SIDNEY — Two Sidney natives and graduates of Sidney High School will be bringing their passion for bicycling to the Sidney community beginning April 26.
Bob Driskell – currently working full time as an environmental and safety administrator at Polyfill – has cultivated a love for fixing up bicycles since he was a child. His wife, Vicky – currently working part time at The County Classifieds – has always loved to ride. So, naturally, they decided to open Bob’s Classic Bicycles in downtown Sidney where the couple can buy vintage bikes from flea markets, antique stores and auctions and Bob can restore them to make them look brand new.
The bikes in the shop are as old as 1950 and as new as 2020, but you will never see a brand new bike for sale. This is what will set their shop apart from other bike shops in the area, although they are not looking to compete with the other stores for business, Vicky said.
While one motivation for the shop is to bring something new to the Sidney bicycling community, Bob and Vicky also want to bring families together, as bicycling did for their family during the height of the pandemic.
“When the pandemic hit and we were all confined, that was something that we got our kids involved in and doing where we could be together but not on top of each other,” Vicky said. “We could be together safely.”
Bob and Vicky live on the north end of town and ride their bikes in their neighborhood daily. They are also friends with Juanita McCrum, the co-owner of Ron and Nita’s and the landlord the bicycle shop will be renting from. McCrum said she is excited about the opening of the shop and it will be a good addition to the retail atmosphere downtown.
“They (the Driskells) know a lot about bikes and it’s been a lifetime hobby of his (Bob’s), so he really is up to snuff on bicycles,” McCrum said.
With so many roots in the community, there’s nowhere else Vicky and Bob would rather start the business.
“A lot of people I graduated with go to Florida and do this and that, and that’s wonderful. My idea is to do something I love right here. I don’t have to go anywhere; I don’t have to do anything other than to hop on my bike and go.”
Bob’s Classic Bicycles will be open Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be located at 128 S. Main Ave.
