Bicycle Village merging with Epic Mountain Gear stores

This report first appeared at BizWest news partner BusinessDen.

BROOMFIELD — Bicycle Village is pedaling toward an epic merger.

Vail Resorts announced Thursday it is phasing out its Bicycle Village brand and shifting cycling equipment to its Epic Mountain Gear stores.

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The announcement comes three weeks after BusinessDen reported that Bicycle Village’s flagship store in Aurora was closing.

Laura Bonfiglio, a spokeswoman for Vail Resorts, said merging Bicycle Village with Epic Mountain Gear allows the stores to “operate as a year-round destination and one-stop-shop for outdoor adventure.”

Vail Resorts became the sole owner of Bicycle Village in 2010 as part of a larger $31 million deal with Ken Gart and Tom Gart, the family behind Gart Sports.

The bike chain currently has four locations in operation, in Aurora, Colorado Springs, Littleton and Westminster.

The merger has already taken place at locations in Westminster, Frisco and Colorado Springs, according to Vail.

For the Aurora location, where the lease ends in March, Vail said that bicycles and related accessories will be added to the Epic store about a quarter mile away at 2650 S. Havana St.

In Littleton, the wall that separates the existing Bicycle Village and Epic stores will be removed to combine the two.

Bicycles will also be added to other Epic locations, including by Park Meadows in Lone Tree and in Boulder. Boulder previously had a Bicycle Village store, but it closed last year.

The Epic Mountain Gear stores in Westminster and Frisco have had bikes as part of their inventory the last couple of years, Bonfiglio said, but every other Epic location will be getting bicycles for the first time.

The changes are expected to be completed by May, according to Vail. The company said on its website that it plans to retain most Bicycle Village employees.