19 Jul 2015 Leamon and 'The Ride'

by Karl Lenser
Mike Kemp photo

Conway residents have been fortunate to have a full service bike shop that has become an integral part of the community.

The Ride’s owner, Erik Leamon, had a vision back in 2003 to launch a full service bike shop, and it has become a reality. Erik has done a magnificent job in building his business and reputation for being involved in the community. The Ride is the “go to” store for a wide demographic base ranging from hard-core triathletes to the recreational cyclists. The Ride is truly a full service bike shop that is staffed by customer-friendly and knowledgeable staff that put a great deal of attention to each and every customer.

The origins of The Ride and its steady growth are a testament to the power of having great family, a supportive network of close friends and a faith that serves as a stabilizer when life’s road emerges with potholes and rough spots.

Birthplace: I was born in Helena, but I have no memory of my time there. I was raised from the age of 2 through high school in Wynne.

Where did you go to college: I attended the University of Central Arkansas and received a bachelor of science degree in biology.

Tell us about your family: I’ve been married for 19 years to my best friend, Tara, whom I met my freshman year at UCA. We have four children: daughters Kelly (14) and Felicity (12) and sons Joshua (9) and Caleb (5).

How long have you lived in Conway? We’ve lived here for about 20 years. There was a year or two here or there that we lived elsewhere, but this has been home the whole time, pretty much.

When did you open The Ride? March 8, 2004.

When did you first begin to envision owning a full service bike shop? The spring/summer of 2003. Several of my friends would meet with me at Bob’s Grill about once a month and look over my business plan, talk dreams and envision how we could make it happen. They were all a huge help.

Why did you open The Ride? I saw an opportunity for my vocation, my passion and my family and friends to all come together in one place.

What people influenced you in this decision to open a bike shop? This is a long list and I know I will probably forget someone. My wife, parents and in-laws. John Ed Moore, Steve Pascoe, Steve Hudson, Tim Cummins, Jeff Goff, Greg Kendrick — all of whom regularly sat with me in the year or so before we opened and punched holes in my business plan. Rick Bezet and Bobby Hamilton at New Life Church spoke lots of encouragement and great advice to me, telling me I had wings and to use them. Jeff Courtway. Jeff had no idea I had been visiting with friends about possibly opening a shop. There was a Sunday service at church in which I decided quietly to myself that I was going to do it, I was going to open a bike shop. Jeff walked up to me after service and said, “Erik Leamon, you need to open a bike shop.” And I answered, “I am.” This was October of 2003. There was one, or two, that said I’d fail, that I couldn’t do it, and that made me want to even more so.

Describe how your store has grown and why? We have had lots of ups and downs on this 11-plus year journey. I think we’ve grown in how we serve. We started on this journey serving because we wanted people to like us, to choose our store, to shop with us. Don’t get me wrong, we still want that, after all, it’s nice to stay in business, but now we serve more from a knowledge of who we are and our role in the community, what we are to be busy doing; subtle change, but a big difference in how we see ourselves and what we do.

Community service seems to be part of The Ride’s mission or philosophy. Can you list some of the local events that you have helped sponsor or promote? We try our best to support and/or sponsor any and all events that involve cycling in the Conway area in some form or fashion. One that we’ve been most involved in has probably been the Conway Kids’ Triathlon. Our family has been a part of this event since before any of our children were born and since before The Ride was born. We also volunteer regularly to help with the Conway Bike Share and Repair (CBSAR), a grassroots partnership with Conway Advocates for Cycling, UCA and The Ride. At CBSAR, we repair bikes that are not cost effective to have repaired at a bike shop. We also take in used bikes and bike parts, work to repair them and give them to local charities to distribute.

What has been the biggest challenge that you have faced with The Ride? It was more difficult than I imagined when my hobby/passion became my job. I went through a pretty low point when we tried our hand at an outdoor store and it didn’t make it, back about seven or eight years ago. We failed in our outdoor store and had to close the doors. At a time like that, I really needed the stress relief of a good ride, and yet, that was the last thing I wanted to do. I grew a lot during that time and learned so much about balance and being yourself, and not being the you that you think others want you to be.

Your philosophy of life/advice to the readers: Strive to be the very best version of myself I can be spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally and to encourage others to do the same. There’s never been another Erik Leamon and there never will be again, so I had better do a good job at being him.

How and when did you start getting into fitness? What triggered the desire to become fit and an endurance athlete? I grew up riding my bike all day every day and roller-skating every Friday night, so I’ve always been pretty active, but never really into team sports. I started running and cycling a little in high school. What really tipped me over and got me hooked was my first mountain bike race in college that Tara encouraged me to participate in.

What makes your bike shop unique? We’re closed on Saturday. I’ve not seen many other retail businesses that are so I guess that makes us unique. There are probably other more notable things, but being closed on Saturday is at the root of who I am, my faith.

How has your spiritual fitness helped you with your career? It’s my life breath. Without North on my compass I have nothing; it’s my purpose, my legacy, why I do what I do.

Your advice for anyone thinking about getting in shape and becoming more active? Not to sound cliché, but just do it. You will never know how good life can be until you do. It’s the fountain of youth. One of my favorite words is alacrity. You have to shut the mouth of the negative voice inside that we all have and just choose to do it, right now, with all the zest and zeal you can muster, even if it’s just a pinch.

Another of my favorite words is equanimity. You’re not going to accomplish your goals every time, or if/when you do, rarely in the time frame you set for yourself. Life happens and not usually according to plan, so ride the wave with calm and purpose. You’ve heard “you are what you eat.” Yes, this is true, but even more true “you are what you think/do.”