As a kid growing up in the Sacramento suburb of Carmichael, Brian Borchers hit the biking jackpot.
Not only was there a nearby field where he could ride over berms and practice jumps, but his father, manager of the base exchange at Mather Air Force Base, often brought home department store-type bikes returned by dissatisfied customers.
“We had a mountain of junk bicycles,” said Brian, 53, who owns Russian River Cycle Service in downtown Forestville with his wife, Lori Borchers, 56.
The ready supply of bikes and parts provided him with endless opportunities to take things apart, piece them together and create oddball creations he calls “Frankenbikes,” rideable Frankenstein versions of bicycles.
“It taught me so much,” he said. “Bikes were my freedom, just like for a lot of people.”
By 15, Brian was working as a “shop rat” at a bike shop. He was an apprentice of sorts, soaking in everything bike-related he could.
Those experiences provided him with a lifelong interest in bikes and a career foundation.
“I wound up working in different capacities in the bicycle industry,” he said. “I got to see lots of different facets in the industry and I just fell in love with it.”
Today the Borchers offer bicycle sales, repairs and rentals. They also sell bike-themed jewelry and paintings created by Lori. Their light-filled shop has a corner location, with four large windows enhanced by outlines of bicycles welded by Brian, including an old-time penny-farthing high-wheeler. They lend an artistic flair to the shop, which also features light fixtures he handcrafted from bike parts and a wall designed with repurposed wooden flooring.
The couple moved from Grass Valley in 2002, when Brian took a break from the bicycle industry. He’d landed a sales job with a tool company, and also spent time as a stay-at-home dad to the couple’s children, now 15 and 20.
After a decade, he was ready to resume his career working with bikes. The family lives in Forestville adjacent to a main bike route to the coast, an ideal location to connect with cyclists. Brian started out small, working from his garage, then built a small shop on their property, providing sales and repairs, later adding bicycle rentals.
Tourists arranging bike rentals weren’t aware they were supporting a mom-and-pop operation.
“They don’t even know they’re calling a dude in his shed in his backyard,” Brian said.
Pandemic business boom
During the coronavirus pandemic, the shop has been a magnet for those eager to get some outdoor recreation. Although it was closed for six weeks during the county’s first stay-at-home mandates, once it was deemed essential “all heck broke loose,” Lori said. “We sold every new bike on the floor within a couple months.”
Her husband often put in 12-hour days; countless people stopped by with dusty bikes that hadn’t been ridden in years, many models with flat tires, broken chains and in general disrepair.
“It was good,” Lori said, “but it was a lot.”
Bike shops across the country faced similar challenges: high demand at a time when it became nearly impossible to secure new bikes, parts and accessories. The demand impacted “everybody all over the world,” Brian said. “Not just California.”
The couple doesn’t have other employees and have done their best to work with distributors, but the backup continues. Brian has “scoured all distribution centers across the U.S.,” trying to score necessary parts, then tries to negotiate on freight rates, which refers to the cost of shipping an item from one location to another. A $10 part he recently found in New York had a $15 freight fee.
Before the pandemic hit, there was a four-year decline across the biking industry, he said. No one could have predicted the stay-at-home mandates that have prevented people from going to the gym, visiting parks and swimming pools and curtailing other recreational opportunities and social gatherings.
All at once, it seemed, long-overlooked bikes were an attractive option for people wanting exercise and a change of scenery. Brian, with a lifetime of experience as a bike mechanic, has transformed countless bikes of all kinds and costs, including hybrids and road bikes, providing customers with safe rides.
It’s been a wild ride
Although he typically uses new parts, he’s been able to secure used parts from a significant supply he accumulated at home. He restores bikes typically for $300, including new tires, seats and brake pads.
“I have a reputation that I can make anything work. Now everybody needs me,” he said with a laugh.
Lori said her husband brings a unique skill set and understanding to his job.
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Russian River Cycle Service is a go-to spot for bike enthusiasts during the pandemic - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
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