The Shop
RIDE LOTS
A history lesson.
RIDE LOTSWhat began as the first fixed gear shop in Houston, and then morphed into Bici (a boutique showroom),Ham Cycles started where all bike shops should, on the bike. Ham Cycles was originally formed just to show an appreciation to bikes on the internet, expanded into a group of friends that enjoyed riding bikes together, and as the group became more invested into riding, the more the name spread. Ham Cycles has expanded into an apparel line, an MS150 team, a race team, and the "go-to" hosts for non-sanctioned cycling events in Texas. As a team without a bike shop to call our own, we adopted the shop formerly known as Bici as ours and vice versa, so once the former owner was ready to move onto new things, it just made sense for us to take it over, and it was already a home base of sorts for us.
As for the shop itself...
For the folks just getting back on a bicycle we have simple European style commuters and cruisers. For those who like gears we have 3-speeds to 10-speeds and everything in between. For those that have committed to a life of hard and fast riding, our performance Track bike selection is another one of our top specialities. While we don't carry Specialized/Cannondale/Trek, our Full Service shop [always filled with said brands] is top notch and specializes in the service of all types of bikes. From derailleur and brake adjustments to complete drivetrain and pro-tunes -- we do it all.
As the shop has grown since our takeover, we've spent that time filling the floor with bikes of all varieties. There's not much you can't walk into the shop and get these days. We carry everything from your entry level retrospec fixed gear, to your full carbon Cinelli, to your Soma weekender. We've brought in respected brands like Giro to add to our helmet and shoe collection as well.
As we build a relationship and grow with new brands we hope to do the same with our community, and we're eager to have you guys along for the ride. We have a small space, so we only carry brands that we stand behind completely.
Whether its a pre-ride pepper upper or a post-ride chillaxing brew you need, we always have it flowing for our riders.
Priding ourselves as a neighborhood gathering spot, we frequently have [and encourage] people stopping in just to have a beer
or espresso and talk about bikes, style, culture and everything in between. 8th Wonder Brewery is the coolest brewery in town, so we try to keep as much of their stuff on hand as we can. If we don't have any, go visit them!
Books, Gifts, Pomade and Gear
The roots of the shop were that of a boutique bike shop, we still hold true to some of that, it's just fun to carry things that you won't find in your average bike shop, We carry an array of pomades, combs, bicycle books titles, as well as fun and interesting non-cycling titles.
Little gifts such as stationary and bar items make it easy to pick up something for that certain someone [who might just be waiting for you to come home from your bike shop shopping spree!] Other specialty items we always stock include leather wine rack holders, wallets and other leather handmade goods. We like to describe ourselves as a place you take an out-of-town guest to show them the flavor of Houston, and more specifically Montrose!
As we previously mentioned, we carry things that we like and that we use, and like and think other people may like as well. We love a fixed up classic MTB, we love cloth bar tape and funny looking stems! We like to carry things you can't walk into any bike shop and find. Whether it's our own line of apparel, to carrying made in America bags and bells, or if it's a cycling cap from a men's road team in the 80s, we pride ourselves on having a unique selection of goods for you.