! Bishop’s Family Cycles is a family-friendly bike shop focused on encouraging and assisting families of all makes, sizes, and experience levels to get out cycling. Expert or neophyte, confident or cautious, we want to help every rider find the right bike for them. Bishop’s carries a wide assortment of family bikes (children’s, e-bike, cargo, bucket, longtail bikes), as well as helmets, safety and high-visibility clothing, and other accessories to make family biking safe and easy.
The Gear
What’s a great bike shop without great gear? Here’s a small sample of some of the amazing products we’ll be sourcing and stocking:
- Xtracycle Swoop and the new RFA Sport and Utility models - these family bikes were invented to carry kids and cargo and are built to last.
- Butchers & Bicycles MK1-E - winner of the 2020 Danish design award, these sleek box bikes are safe and easy to ride with car-like comfort for your passengers (so much nicer than our car and definitely a more fun ride for little ones!)
- Winther cargo bikes - A family-run business since 1932, Winther bikes are handmade in Denmark and are considered the quintessential Dutch box bike.
- Black Iron Horse bikes - these cargo bikes could not be more environmentally friendly (and cool looking).
This doesn’t even touch on all the kids brands we’re bringing in! Cleary, Prevelo, and Fuji bikes will be on the floor over the next month as well as trailers and bike seats from Thule, Qibbel and Bobike. Also, these awesome gloves! Let's get excited for cycling season!
Opening?!
That’s right! We are on track to open within the next week! It won’t be perfect…and we are in a pandemic...so let’s consider this a very soft opening. But we look forward to seeing you in person officially (with COVID protocols in place, naturally) as of 10am on Wednesday, Feb 24th.
Not quite ready to shop in person? Not a problem! Give us a call, send us an email, or check out our (work-in-progress) website. You can also check us out on Instagram @Bishopsfamilycycles where we'll post about the new products coming in everyday. And speaking of, what are you looking for? Let us know the gear you've been wanting to try or have had a hard time finding, we'll do our best to source it for you.
Grab your favourite mask, come say hi and let us help you discover the love of family biking in Victoria. We truly believe that if your family doesn’t love cycling, you just haven’t found the right bike yet. We can’t wait to get this show on the road, or rather, these bikes on the trail!
Liz & Robert Kemp, Bishop’s Family Cycles
730 Pandora Ave
1-778-600-0878
[email protected]
Mon - Tues : by appt. only
Wed - Fri : 10am - 7pm
Sat - Sun : 9am - 5pm
***closed weekdays from 2:30-3:30 for school pick up***
COVID PROTOCOLS
- masks are required inside the shop, and in all areas of the Jawl building
- maximum 10 customers in the store at a time (or two family bubbles)
- customers must maintain 2M of distance from each other both while in the shop and if waiting outside
- all commonly touched surfaces will be sanitized between customers
- hand sanitizer will be provided and is to be used by customers upon entry
- if you are feeling unwell or have been in contact with someone who has COVID please wait to visit us.