Hittin' the Road at Outback Bikes

Peter Wicker opened the doors to in August of 2008. Located at 2463 Hamilton Mill Parkway, the store offers sales and repairs on all types of bikes including mountain, street, racing, cruisers and childrens' bikes. I recently sat down to talk with Wicker about his business.

Patch: How did you get started in the bike business?

Peter: I started in the bike business in the mid 80s. I was riding quite a bit, commuting back and forth to work. Just like everybody else, I started with the same department store bike that fell apart. I went to a bike shop and they told me that my bike wasn't meant to be ridden. I actually thought they were making fun of me but turns out that they were just looking out for my best interest. I started going by the shop every day and finally my wife said that I needed to find a way to feed my habit. I started as an entry level employee, cleaning up, changing flats and slowly but surely I did an apprenticeship there. I had a real job at the time too, but I really enjoyed working with bikes. So I went to work at Outback in 1988 and in 1989 I bought the shop in Atlanta with the help of a friend. In March of 2008, I signed a lease for this store after we had moved to Hoschton.

Patch: What is the best aspect of owning Outback bikes?

Peter: Personally putting people on bikes is the best. Being involved in the sport and trying to find the right fit for each customer is great.

Patch: What is the most challenging aspect of owning a bike store?

Peter: Wal-mart. Actually the department store bikes in general because what they sell are toys. It's hard to explain to customers that what they just paid for is two to three times heavier than what we sell and if they ride them they start to fall apart almost immediately. It's been a fight for almost 25 years to try and educate people about this.

Patch: What makes Outback Bikes unique?

Peter: I think it's hard to say. We try our best to give the same customer service that we expect from other people. We treat others how we want to be treated. We recently branched out with kid programs like the cub scout rodeo and a venture mountain bike crew. We're also a family store. We have a three-year-old and it's amazing that the Thomas the Train table we have at the front of the store has entertained so many children over the past three years that their parents can then have an adult conversation about bikes.

Patch: What makes the Dacula community special?

Peter: I think that there is a more family oriented and community feel here in Dacula than in Atlanta. There is family involvement with their kids in sports and riding their bikes and that kind of thing. It's really neat to see that.

Outback Bikes is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.