Big Tree Bikes comes to Wallingford

When it rains, it pours. After years of no bike shop at all in Wallingford (anyone remember Bike Smith on 45th St? All that’s left is an orphaned web site), Wallingford now has two, count them, TWO bike shops.

A few months back, Speedy Reedy pedaled about 100′ west across Stone Way, thus crossing over from Fremont into Wallingford (and leaving space for the fantastic Solsticio coffee shop to put down roots in its place). Now, Big Tree Bikes has taken up residence on Stone Way, just above 40th next to the Stone Soup Theater.

We locked up on the rack outside this past evening and poked our heads in to get the scoop.

Owners Zeb Tingey and Jerry Knight had been working for years for Simon Lawton at Fluid Ride, the bike shop just west of Recycled Cycles down on Boat St in the U District. In addition to running the shop, though, Simon also organized races and taught, and the demands of all the responsibilities was leaving him with little time for biking, which is what he loved.

So he sold the shop to Zeb and Jerry and promptly disappeared onto the trails for some well-earned two wheel time.

Zeb and Jerry realized that they were pretty hidden down on Boat St and, we’d like to think, realized what a fantastic neighborhood Wallingford is, so they packed up shop and moved, renaming the store along the way.

And Big Tree Bikes was born.

They specialize in high end mountain bikes, from dirt jump to trials, cross country to downhill, but, they were quick to point out, they’re do sell commuter bikes, as well, and are happy to service any type of bike with quick turnaround times and reasonable prices.

They said folks in the neighborhood have been real friendly, popping in to welcome them the neighborhood. Don’t be shy, pedal over and say hi.