Business Profile: Mohegan Cycles, Mohegan Lake
With the weather warming, cycling and mountain biking are popular spring activities in the region. Whether you are looking to go out for a leisurely ride with your friends and family or are an enthusiast that takes the sport seriously, a new store has opened to meet your needs.
Howard and Jennifer Chung of White Plains have opened up Mohegan Cycles at 1922 E. Main Street in Mohegan Lake. The store is located in between Wild Asian and Wallauers.
“This is not a shop where you walk in and see a bunch of $5,000 bicycles hanging out,” said Howard Chung. “In simplest terms we are a neighborhood bike shop. We don’t do anything but bicycles here. We are focusing on the family side of the business, while offering merchandise for the enthusiasts, too.”
The store offers a variety of recreation and racer bicycle brands such as, Trek, Gary Fisher, Raleigh, Diamondback, MirraCo, Eastern, Bianchi and Dahon.
“We have good value bikes that people can purchase and take for a ride together along the North County Trail,” said Chung. “We also offer repairs and also have parts so bike enthusiasts can work on their own bikes.”
The store’s services include repairing, rentals and offering professional fitting. In fact, Chung said that while they sell bicycles, he and the staff are just as excited to help refurbish an old bike.
“Just because a bike is 20 years old, does not mean it cannot be fixed,” said Chung. “It might take a bit of spit and polish on it as well as some mechanical expertise, but it can be done. There is such a great feeling when a bike like that leaves the store looking like a million bucks.”
The shop also offers biking apparel for men and women, car racks, child carriers, trailers, trail-a-bikes, unicycles, Kettler tricycles and other bike accessories.
To Chung, who is a successful entrepreneur, the shop is an opportunity to mix his passion of mountain biking with business.
“Mountain biking is one of my passions and I feel fortunate to be around so many great trails that are so well maintained in northern Westchester,” said Chung. “There are so many local organizations around here that support the rider and we are looking forward to having a relationship with all of them.”
Chung is one of the original founders of the healthy fast food shop Energy Kitchens. He sold his shares of the company years ago to focus on being a stay at home dad to his three sons. Family is important to the Chungs, so having a family-oriented bike shop allows them to keep their values and enjoy their passions.
The Chungs also own the chain of Calista Superfoods in Manhattan.
“We do not want our shop to be intimidating,” said Chung. “It is important to us that everyone feels welcome.”
Mohegan Cycles will be hosting beginner and intermediate workshops to help people become familiar with the ins and outs of bicycle maintenance. The store will also be organizing bike outings that will be led by some of the staff members, who are all bike enthusiasts themselves.
The classes and outings will be listed on the stores website, found online at www.mohegancycles.com and people can reserve spots by calling (914) 526-2600.
Chung is aware of the recent closure of Danny’s Cycles, which was located in Cortlandt Town Center. In fact he was a frequent shopper there for years. To help the local customer who may have recently purchased merchandise from Danny’s, Mohegan Cycles will honor Danny’s Cycle bike warranty and service plans.
Regular customers who shopped at Danny’s may also see some familiar faces, as Chung has hired some of the employees from Danny’s Cycles to help run Mohegan Cycles.
Mohegan Cycles is open seven days a week. The store opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. except Wednesday through Friday, when the store stays op
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
