Each July, local bike shops join in our annual Bike Shop Challenge to see who can bring the biggest boost to our advocacy by recruiting new and renewing members to the SF Bicycle Coalition. The prize? An opportunity to be the official wrenchers at New Belgium’s Tour de Fat in Golden Gate Park, just this past weekend!

Eleven shops joined in the competition this year, and Avenue Cyclery took home the grand prize by signing up more than 30 new and renewing SF Bicycle Coalition members. (In case you missed the Bike Shop Challenge: Don’t worry. We’re still accepting new and renewing memberships to support our work for safer streets.)

We caught up with Avenue Cyclery to find out more about their shop, which opened in 1973, making it the second oldest bike shop in San Francisco. Located at 756 Stanyan St., Avenue Cyclery is at the intersection of the Inner Sunset, the Haight and Cole Valley, serving not just those neighborhoods, but also folks rolling through on their way to Golden Gate Park and points beyond.

Avenue Cyclery prides themselves on providing a welcoming atmosphere, serving everyone from part-time commuters to bike messengers. “If you ride a bike, you are welcome here,” Brian Benson, the General Manager at Avenue Cyclery, recently told your SF Bicycle Coalition. “We focus on customer service, and our edu- cated staff knows how to listen to customers’ needs. We work hard to point folks in exactly the right direction, whether they need a new bike, an accessory or just a repair.

“We also give free, lifetime gear and brake adjustments to any- one who buys a new bike from us,” he told us.

One of the ways that they seek to serve all types of people who bike is by hiring every type of person who bikes. “Everyone on our team is a rider,” Brian mentioned. “They love bikes and share a combined bicycle experience of cyclo-cross, mountain, BMX free- style, road, urban and fixie.”

Much like your SF Bicycle Coalition, Avenue Cyclery wants to see their work reflected in improving the world, bit by bit, telling us: “Being in the bicycle business, we truly believe that we have a social responsibility to make the world a healthier and happier place through bikes. The more people we get on bikes, the better San Francisco and the world will be.”

That shared mission makes for a beautiful partnership. Asked why Avenue Cyclery teams up with your SF Bicycle Coalition, Brian said, “We wholeheartedly support the all-encompassing advocacy work that you do.”

Thanks, Brian and Avenue Cyclery. The love is mutual.

In addition to supporting that advocacy work, a San Francisco Bicycle Coalition membership gets you discounts at over 70 local businesses, including Avenue Cyclery. Check out the full list here.

This article is a sneak peak into Issue 153 of the Tube Times, Fall 2015, hitting mailboxes in the coming weeks.