Living Up
to the Name

Sam Williamson puts the community in The Community Bicyclist in little rock.

Story and Photography by Kai Caddy

How did the shop start?
I’m just a bike nut. I’ve had a lot of mini careers over the years and I kind of got to a point where I had decided: Wouldn’t it be neat to actually figure out a way to maybe make a living doing something bike related.

I really honestly was pretty resistant to a local bike shop. This was early 2004, 2005. The internet was becoming a big deal as far as how people buy stuff and more so all the time. You could see that that was certainly going to grow into the future. I kind of thought maybe there’s a way to do something more internet-based. I think it was November or December of ’07 when I had really committed to the shop. What I had discovered, too, is that the bike industry is one of the few that seemed like it was sustainable and the industry supported that idea of a small brick-and-mortar shop. Now you might get a little more pushback.

That first year was a happening year. It was actually a really good year for a first year.

And I hired Frank Thibeault. I know one of the hardest things is keeping good people. And I really liked working with Frank. But how in the world am I going to keep him at this crummy little hourly rate that I’m paying? And so we kind of formed a partnership. I figured the business was so young, it’s not like I’m offering him something that’s got this huge value because whatever it’s going to be, it was undeveloped at that point.

So we worked out a deal that was doable for both of us.

He was here six years, roughly, and that was like the six best years of my whole life. It was so much fun. We were growing, we were rocking, rolling. Business was good. We had a really bad fall in 2014 and it just hit us out of nowhere. And suddenly, we’re worried about paying bills. Frank did a very honorable thing, I feel like. He said, “You know, this is really your deal. And I don’t want to do it, but I think it’s time for me to go. I think if it’s got a chance, it’s going to have to be just you.” I still feel like even though he’s been gone more years than he was here, at this point, I still consider Frank a big part of the history of The Community Bicyclist.

Where does the name come from?
Everybody wants to make cycling into a sport. I like a different angle. I think to me, it’s more meaningful if it’s actually something really, truly useful, not that having fun is not useful. That’s how I came up with the name, just kind of, this is the cyclist who’s in the community, who’s just getting around on a bike, you know? And that always had, you know, really appealed to me. I had commuted, touring was also very appealing. I’ve done some traditional road-type touring.

How did you pick the location?
I still ride up, almost every day, here to work. I planned it that way. I live in Kingwood and when I was shopping for a space for the shop, I wanted to make it sustainable. Sometimes when you get up you don’t really feel like riding, but can I still ride? It’s 1.18 miles to my house from here. That’s something I’m proud of that I’ve stuck to.

What’s a good bike for beginners?
A fitness hybrid, so not a cruiser, but certainly not anything racy. It’s like if you start running, you’re not going to run 10 miles the first time out. So, on a bike, start out just doing two, three miles, five miles that you build up. You want to feel stable, comfortable and confident. Utilize that infrastructure, like the Big Dam Bridge and the River Trail. You don’t have to go ride down a city street. See how far you can go.

What brands do you carry?
I’ve been a Surly dealer since day one.

My favorite company to deal with is the owner of Surly and Salsa — QBP. I really like dealing with that company and they’re very much in business to keep little guys like me alive. I knew a lot of people from the Arkansas Bicycle Club back then. The ABC group had all decided they wanted to start doing some loaded, unsupported tours, you know, just get out there and camp, and it became kind of a big thing and I loved it and I was into that. Surly had the Long Haul Trucker at that time that had become No. 1 for an affordable touring bike.

I pretty much sold them all on Truckers and they loved them and they worked great.

At first, I’ve got to say, Salsa didn’t work as well as I was hoping it would, maybe the first year or two, but I would say the last three years, it’s been my hottest brand.

And, of course, the gravel craze is a big part of that. Salsa, you could argue, they actually created the gravel category.

What has helped develop the cycling community in Little Rock?
It’s a wonderful thing to see the changes that I’ve seen. The Big Dam Bridge is probably the best example of something that you wouldn’t have ever even dreamed of such a wild idea. I know that’s just one piece of infrastructure, but that, to me, symbolizes a lot. The Two Rivers Bridge, if you really want to get on a road bike and want to go do some real mileage, that’s a wonderful bit of infrastructure to get you on out there towards Pinnacle Mountain. The Southwest Trail — I hope I’m not too old to ride the darn thing when it’s finished, but that’s pretty cool. Of course, the mountain bike. I mean, that’s a whole other chapter in the book or another book, maybe. What it means to be a mountain biker is maybe not quite the same as it used to be, but maybe there’s part of me that’s not thrilled about that, but at the same time, it’s bigger and better than it ever was.

So, how is that really bad?

This or That