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WEEKLY VISTA DEMO DAY ARTICLE BELOW (click on pics)
THE LOCAL NEWSPAPERS HERE IN BELLA VISTA, arkansas "THE WEEKLY VISTA" &
"THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT GAZETTE" PUBLISHED THIS GREAT ARTICLE ABOUT OUR SHOP ON DEC 28,2022 & JAN 2, 2023.
( PRETTY AWESOME SINCE WE HAVEN'T PAID THEM A PENNY. HOWEVER, WE DID JUST SUBSCRIBE TO THIER PAPER SINCE THEY WERE SO WELCOMING TO US, LIKE THIS ENTIRE AREA HAS BEEN. THANK YOU BELLA VISTA AND BENTONVILLE !!)
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/jan/02/bison-bikes-rolls-into-bella-vista/
Bison Bikes new on Forest Hills
RACHEL DICKERSON
rdickerson@nwaonline.com
Rachel Dickerson/The Weekly Vista
Kendall McCann of Bison Bikes is pictured at his shop on Forest Hills Boulevard. He and his family moved to Bella Vista from California in search of a better life.
Kendall McCann and his family moved to Bella Vista recently to open Bison Bikes on Forest Hills Boulevard.
McCann and his wife, Jennifer, and their two daughters formerly lived in California, and they wanted a better life for their family. For a bike shop owner, Bella Vista was the perfect fit.
“I did not see a very good future for my kids in California,” he said. “Politically, financially … the crime problem was getting bad.
“People here have good, strong Christian values that we strongly agree with,” he continued. “It doesn’t hurt that they have 400 miles of trails. I live on the Bamboozled trail, and here at the bike shop we have Lago Vista and Tunnel Vision. Amazing trails, amazing family values, good common sense here. It’s beautiful.”
He added when they were thinking of moving, they researched this area, and “this was a home run.”
He said his older daughter will be looking at colleges in a couple of years, and there are good colleges in the area as well.
McCann said he has loved bicycles since he was 6 years old. He started working at Golden Spoke Bike Shop in Placerville, Calif., in 1992 when he was 15 and worked there until 2002, helping run and manage the shop.
“I’ve had some great mentors in the business,” he said.
He did a short stint as a police officer and determined that line of work was not for him.
In 2006 he started Bison Bikes in his basement as a side job. He worked out of his basement and then out of his garage and then moved into a small shop. It was a side job for the first eight years, he said, and then it became his full-time job.
He said he loves the positivity of the work.
“The majority of it’s very positive in this business, whereas doing police work was definitely not that. I would say this is 99% positive. I did automotive paint sales for a long time. That was about 60% positive and 40% negative,” he said.
He added, “Getting more people on bicycles is a positive thing.”
Bison Bikes provides sales and service, working on most types of bicycles.
McCann had more good things to say about his new home.
“We have world class trails here. Everybody’s been so welcoming, and everyone’s a lot more sincere here in the south. The mayor stopped by. This stuff just didn’t happen in California. We’ve even had our competitors come in here and say welcome to the area. Bella Vista is amazing,” he said.
Bison Bikes new on Forest Hills
RACHEL DICKERSON
rdickerson@nwaonline.com
Rachel Dickerson/The Weekly Vista
Kendall McCann of Bison Bikes is pictured at his shop on Forest Hills Boulevard. He and his family moved to Bella Vista from California in search of a better life.
Kendall McCann and his family moved to Bella Vista recently to open Bison Bikes on Forest Hills Boulevard.
McCann and his wife, Jennifer, and their two daughters formerly lived in California, and they wanted a better life for their family. For a bike shop owner, Bella Vista was the perfect fit.
“I did not see a very good future for my kids in California,” he said. “Politically, financially … the crime problem was getting bad.
“People here have good, strong Christian values that we strongly agree with,” he continued. “It doesn’t hurt that they have 400 miles of trails. I live on the Bamboozled trail, and here at the bike shop we have Lago Vista and Tunnel Vision. Amazing trails, amazing family values, good common sense here. It’s beautiful.”
He added when they were thinking of moving, they researched this area, and “this was a home run.”
He said his older daughter will be looking at colleges in a couple of years, and there are good colleges in the area as well.
McCann said he has loved bicycles since he was 6 years old. He started working at Golden Spoke Bike Shop in Placerville, Calif., in 1992 when he was 15 and worked there until 2002, helping run and manage the shop.
“I’ve had some great mentors in the business,” he said.
He did a short stint as a police officer and determined that line of work was not for him.
In 2006 he started Bison Bikes in his basement as a side job. He worked out of his basement and then out of his garage and then moved into a small shop. It was a side job for the first eight years, he said, and then it became his full-time job.
He said he loves the positivity of the work.
“The majority of it’s very positive in this business, whereas doing police work was definitely not that. I would say this is 99% positive. I did automotive paint sales for a long time. That was about 60% positive and 40% negative,” he said.
He added, “Getting more people on bicycles is a positive thing.”
Bison Bikes provides sales and service, working on most types of bicycles.
McCann had more good things to say about his new home.
