By Jessica Dillon
Matthew Huckfeldt is a business owner that has transitioned the area’s only bike shop, Chain of Fools, into an appointment based service.
Huckfeldt focuses on helping cyclists fix, tune-up, and upgrade their bikes with easy pick up options. Now that good weather has rolled in, Huckfeldt is ready to expand his business and start taking on more customers.
The bike shop was initially located on Fayette St. “I was there nearly 10 years.”
Huckfeldt started in an unfinished basement. “I had to clean up 50 years of dirt and grime.” The landlord offered him a cheap deal on the space to help him get started. “It only took me about six to eight months to max out the space.”
Eventually the business above him moved out, and he expanded into a nicer retail space. The shop is currently a home-based model, in part due to industry trends.
“The bike industry right now is going through a lot of turmoil.” Internet sales played a role in the decline of sales. “Covid created a huge surge of demand, everything was sold out. Everything was back in order, it went on for three years.
He reduced his open hours and began to shift to appointment only services during Covid-19.
“They all kind of fell through because demand fell off a cliff at that time,” he said. “I saw the parts and sales side of things struggling nationally. Instead of trying to fight it,” he decided to pivot “and move the business into a service only space. I seemed to get more done by not being open for walk-ins all the time. The people who are the most dedicated cyclists know how to find me.”
While he admittedly “sort of went under the radar for a minute, I allowed myself not to be as visible last year.”
Huckfeldt looked at 2025 as a trial run, and it’s been successful.
“I got out of biking as a kid. As a teen, because it wasn’t a cool thing to do. Then in college, I picked it back up,” Huckfeldt said. After returning home he realized that there wasn’t an in town bike service. “I found that I had a knack for it and I enjoyed it.”
Now, “what I want people to know is that I’m equipped to do just about anything their bike needs, short of welding a broken frame back together. I want to do it as painless as possible whether it’s meeting at a trailhead to fix a flat tire, or whether they need their suspension repaired,” he said.
Services include a basic tune-up for $45 or a deluxe tune with a wash for $90. Tube repair can also be done for $10 plus the price of the tube. Other services include bearing overhauls and adjustments, hub maintenance, suspension services, and even new bicycle assembly for $40 to $80, depending on complexity.
“If you want to get your bike serviced, I want to come get it from you at the most convenient place for you! I will meet you at any of the local Dick & Willie Trailheads in MHC for no charge, or will come to your house for a small fee,” he said.
The cost range is $20 to $40 for a pick-up with discount available with a la carte services.
To reach Huckfeldt, call 276-207-8682 to set up an appointment, or go to www.chainoffoolsbicycles.com/ for more information.
