8 Great Places You Can Still Get You Gear Fix(ed)
Bars and restaurants may be closed, ski lifts shut down, sports and outdoor recreation events canceled and many businesses around the state locked-up for now. But not everything is closed.
But while bike and gear shops may have closed their doors to regular traffic, many around the state can still help you shop for gear, buy a bike, do repairs and offer curb-side pick-up. Here’s how some of our partner shops from around the state are operating and the safety and disinfectant precautions they are taking for both customers and employees.
Please consider working with these locally-owned businesses before buying online from a chain retailer.
Earl’s Cyclery & Fitness, Williston
Starting Wednesday, March 18, 2020 – Earl’s will be limiting its operating hours from 12:00-4:00. We want to serve our local community while maintaining a safe place for our customers, our employees, and their families. We are offering Curb Side Pick Up and Drop Off Services. To organize a pick-up or drop off of your bike, please email service@earlsbikes.com or call 802-864-9197. We will get in touch with you as quick as possible, we appreciate your understanding and patience in this process. If you currently have a bike with our Service Department, we will be working with limited staff from 12:00pm – 4:00pm (Monday through Sunday) to complete those repairs pending shipments of special order parts. Our staff will be implementing an increased protocol for cleaning and sanitizing all products that customers may be picking up. We encourage our customers to bring their own helmets to test ride bikes. All of our test ride helmets will be disinfected after each use.
Outdoor Gear Exchange, Burlington, VT
Due to Vermont’s March 25 Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order, OGE has been given no choice but to fully shut down our operations for at least three weeks—this includes all retail, online, and service operations. We are committed to supporting Vermont and the nation in the collective effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, and we will reopen only when it is allowable and safe for our staff.
It saddens us to not be able to serve our customers in this troubling time, but feel confident that we will all be working together again soon. If you were forwarded this email, or know someone that who wants to stay up-to-date with us, please use and share this link and sign up for our newsletter to receive status updates and notifications about our eventual reopening.
In the meantime, please feel free to browse our site—we will be accepting and processing Discounted Gift Card orders during our closure, but unfortunately you will not be able to check out with any gear in your cart
Visit gearx.com for updates.
Onion River Outdoors, Montpelier, VT
After reading the science of how COVID-19 spreads, we have come to the conclusion that we must close the shop for the time being, for the sake of our staff and our community. Encouraging people to congregate in our shop feels irresponsible at this time, no matter what preventive measures we adopt. Effective Monday, 3/16, Onion River Outdoors will suspend normal business hours. We encourage everyone to stay home as much as possible, and to read about how to prevent the further spread of this virus. We don’t make this decision lightly, as everyday we are closed hurts our business and our staff’s livelihood. We also understand that in this time of spring weather and social isolation, many of us need outdoor activity to stay grounded and healthy. We would like to help as much as we are able, and we welcome your continued patronage more than ever. We can schedule bike service by email, and figure out a way to get you outfitted while maintaining social distance. Please email us at outdoors@onionriver.com to discuss bike and gear pick-up and drop-off options. Keep active, keep healthy, and keep in touch.
SKIRACK, Patagonia Burlington, and Vermont Trailwear, Burlington, VT
In order to do our part in keeping our staff and community safe, we remain available to you via phone and online! In practicing social distancing, we are closing our doors 3/17/2020 for general walk-in traffic.
After, Friday, 3/20 at 5PM, we are suspending curbside drop-off to complete all current work we have already taken in. Anything dropped off 3/20 will be disinfected and quarantined for 72 hours prior to being worked on. We are continuing to find creative solutions to serve you safely. As always, we will reach out to you when your gear is ready.
If you have arrived at the store, give us a call to see if we can customize an experience for you while maintaining safety parameters. 3/17/2020 our phones are on from 10AM-5PM at Skirack 802-658-3313 and Patagonia Burlington 802-923-2910 (not at Vermont Trailwear).
You can shop with us online 24/ at www.skirack.com and www.patagoniaburlington.com. We are also currently offering free shipping in Vermont and Northeast New York! Please give us a call when you arrive or to set up a customized time for you to pick up the gear you need! Give us a call to set up a time for your bike that needs service. We are more than happy to get you set up with your favorite pair of running shoes and accept payment over the phone or online. Give us a call so we can customize an experience for you!
The Mountain Goat, Manchester, VT
As a family-owned company, the importance of the health and well-being of our employees, customers and the greater community cannot be understated. Until further notice, the store will be staffed for shoppers with specific needs on the days listed below. Our door will be closed, but we will offer limited customer service in the store on these days, as well as free shipping on phone orders or curb-side pick-up. Please call for assistance. Thank you for your understanding and your continued support! Friday-Monday from 10am-4pm. The Mountain Goat Crew. 802.362.5159
West Hill Shop, Putney, VT
Make an appointment first. You can either call 387-5718 or email David, to discuss your bike’s needs and to schedule service.
Curbside drop Off. On the scheduled date of service, bring your bike to the shop and call from the parking lot, or knock on the door, to let our staff know you are outside and ready to drop off. One of us will come outside to retrieve your bike. You can further discuss the work at that time outside on the porch or over the phone. There is a bike rack outside for your convenience.
Keeping it clean. When work is done on your bike, our mechanics will wear nitril gloves (a new pair per bike). At the completion of the service, the common touch points on the bike (handlebars, controls, saddle, hubs, frame) will be sanitized and the bike stored for pick up.
Payment. You will be called or emailed when the work is completed. Ideally, we’d like to take payment over the phone. This way we avoid handling credit cards.
Curbside pick up. Let us know what day you are coming. Call us when you are outside and our staff will bring your bike to the bike rack for pick-up. We can also take payment then, while you wait outside.
6 foot rule. We ask that you join us in practicing “social distancing” at all times for all interactions. This means maintaining a minimum of a 6 foot distance between us.
Shop our website, please. During this period of social distancing, we encourage you go to our website where you will find most of our in-store inventory to purchase through our secure shopping cart (filter for “In Stock” to see what we have here). Our website is also a portal to loads of product available from many of our suppliers that we don’t stock (filter for “In Warehouse” when searching). Those “In Warehouse” items will be placed on our next re-stocking order. You can select for curbside pick up or we can ship it to you. It’s really easy, convenient, and supports us during this shaky time.
Need help with shopping? We’d love to help you over the phone to shop our website, or pick out something from our shelves. Just give us a call – 387-5718. Our team is ready and waiting to give you advice, narrow down your choices, and answer your questions.
Shopping for a bike. Our website is a good place to start. By filtering your search for “In Stock” Gravel Bikes for example, you will be able to look through our entire in-store gravel bike inventory. An “In Warehouse” Mountain Bikes selection will take you to all the mountain bikes available to order from all our suppliers. If you don’t know what model or size bike is best for you, give us a call and we will advise you. Bike test rides and bike fitting appointments are on hold for now. Stay tuned.
