Mobile bike shop visits base

Boris Martine repairs a bike inside one of the Vélofix Mobile ProShop vehicles.

With Bike to Work Week just around the corner, cyclists at CFB Esquimalt can look forward to getting their ride some on-the-spot love and care.

The Vélofix Mobile Bike ProShop will be onsite at the base’s Bike to Work Week breakfast May 26 from 6:15-8 a.m., offering bike adjustments to event participants.

Vélofix features all the amenities of a professional bike shop in the back of a van. Going wherever they’re called, the Vélofix team offers professional tune-ups, repairs, and maintenance.

Chris Guillement, who founded Vélofix with Davide Xausa and Boris Martin in Vancouver in 2013, says, “Vancouver is a very bike-friendly town and we realized a lot of people would need some mechanical help when they wouldn’t be able to get it.  With Vélofix, people can get bike work done when and where they need it.”

Cyclists can make reservations online at www.velofix.com to have the bike shop come to them. All the customer’s mechanical needs are met at their location, or the bike is picked up and returned later.

“There wasn’t really anything like Vélofix in Vancouver, or anywhere we could find so we knew we were onto something,” says Guillement. “It’s been great, and we’ve grown so much in the last few years.”

Vélofix now has franchises open in Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, and Vancouver Island. The Victoria operation has attracted some prestige, being co-owned by Simon Whitfield, former professional triathlete and Olympic Gold and Silver medalist.

“It’s great having someone like Simon involved in our little enterprise,” says Guillement. “Obviously, he’s a big proponent of cycling and having his name and passion behind Vélofix has been amazing.”

Guillement says he’s excited to have Vélofix showcasing its services at CFB Esquimalt’s Bike to Work Week Breakfast, which will take place in Naden’s CANEX parking lot.

“We love supporting events like Bike to Work Week because it promotes the sport and the lifestyle,” says Guillement. “The more bikes there are on the roads, the less cars there are, the less pollution, and the more exercise. It really is a no-loss situation.”

-Shawn O’Hara, Staff Writer