Meet Our Team
Tyler
Specialty: Just a bit of everything, Owner
Hometown: Burlington, IA
Favorite Ride: RAGBRAI & Wednesday Night Dinner Rides
Fuel: Coffee
Gear: Garmin 1030 & Checkpoint SL 5
Passion: Time with my family, our family business, anything cycling (including community bike paths & trails) and woodworking. I'm a hands-on kind of guy, always learning and trying something new!
Look & Listen: Science fiction books; blues, rock & jazz. Imagine Dragons is a family road trip favorite.
Travel: New Orleans was entertaining, great memories in Madison, WI, and I have enjoyed time in Washington D.C. Hope to get to Alaska someday!
Community: I'm very active in the support & coordination of local bicycle rides & events. I'm an active member in the Bike Burlington Cycling Club (overseeing duties as the RAGBRAI Coordinator), Des Moines County Living Well and the Flint River Trail Committee. I also attend the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. whenever possible (supporting the League of American Bicyclists). I am currently serving as a director on the Greater Burlington Partnership's Chamber of Commerce Board. When not working, I enjoy spending time with my son through various Mississippi Valley Boy Scout camps & activities.
Melinda
Specialty: What he said, with an added focus on marketing & events, Owner
Hometown: Burlington, IA
Favorite Ride: Family bike rides & Wednesday Night Dinner Rides
Fuel: Hot showers, sleep, hugs from my kids, coffee & an organized house!
Gear: I'm a hybrid bike kind-of-gal, Trek 7.6 FX WSD!
Passion: My husband, children, business, church, community & friends. I’m also a complete football junkie!
Look & Listen: I'm a classically trained pianist and enjoy all kinds of music genres. I read & listen to all types of material & podcasts however, I’m currently very well-versed in children’s literature!
Travel: I have been to almost every state in the continental U.S.A.
Community: I'm very active in the support & coordination of many local bicycle rides (including Snake Alley Criterium Kid Races & Bike Burlington's Annual Cranksgiving Food Drive) as well as other area health & wellness activities and events. I have served as a board member of the Greater Burlington Convention & Visitors Bureau & am actively involved in PORT of Ft. Madison. As a family, we are very involved in our church community, and as any parent can appreciate, the kids keep us quite busy with their many school activities.
Mike
Specialty: Tyler's right hand man, General Manager
Years of Experience: 16 years
Certifications: Trek Bike Fitting Services, as well as, Trek Bicycle, Shimano, True Fitness and Life Fitness Technician Services
Hometown: Burlington, IA
Fuel: Coffee
Gear: Garmin Edge 500
Passion: Simple – Cycling!
Travel: Continental U.S.A.
Community: I volunteer a lot of my time helping to prepare for local bike races in addition to lending a hand to ongoing trail work and development (including the North Gorge Trail System), when not personally riding them myself! I also typically oversee the bicycle safety checks Bickel's offers free-of-charge at the annual Burlington Youth Triathlon every June.
Superhero Name: I will not disclose my secret identity
Chris
Specialty: Getting things fixed, Lead Service Technician & Sales
Years of Experience: 25 years
Certifications: True Fitness, Trek Bicycle, Shimano and Elliptigo Technician Services
Hometown: Burlington, IA
Favorite Ride: R.A.I.N.
Fuel: Mountain Dew
Gear: Bib Shorts, Honey Stingers, Endurox R4, CO2 Inflators, Trek Madone 5.2 – Project 1
Passion: Spending time with my wife (Jennifer), my son (Quinton), slot car racing, Sprint car races, and of course, riding my bike!
Travel: Want to go to Moab, UT to ride Slickrock
Community: Outside of my son's school activities, I volunteer a lot of my time helping to prepare for local bike rides. You're guaranteed to always find me on Bike Van Buren every August offering SAG support and bicycle repairs on behalf of Bickel's free-of-charge.
Favorite Childhood TV Show: Dukes of Hazzard
Renee
Specialty: Zen master extraordinaire, Office Manager & Sales
Years of Experience: 23 years
Hometown: Ottumwa, IA
Favorite Ride: Always a ride to Dairy Queen or Grandpa's Ice Cream!
Gear: Elliptical
Passion: Spending time with my grandkids!
