Freedom Folding Bikes profits by peddling pedaling

BOULDER — The Freedom Folding Bikes store in Boulder is full of bicycles and accessories, but owner Chuck Ankeny muses that, “Some people come in just to see my couch.”

That sofa came from New Zealand, via a New York art gallery.

Couches certainly are comfy, but Ankeny would rather his customers get off the couch and get some exercise. With bicycles that fold up for easy hauling, he wants to make that as easy as possible.

“Whether it’s for commuting or leisure travel, or for people who just don’t want to have to install a bike rack on their car, these bikes are easy to live with and don’t take over your life,” he said. “I just want people to get out of their cars and have fun.”

Folding bicycles, some of which weigh as little as 14 pounds, have been around for decades and are popular in Europe and Japan, Ankeny said. “London is really king of folding bikes. Folding bikes just make sense.”

The store employs a couple part-timers, but customers likely to be greeted by Ankeny, “and that’s by design,” he said.

“We use what we sell every day here in the Boulder area to run errands, commute, and explore,” he wrote on his website. “We take our folding bikes on the bus to Denver, to the mountains of Aspen, and to the Alps of Europe. We travel with our bikes regularly and have learned the ins and outs of how to do it.

“We specialize in all forms of folding and packable bikes, be they standard folding pedal bikes, tandem bikes, cargo bikes, or electric bikes. … We have the largest selection of folding bikes for you to test ride in the Boulder/Longmont/Fort Collins/Denver/Colorado Springs area and provide knowledgeable service on anything with one, two or three wheels.”

Brands for sale include Brompton, Defiant, Moulton, GoCycle, Bike Friday, Tern and Montague. The store sells parts, accessories and apparel such as clothing and helmets.

Ankeny commutes most days between his home in Longmont and the store in Boulder, logging an average of 7,000 to 9,000 miles per year on a bike.

Ankeny had been involved in the wine business in California’s Napa Valley, opened a microbrewery and worked in an executive-search business before settling on running a bicycle store he hopes will become “one of the biggest dealers in the country,” he said.

“People coming in are not going to see hundreds of bikes lining the store,” Ankeny said. “My store really is a curated collection. Everything is all thought out, well tested and appropriate for people who are interested in bikes for commuting, travel and adventure.”

And all they have to do is get up from the couch.

See list 2018 BizWest 500 – Boulder Valley Mercury 100

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