SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – An old building in Meyers has been given new life after Ride Tahoe and Wattabike recently moved in to provide people with all of their two-wheeled needs.
Kent Wattanachinda had his full-service bike shop in the parking lot of the Roadrunner gas station for the last 18 years, when the opportunity arose to expand into a bigger location in the heart of Meyers. Mark Budgell, the owner of TubeTahoe, wanted to start a bike rental business to tap into a growing mountain bike culture in Meyers.
Now, both men are operating out of the same building to provide cyclists with rentals, sales, and service. Wattabike has one side, and Ride Tahoe has the other.
“This combines all the needs of the biking community,” said Budgell of his new business and passion, and Wattanachinda’s relocation.
Budgell said Meyers as a community is growing, and they are excited to be part of it.
Located at 3071 US Highway 50, the bike business is on the corner of the highway with Apache Avenue, across from the post office. They will be adding landscaping and moving their doors to face the highway and the bike trail.
Wattanachinda has lived on the South Shore for 31 years and started his business doing mobile tune-ups after working at Caesars Tahoe.
“I always loved to fix bikes,” explained Wattanachinda. “Growing up in Bangkok, I was always watching people fix bikes – always loved it. It’s cool to make a living doing what I love to do.”
The new combined shop opened on May 1, and it’s been very busy for both men getting everything going, and for Wattanachinda to get his 18 years’ worth of inventory and supplies moved over.
The Wattanachinda side switches operations for the winter with ski and snowboard rentals and repairs, as well as equipment for backcountry skiing. The Ride Tahoe side closes as Budgell concentrates on Tube Tahoe for the winter.
For more information on Wattabike, visit https://wattabike.com/. They are open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day but Sunday, which is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information on Ride Tahoe and to reserve a bike rental, visit https://ridetahoerentals.com/. There, one will also find a list of great bike rides. They are open seven days a week, Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.