Look & Listen: Books by James Patterson
Travel: If you are reading this, honey...I want to go on a cruise somewhere tropical!
Favorite Childhood TV Shows: The Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, and Sonny & Cher
Robbie
Specialty: Doing the heavy lifting & taking care of folks, Sale & Lead Fitness Service Technician
Years of Experience: 20 years
Certifications: True Fitness and Life Fitness Technician Services
Hometown: Burlington, IA
Favorite Ride: Rolling through Lake Geode on my motorcycle
Fuel: Coffee and the King of Beers!
Gear: Park Tools
Passion: Motorcycles & the Pittsburgh Steelers
Look & Listen: Led Zeppelin & classic rock
Travel: Jamaica is my favorite, but I've also enjoyed Maui, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen
Favorite Childhood TV Show: Chips
Jerry
Specialty: Being awesome & inspiring many, Bike Mechanic & Wheelman Extraordinaire
Years of Experience: 28 years
Hometown: Floris, IA
Favorite Ride: RAGBRAI
Gear: The best bike captain in the world, my wife!
Passion: Teaching others that blindness is not a disability, it is an inconvenience
Look & Listen: Bluegrass & Gospel
Travel: Been to the Space Needle in Seattle, WA
Community: National Federation for the Blind
Jason
Specialty: A helpful smile in every aisle, Sales & Service Technician
Hometown: Burlington, IA
Favorite Ride: EVERY RIDE! The 100-mile loop on RAGBRAI
Gear: 2018 Emonda SLR 8, Fuel EX 8, Flare R - LIFESAVER!
Passion: Anytime I get to spend with my dog, Friday "patio nights" enjoying BBQ with friends & the county fair!
Travel: Been to NYC!
Community: Way too many to list! Des Moines County Skywarn, Des Moines County CERT, Des Moines County Fair Board
Favorite Childhood TV Shows: Dukes of Hazzard, Different Strokes, M.A.S.H.
Larry
Specialty: Keeping it real, Sales & Service Technician
Hometown: Donnellson, IA
Favorite Ride: Most epic – riding up Haleakala, Maui. Hardest – Dahlonega Six Gap Century
Passion: Photography & surfing…and I don’t mean on the Mississippi. Note the Hawaiian theme here!
Look & Listen: ‘90s Alternative & Hawaiian
Travel: Been to Europe, Hawaii, & Alaska. Want to visit Ireland, Australia, & New Zealand
Community: I volunteer with the Special Olympics as well as military, veteran causes
Jacob
Specialty: A helpful man with a plan, Sales & Service Technician
Hometown: Burlington, IA
Favorite Ride: Mountain Biking
Fuel: Cold shower
Gear: Skateboard
Passion: Playing the guitar, helping others, spending time with family & friends, video games, nature hikes, camping & fishing.
Travel: Been to Canada!
Community: I’m a full-time firefighter for the Burlington Fire Department
Justin
Specialty: Keeping the train movin', Sales & Service Technician
Years of Experience: 9 years
Certification: True Fitness Service
Hometown: Fort Madison, IA
Fuel: Sleep
Passion: My son, family and riding my bike!
Travel: Definitely want to visit Spain someday
Favorite Childhood TV Show: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Community: I work full-time as an engineer for Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Leroy & Sandie
Specialty:
- Leroy - Being retired but loving time at the bike shop working on bikes, talking with folks and supplying my grandchildren with an endless supply of cookies, Wednesday Night Dinner Ride Coordinator.
- Sandie - Being retired along with gardening & spending time with my grandchildren, too.
Hometown: Milton & Ottumwa, IA
Favorite Ride: Any bike ride! But a strong tailwind ride to Wapello, IA is nice or a leisurely trek through the Florida Keys
Fuel: Fried chicken at The Pink in Lomax, IL & chocolate
Gear: Bike shoes, padded bike shorts & jerseys. It makes for the perfect closet!
Look & Listen: Gavin Menzies book - 1421: The Year China Discovered America
Passion: Biking, fishing & family get-togethers
Community: We’re involved in the Bike Burlington Bicycle Club, church & the Burlington Art Center
Travel: We have enjoyed many winters in the Florida Keys!
Favorite Childhood TV Shows: Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy & The Lone Ranger. On radio - Amos & Andy