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Father, son share bike passion Photo by Bob Pennell John Ford Jr. works on a titanium Mongoose mountain bike at Bear Creek Bicycle, a new shop he manages in Ashland. His father, owner John Ford Sr., repairs and sells vintage bikes upstairs. For one it's mountain bikes; for the other, old Schwinns By JOHN DARLING ASHLAND -- John Ford Jr. and his dad, John Ford Sr., think a bike-crazy town like Ashland can stand a fourth bike shop, especially one with a great location perched beside Highway 99, near the busy Valley View Road interchange. Named Bear Creek Bicycle, the shop opened March 1 and sells only Mongoose, KHS and Free Agent bicycles, as well as a full line of accessories. The shop rents bikes and repairs any type of bike. Ford Jr., 24, an Astoria native, trained at Ashland's nationally noted United Bicycle Institute in basic and advanced mechanics in 1995 and fell in love with the local mountain biking trails and climate. "Everything fell in place like I was meant to be here," he said. He has been fixing and assembling bikes at Al's Cycle in Medford for the past five years. "I jumped at the chance to own my own shop," he said. "Location was the determining factor." Most traffic to and from Ashland from points north must pass his location. The Fords had their eye on the site for a long time, he said, and when it went on the block for back taxes, they snapped it up and constructed their 3,000-square-foot building. The Fords go into competition with three other Ashland shops: Siskiyou Cyclery and Cycle Sport, both long established, and the newer University Cycle Shop, across from Southern Oregon University. "More people ride bikes in Ashland than in most other towns," said Ford Jr. "Mountain bike trails start right at the edge of town and people come from all over to mountain bike here. It's a large market." Bear Creek Bicycle joins the Ashland tradition of small bike shops that give personal service to customers, Ford said. "Big shops get overwhelmed," he said. "That's what happens if you're in it for the money." The easygoing Ford said he's managing the shop because "I enjoy it. I've always loved riding. Mountains bikes are my total passion and I love working on them." The only factor in selecting the brands he sells was value, Ford said. "These three brands give you the most for your money, if you want something that works and isn't overpriced." Ford sells all forms of bikes -- mountain, road, BMX, dirt jumpers and the new comfort bikes with easily adjustable handlebars, a big soft seat and shock absorbers in both handlebars and seat. Many start at about $200, he said. One mountain biker, Anthony Smith of Ashland, said Bear Creek Bicycle has found a "unique location and a good niche" that offers mainstream as well as BMX bikes. "You don't see that very much. I like the shop. It's clean and professional." While Ford sells new bikes on the shop's main floor, his father follows a slightly different passion upstairs -- restoring and selling the vintage bicycles he finds at estate and yard sales. The shop's upstairs is reserved for repairing dozens of his fat-wheel, one-gear bikes with nameplates like Schwinn, B.F. Goodrich and Firestone. Five impeccable relics dot the showroom, including the legendary black-and-red 1952 Schwinn Phantom, complete with built-in horn and headlight, keylock, luggage rack with taillight, leather seat and knee-action shock absorbers. Ford values it at about $2,500. The lesser Schwinn "Worlds" in the showroom window are valued at around $500. "John (his son) got me into bikes and it just got out of control from there," said Ford Sr. "The attraction is just the bigness and heaviness and how they're put together. They were built like BICYCLES!" Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA