Dunbar Cycles

According to its owner, Rob Venables, “[There are] records showing that Dunbar Cycles has been in business since as far back as 1926.” But you won't find any penny farthings or hobby horses on its showroom floor.

After over 80 years as a neighbourhood shop serving Vancouver's west side, Dunbar Cycles has relocated and reinvented itself. Now situated at 195 West Broadway, a stone's throw from several other bicycle and outdoor retailers, Dunbar Cycles is quickly establishing itself as the centre of mountain biking in Vancouver — and it's not stopping there.

Unlike most shop owners — many of whom can trace their involvement in bike shops back decades, if not generations — Rob is a relative newcomer to the industry. He comes from a racing and small-business background, and jumped at an opportunity to combine the two by purchasing Dunbar Cycles in 2008. He quickly set about putting his stamp on the place, turning a local shop in a quiet residential neighbourhood into a name with national, and arguably global, recognition.

Rob sees his relative inexperience as a strength rather than a weakness, putting his lifelong experience to use by emphasizing a focus and connection to the client. “I've spent most of my time in the bike industry as a customer, so I run the store from a customer's perspective,” he says. With Internet sales taking an ever-growing slice of the bicycle retail pie, shops are having to concentrate on what they are uniquely positioned to provide — knowledge and service — to remain successful and survive. Now, with that emphasis firmly entrenched on the shop floor, Dunbar Cycles is taking a decidedly aggressive approach to growing its brand and market.