The (bike) doctor is in

MovingPartsMobile.com brings the bike shop to you 

By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com

* MovingMobileParts.com
* Business Facebook page

ROCKINGHAM — At least one doctor still makes house calls.

Justin Lingler realized that most people lead busy lives and more frequently have less time for the routine of daily life. That’s true for cyclists, too, and Lingler has a ready answer for that. Tire flat? Chain broken? Brakes rubbed down? Call Lingler. He’ll hop in his Scion XB and transport his mobile bike shop to you.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

Lingler, 41, moved from Pittsburgh, Pa., with his wife Dr. Kimberly Lingler, six years ago. Both are avid outdoor recreation enthusiasts — he’s a cyclist, she’s a runner — and as time passed, training in 12-degree, snow- or ice-covered streets and trails at least a quarter of the year became less appealing to both of them.

So the two chose to move to a warmer climate. Together, they looked at a map and picked a spot equally distant from the mountains to the sea. They picked Rockingham, specifically the Ledbetter community.

Kimberly accepted a job as a family practice physician with FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital. Justin’s background is in medical microbiology, but very quickly Justin decided to act on a dream to open up a bike shop. He enrolled in the United Bicycle Institute‘s on-campus mechanic class in Ashland, Ore., and then completed an internship and worked at a Fayetteville bike shop for four years. While there, he recognized the inconvenience of customers dropping off a bike and waiting a week or more to get their bike back.

What if, Lingler wondered, the bike shop came to the customer? The idea came from a commercial venture he’d seen while in Oregon. There, however, the idea was successful in an urban setting. Would the idea work in the rural Sandhills? Enter MovingPartsMobile bike service.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

“Business is slow right now,” said Lingler, who opened up his mobile shop in September 2014. “I expected it to be slow” at the start.

It’s Spring now, and riding season is upon cyclists in the Sandhills. His business model is based on one idea: “I’ll come to you.”

Lingler can accommodate even the busiest customer who can’t be on site while a repair is made. Park it out front with a padlock, he said.

“I’ll roll in while you’re at work” and voila! Most repairs will be completed by the end of the work day.

“Some customers, I have no idea what they look like,” Lingler said. “Some people can benefit from this (service) more than others.”

And to each his own. While some might be absentee bike owners, others might like to watch Lingler make the repair and learn about the process. Lingler’s just fine with that, too.

Through a few questions — there are only so many things that can go wrong with a bicycle — Lingler attempts to diagnose the problem. Technology helps, as customers can use their cellphones to transmit photos of the problem area. An appointment is made, then Lingler arrives on schedule. On the rare occasion — it has yet to happen — that he needs to take a bike in, his roof rack is ready for the job.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

Lingler has used his website and business Facebook page to help get the word out. Except for his Fayetteville cycling friends, “they didn’t know it was out there.”

His mobile bike shop, however, is his top attraction.

“People say, ‘I saw your vehicle.’ They think it’s great, but they don’t have a bike,” Lingler said.

Beyond a doubt, Lingler’s passing for cycling and the great outdoors shines through even a brief interview in a 1940s-era former gas station. He has a hilly route in the Ledbetter community he does that sometimes takes him up into Moore County. Oftentimes he chooses a shorter route but tows along his children, ages 3 and 2, for resistance training.

He hopes to pass along his love for cycling to the two youngsters — and through his mobile bike service, help take the sting out of owning and riding a bicycle even for someone who hasn’t ridden in years.

With riding, he said, “there’s a freedom there. It’s a lot like flying (and) it’s a great way to see places.”

To those who haven’t ridden in a while, Lingler doing so again can serve as a reminder of the first hint of independence a parent gives a child.

* * * 

Call 412-818-4857 or visit MovingPartsMobile.com to request an appointment.

 

Filed in: Latest Headlines, Outdoors, Sports

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