I guess I will break this down into two separate parts, the first being the business end of the explanation and the second being more of a somewhat loquacious personal elegy to the industry I have loved for a long time.

Beginning with the business.

2025 has been disastrous for many small businesses, no industry has been excepted from its torment… Wine mongers, patio furniture peddlers, and bike shop barons alike.  There are many “T” words that can be held in contempt and disdain this year, but only one that can be spoken of with certainty and clarity.  Truth.

The state of the economy and the conditions of doing business this year have led to me believe that it is untenable and unsustainable to continue to do business in the way that I have been up to now.  Four years in business for myself and nearly 30 years in the bike industry have given me a pretty good gut about how things tick in this particular corner of the timepiece that is the capitalist clock.

The time is now for me to change my business model for good. Due to slipping margins, market volatility, and increased consumer interest in E-bikes, I am choosing to stop selling bicycles and carrying the basic repair inventory that I currently have.  Everything that is currently in stock will be on clearance from now until the end of the year.  I have 10 bicycles left to liquidate and a handful of tires, tubes, and sundry accessories.

I will be exiting retail sales in the interest of focusing on custom frame building, frame repair, and frame modification.  I will be closing the Lipan Street location and focusing on finding a shop-specific space that allows me to save money and develop the part of my business that brings me the most joy and potential future to be content with my work in the bike industry.  In closing the Lipan Street shop, I will also be taking myself off the market for traditional repairs and bicycle maintenance.

It’s a hard move to make after four years of developing relationships with all of my clients and creating a wonderful community of cyclists here in the Denver area. It is a decision that comes with a great deal of gravity and from copious contemplative consideration.  I need to double down on what it is that I find challenging and fulfilling, as well as what could be the most emotionally lucrative way for me to spend my time.  The reality is, selling bikes is a zero-sum game and repairs are too time consuming to allow me to anchor my attention to the core of my fervor. 

Thank you to everyone for all of the support and business over the last four years, and I hope that someday I get to build every one of you the custom bicycle of your dreams.  At the very least, I hope each and every one of you will be able to keep watch over the new direction of Baker Bicycle Works and celebrate its progress with me.  Website, email, and phone number will continue to be maintained and updated.