“We have world class trails here. Everybody’s been so welcoming, and everyone’s a lot more sincere here in the south. The mayor stopped by. This stuff just didn’t happen in California. We’ve even had our competitors come in here and say welcome to the area. Bella Vista is amazing,” he said.
Bison Bikes holds Demo Dayby Lynn Atkins | March 1, 2023 at 10:55 a.m.
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Lynn Atkins/Special to The Weekly Vista Gretchen and Elise McCann pose with the new Bison Bikes mascot during a demo day on Sunday. The name Bison Bikes is derived from shop owner Kendall McCann’s middle name, Byson, which is also his mother’s maiden name.
In spite of cool, damp weather, the newest bike shop in Bella Vista held a successful demo day on Sunday. The entire schedule was full two days before the event but the weather might have kept some of those riders home, leaving space for a few people who stopped by when they saw the Pivot trailer full of bikes.
Kendall McCann sells bikes from five manufacturers in his shop, Bison Bikes. Each manufacturer offers all kinds of options ranging from color to style. While he has an inventory of bikes on hand, many people chose to place a special order to get exactly what they want. A Demo Day gives customers a chance to see what kind of features are available and which ones they have to have.
They chose a bike to test and McCann gave them directions to one of the trails within a short distance from his shop. Many of them rode for close to two hours, he said.
Even if a bike is a special order, there are advantages to ordering it through a bike shop, McCann said. For one thing, the bike will be assembled by a professional and if there are any issues, he can help resolve them. Later, he's happy to service the bikes he sells.
Many of the bikes that McCann sells at his shop are pedal assisted electric bikes. Pedal assisted bikes are safer, he explained, because the rider has more control. Also, they are better for exercise purposes. But having the electric motor makes them more fun, he said.
"It equalizes people," he explained, using his wife, Jennifer, as an example. He said she can beat him to the top of most hills on her electric bike and isn't exhausted when she gets there.
"It levels the playing field," she agreed.
"It's all about confidence," David Evans, a local mountain bike rider explained. Some sections of trail may look difficult, but once a person knows they can do, it's "exhilarating." Even riding uphill can be fun.
Grant Spoon didn't ride a mountain bike until he moved to Bella Vista three and a half years ago. He was looking at a new bike that will be his fifth.
"Watching the trails go in has been amazing," he said.
Lynn Atkins/Special to The Weekly Vista Kendall McCann (left), owner of Bison Bikes, and Caleb Richter of Pivot Cycles pose with a few of the bikes available for test rides during a Demo Day at the bike store on Forest Hills Blvd.
Lynn Atkins/Special to The Weekly Vista Bella Vista resident Grant Spoon test rides a Pivot bike at the Demo Day at Bison Bikes on Sunday.
Print Headline: Bison Bikes holds Demo Day
Sponsor Content
0
Lynn Atkins/Special to The Weekly Vista Gretchen and Elise McCann pose with the new Bison Bikes mascot during a demo day on Sunday. The name Bison Bikes is derived from shop owner Kendall McCann’s middle name, Byson, which is also his mother’s maiden name.
In spite of cool, damp weather, the newest bike shop in Bella Vista held a successful demo day on Sunday. The entire schedule was full two days before the event but the weather might have kept some of those riders home, leaving space for a few people who stopped by when they saw the Pivot trailer full of bikes.
Kendall McCann sells bikes from five manufacturers in his shop, Bison Bikes. Each manufacturer offers all kinds of options ranging from color to style. While he has an inventory of bikes on hand, many people chose to place a special order to get exactly what they want. A Demo Day gives customers a chance to see what kind of features are available and which ones they have to have.
They chose a bike to test and McCann gave them directions to one of the trails within a short distance from his shop. Many of them rode for close to two hours, he said.
Even if a bike is a special order, there are advantages to ordering it through a bike shop, McCann said. For one thing, the bike will be assembled by a professional and if there are any issues, he can help resolve them. Later, he's happy to service the bikes he sells.
Many of the bikes that McCann sells at his shop are pedal assisted electric bikes. Pedal assisted bikes are safer, he explained, because the rider has more control. Also, they are better for exercise purposes. But having the electric motor makes them more fun, he said.
"It equalizes people," he explained, using his wife, Jennifer, as an example. He said she can beat him to the top of most hills on her electric bike and isn't exhausted when she gets there.
"It levels the playing field," she agreed.
"It's all about confidence," David Evans, a local mountain bike rider explained. Some sections of trail may look difficult, but once a person knows they can do, it's "exhilarating." Even riding uphill can be fun.
Grant Spoon didn't ride a mountain bike until he moved to Bella Vista three and a half years ago. He was looking at a new bike that will be his fifth.
"Watching the trails go in has been amazing," he said.
Lynn Atkins/Special to The Weekly Vista Kendall McCann (left), owner of Bison Bikes, and Caleb Richter of Pivot Cycles pose with a few of the bikes available for test rides during a Demo Day at the bike store on Forest Hills Blvd.
Lynn Atkins/Special to The Weekly Vista Bella Vista resident Grant Spoon test rides a Pivot bike at the Demo Day at Bison Bikes on Sunday.
Print Headline: Bison Bikes holds Demo Day
Sponsor Content
