WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV (WOAY) – The pandemic has made it more difficult than ever to purchase a bike, but a Greenbrier bike enthusiast is using his resources to keep kids riding during the pandemic.
As the demand for mountain bikes rises the supply has dwindled across the nation. Max Hammer owns Hammer Cycles in White Sulphur Springs and is the head coach of a youth mountain bike team called the Greenbrier Valley Hellbenders.
“This year has been a year for everyone to get outside. Bikes have been really hard to get. There’s a lot of demand for them and there was a glitch in the supply chain, but it’s really important to get kids outside,” said Hammer.
Max teaches kids from 6th to 12th grade the fundamentals of mountain biking and encourages more riders to join the team. However, getting children’s bikes hasn’t been the easiest thing to do. Hammer now has 190 bikes on backorder.
“As far as getting children outside we’ve been struggling to get the bikes. We finally got a new kid’s bike arriving. Finally, kids’ bikes are coming back,” said Hammer.
Now that Max will have more bikes coming soon, he encourages more people to join The Greenbrier Valley Hellbenders.
“Teamwork is one of the main things I think everyone has learned. Just getting out on your bike and learning the basic skills,” said Greenbrier Valley Hellbenders member Tad Elkins.
For more information on Greenbrier Valley Hellbenders, you can visit their Facebook page.