This Little Bike Shop of Texas opens in Port Isabel
Anyone in the South Padre Island area now has someone they can see about fixing their bikes. Photos by Raul Garcia | The South Padre Island Post
By RAUL GARCIA JR | South Padre Island Post
PORT ISABEL —- Leonard Foster knows bikes.
He won the 1988 Southern Freestyle Championship and was a top 10 dirt jumper in the 1990s before there was X Games in Southern California.
“We started the X Games and in the later part of my career I won a number of racing titles and state championships in rider age groups,” Leonard said. “And I still continue to ride when I get a chance.”
He said he specialized in ramp and flat land tricks.
“I was very proficient in both classes,” Leonard said. “The trick that I’m known for is the ‘Surfer Air’. It’s where you go across a jump and you remove your feet from the peddles in air and you put them on the frame and fly all the way across the jump and land that way instead of on the peddles.”
Beachgoers can spot him toiling away under the hot sun tightening up bicycle wheels and fixing bikes for customers to get them back on the road s they drive by towards the Island.
He offers a full service bicycle repair shop, rentals, repairs for commercial and everything imaginable on a bike.
“And I’m and electric bike specialist too and that is one thing that is hard to find actually someone who has experience working on an electric type vehicle,” Leonard said.
And he hasn’t stoped since opening up This Little Bike Shop of Texas in Port Isabel located on 910 West Hwy 100.
“This isn’t my first rodeo, I have been in and out of the bicycle business for over 33 years now,” Leonard said. “It’s one of the many things that I’m into that I have a passion for.”
Leonard set up shop on Port Isabel not only because he saw the need for his services, but the weather reminded him of home in Pensacola, Florida where he grew up.
“So far business has been outstanding,” Leonard said. “The community is very happy that I’m here, they are bringing me food, water and giving me things and don’t want me to go anywhere. So it’s been very positive and its been a lot of work so far to be such a new shop.”
Leonard opened up recently and has been busy than ever over the last four months.
“The pandemic has boosted the bicycle industry from a little set back with the tariffs effected the bicycle industry dramatically and actual manufactures have cut back on production which has led to the shortage we have now with the pandemic,” Leonard said. “The pandemic has influenced more people across the world than ever to ride bikes, and in the United States more and more family groups are riding bikes. There has been and still continues to be a nationwide bicycle shortage.”
Between March and July big stores like Walmart, Academy and others sold out of bicycles and didn’t restock until recently with limited supply.
“You can still buy kids bikes and very, very high end bikes, but general cycling is lacking right now,” Leonard said. “It’s the new toy everyone wants.”
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