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100 Things To Do In Holland Before You Die: #57 - Rent An E-Bike At Velo City Cycles

 I'm taking some creative liberties here - I've never actually ridden an E Bike.

BUT

Velo City are homies.  Back in their old location on 8th Street, they helped me build up a road bike from scratch.  They're always willing to lend a hand to stuff like that, with an ample parts department, and the know-how to offer any advice on wrenching your bike, or having them do it for you.  They're some of the best bike mechanics in the city.

With the exception of the CoVid era (2020, 2021), I've been to at least one of Velo City's Tuesday Night Rides a year since 2017 or so.  In 2024, I intentionally made a point to ride with their groups almost every week! I made a few posts on Instagram this summer, sharing their posts that you can see my big dumb face in.  Their community outreach (in group rides, social media, and community activism) is second to none - they run mentorship programs for young children on bikes, casual ice cream or beer rides, weekly Tuesday Night Rides (Tulip Time through Labor Day...with 5 levels of difficulty, so there's a ride for almost everyone), and besides that, they're always working on community outreach and partnerships.

In their current iteration, they've been on River Ave. just outside of downtown, since 2013.  Brad and Jenny White bought the business from Tom and Leon Slikkers, who owned the original shop location on 8th Street in the same building complex as The Curragh.

I would wholeheartedly encourage anyone interested in bicycling around Holland, Michigan to stop in at Velo City and see what's going on!

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