By Katy Savage
As mountain biking started exploding in Poultney, a group of avid riders realized the town needed a shop.
Two couples teamed up and opened Porcupine Bikes June 29 on Main Street in Poultney.
“We felt there was a real need for a mountain bike focused shop in Poultney,” co-owner Caitrin Maloney said. “A lot of people expressed their excitement. They had been driving really far to get their bikes serviced.”
Maloney and her husband Hardy Avery own the shop with Eryn Rowe and her husband Brandon. They met through the trail system.
“They’re both very connected locally,” Maloney said. “They both grew up in the area, which also makes them great partners. Brandon is super passionate about bikes. She has a lot of business experience. It just made a lot of sense to work with them.”
Maloney and Avery were looking for a new project since Avery’s company, Sustainable Trailworks, which built many of the Slate Valley Trails in Poultney, was nearing the end of construction.
“It was a big project and a very exciting project,” Maloney said. “We’re proud of the results.”
Avery, who has built trails all over the state, including Cady Hill Forest in Stowe, Perry Hill in Waterbury, and Blueberry Lake in Warren, co-owned a bike shop in Waterbury in the late 1990s and early 2000s, called Irie Cycles.
He has led the design and construction of more than 40 miles of trails at Slate Valley Trails over the last five years. Maloney and Avery also run a business called the TrailHouse, which features glamping tents geared toward mountain bikers.
“We felt like doing all of this by ourselves would be tough because we’re doing a lot already,” Maloney said.
Meanwhile, Rowe and Brandon grew up in the area.
Rowe is the general manager of the Lake Bomoseen Lodge. She recently started mountain biking.
“We took to it for exercise and great mental health and getting out in the woods,” Rowe said. “It’s almost addictive. You meet all these great people.”
They have a 3 and 5 year old who also mountain bike.
“It’s a great family activity,” Rowe said. “It’s a bitten by the bug sort of thing.”
Their business is focused on service and accessories until they establish relationships with more dealers to sell bikes. They hope to eventually rent out mountain bikes as well.
“Poultney is very up and coming with mountain biking,” Rowe said.
Porcupine Bikes shop, which was previously a thrift store, is named after a trail at Slate Valley.
“It’s a trail that everyone encounters if they go riding over there,” Rowe said. “It’s known for having a lot of porcupines on the trails. It all came together naturally with the name.”
The shop is located at 144 Main Street in Poultney. It’s open everyday but Tuesday.
For more information, visit: PorcupineBikes.com.
