Business & Tech
Wheel Thing's New Owners Married After Meeting on Cycling Team
Kevin Stephens started a winter bike swap six years ago, and that gave him an understanding of the business end of cycling. Now he's running the longtime bike shop in La Grange.
A community staple since 1979, The Wheel Thing in La Grange has new owners who married after meeting on a cycling team.
Kevin and Ginger Stephens took over the shop in September 2012, and their passion for cycling is evident. Kevin started a cycling team in 2003, and later added a women's team in 2008, where he met Ginger. They married two years later.
They mostly do road races, and some triathlons, but it was still always a hobby. But six years ago, Kevin initiated a bike swap program in Palatine to bring attention to bike shops during their biggest downtime of the year—the winter, when much fewer people are out riding. He went to a similar event in Denver, and one came to Chicago but never returned.
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"I kept thinking that someone has got to start this here," Kevin said. "It's grown every year since."
He worked with area business owners and got to know that end of things, an important addition to the cycling passion he already had. That's when Kevin was approached by the owner of The Wheel Thing and offered them the place.
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They already had plans to open their own shop, perhaps around their home in Buffalo Grove, but this presented a great opportunity with a well established location. It's also a great community for cycling, Kevin said.
"There's good roads around here, good trails," he said. "A lot of people who can commute to the train by bike."
Ginger and Kevin are excited to get involved in the community more and publicized group rides. (For more information on that check the website or Facebook page.) They're working with a local senior center to teaching cycling basics and perhaps organize rides.
"When you get older it's hard to do something as a team," Kevin said. "You can always get on a bike and ride and have camaraderie."
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