Bicycling in Wheeling continues to grow as a form of exercise, recreation, and transportation, and Art’s Old Town Bicycle Repair – conveniently located near the Heritage Trail in the North Wheeling Historic District – is a new repair shop that caters to bikers at every stage of the sport.
Owned and operated by Art Burnside, the shop is easy to find and located at 655 Main Street. It is housed in one half of a historic structure built in 1843 by another Art, Arthur M. Phillips. Phillips owned and operated a foundry along the banks of the Ohio River just below the structure where he manufactured steam engines for river boats.
Burnside has been renovating the bike shop building since he bought it about four years ago. The shop adjoins his home next door where he’s lived with his wife, Jacki since 2016. His idea for a bike repair shop is one that he’s had for a long time.
“When it comes to bicycles and bicycle repair or bicycle commuting, touring, recreational riding or sport, it’s been a passion of mine, at least since 1989. That passion combined with an interest in tinkering passed on to me by my father and my own ever-growing technical curiosity led me to opening up a bicycle repair shop,” explained Burnside, who retired from Covestro, LLC, formerly Mobay/Bayer a few years back.
His background as a chemical engineer and work as a manufacturing manager gives him lots of experience at problem solving, something he enjoys. Born and raised in the Wilkes-Barre area of Northeastern Pennsylvania, he’s a man of many interests.
“I’m excited to start my second career and set up shop not only in a structure and neighborhood rich in history, but also only a quarter mile from the Wheeling Heritage Bicycle Trail,” he said.
Burnside rides the trail whenever he gets time, along with his wife and friends.
He enjoys supporting the cycling community, from seasoned cyclists to beginners and all levels in between. He prepared for his new career by studying bicycle repair nationally at Barnett’s Bicycle Institute in Colorado Springs for several weeks, so you can be sure he takes his work seriously.
He says that he loves to get his hands dirty and work on fixing things, something he learned from his dad, who could fix anything. Though Art’s dad didn’t go beyond 8th grade in school, he was a talented mechanic. Art is the first one in his family to go to college, he notes.
Visiting the bike repair shop is enjoyable since the shop is decorated with bike memorabilia including his first tricycle. There’s also a collection of large photographs from the Tour de France, which Burnside attended when he lived in Germany for three years while working for Bayer. Germany is where he really got into biking, riding to work everyday.
What’s the longest ride he’s ever done? It’s the Cheat Mountain Challenge, at 106 miles in one day, a feat he did four years in a row. But the most impressive one in his mind is when he rode up Mount Evans (now known as Mount Blue Sky) in Colorado. At a 14,271-foot mountain, it was quite a ride. He’s also ridden a bike up to Mount Haleakalā, in Maui.
What’s his advice for new bikers?
“Before you ride, check your equipment. When you’re riding, where a helmet and be aware of the rules of the road and follow them. Take care of your equipment. Enjoy cycling and the benefits it brings!”
If you need help maintaining it, or you have a repair that needs to be taken care of, just give him a call at 304-238-6778. Art’s Old Town Bicycle Repair is open by appointment only and you can find him online at artsotbr.com or reach him by email at artsotbr@gmail.com.
