The Southern Bicycle Company’s Highland Road location near Raising Cane’s permanently closed in March due to flooding in the storefront.
The Southern Bicycle Company, also known as The Bicycle Shop, was the closest cycle shop for anyone who lived on or directly near campus. Its nearby location made it the closest walkable or cyclable shop for patrons buying a new bike or repairing their own.
“The main reason for the move happening was the condition of the building before and after the roof failed,” Southern Bicycle Company owner John Viator said. “About two weeks ago the roof/gutters failed, and it pretty much rained inside for hours. In the process, it damaged goods but, thankfully, no retail or customer bikes were damaged.”
Without The Bicycle Shop, any student on campus without a car in need of a bicycle or repairs no longer has access to something within a rideable distance.
Customers instead would need to drive or bike 2-3 miles to the Southern Bicycle Company’s new location at 4237 Perkins Road or another cycle shop if they want repairs.
“I understand those that are nostalgic about a bike shop being there but that area has changed drastically,” Viator said. “A traditional bike shop needs parking and ease of access for the customer base.”
Viator said the new location at Perkins Road checked all the boxes they were looking for.
“I wanted it to be as close as possible to the original location, be able to have group rides from it, be in a space that was easily accessible, have good road frontage, and have good parking,” Viator said. “It’s only a couple miles from the original location. So the student population can easily ride or drive to get the same great service.”
Cycling infrastructure around LSU and Baton Rouge is already heavily criticized by cyclists and pedestrians. Multiple accidents have happened on campus in the past as cars frequently zoom by dilapidated sidewalks and narrow bike lanes, harming pedestrians and cyclists in the process.
“Bikers went to the shop for repairs or accessories so I think the closure may dissuade some of the biking population from cycling on campus,” said Human Resource Development junior and cyclist Chandler Courreges.
The loss of The Bicycle Shop, a historic business that has been at its Highland location for more than 30 years, represents another obstacle in the path of cyclists at LSU.
“The fact that the bike store closed down means that a lot of the international students that I know who don’t have cars won’t be able to get their bikes fixed,” said Computer Science junior and cyclist Luke LaFleur. “I think that it puts a decent amount of people at a disadvantage if, for example, they break their bike or a tire gets stolen.”
Despite that, Viator said the relocated shop near the South Downs Shopping Center is close and accessible to the same customer base while opening up their business to newer customers.
“We didn’t make this decision lightly and took everything into account,” Viator said. “[The new location] will be bigger and very nice… You can easily drive up, park and grab what you need.”
