Posted by Beth Milligan | September 17, 2021
After 44 years, McLain Cycle & Fitness owners Bob and Kris McLain are ready to retire. The couple struck a deal Thursday to sell their two Traverse City stores and a McLain Cadillac store to cycling brand Specialized.
Kris McLain tells The Ticker that Specialized, McLain’s signature bike line, has initiated talks with several stores across the country with owners who may be retiring – including the McLains. “It’s so humiliating that they wanted our store,” she says, adding that the parties’ interest in reaching an agreement is “mutual”. “They love Traverse City, and we did just fine for them. They think there are a lot of options here.”
McLain says staff from all three stores will stay on board, with Bob McLain also helping with the transition. The deal calls for keeping the McLain name in stores for at least 90 days, although a name change is possible after that time. Kris McLain says customers can expect most of the same inventory mix and store experience under specialized management, adding that she believes the company will bring new benefits and opportunities to employees as well.
Bob McLain first worked at the City Bike Shop before selling his own bikes in his father’s basement and eventually buying a house and garage on Eighth Street that became McLain’s first store. This was later followed by locations on Garfield Avenue in Traverse City and Mitchell Street in Cadillac. Kris McLain says of the personal highlights of the couple’s 44-year career, which included hosting national mountain bike races in the 1990s with Brick Wheels, Bob McLain, who was in the organization’s infancy on the TART Trail Board, and the launch of the Company’s children’s bike trade-in program. who helped “provide hundreds and hundreds of bikes for kids to actually use,” she says.
What’s next for the McLains? Kris says she looks forward to spending time with her three grandchildren while she expects her husband to finally get out and ride his own bike on the local trails. Her voice begins as she contemplates the end of the couple’s journey as McLain’s owners. “We really appreciate the support from Traverse City and the Cadillac community,” she says. “We thank them for making us who we are.”
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