An indoor bike park is about to open in Maple Ridge.
The North Shore Bike Park was forced to move from its home in North Vancouver, but after volunteers put in a construction effort to rival the building of the pyramids, it has been reassembled in a Maple Ridge industrial park.
Owning partner Mike Upton said the company had its eyes on Maple Ridge as a site for expansion for some time. Their business model is about taking vacant commercial space and repurposing it for family recreation. Ridge had the space at 13065 Katonien St., and has the demographics required – lots of young families. Upton and his partners had been planning a second location. So, when their North Van facilities were forced to make way for pickleball courts, the decision about where to go was easy.
Much tougher was the move itself – unscrewing ramps and wooden “terrain,” and loading the materials onto trucks, to bring to Maple Ridge to reassemble. To get manpower, the business offered customers to swap their manual labour for day passes. Supporters who cycle, skate, and scooter at their indoor facility pitched in.
“We’ve survived on volunteer efforts,” said Upton. “A lot of our regulars came out to help, but so did a lot of families who we had never seen before.”
“It worked out well for us, and they’re happy,” he said.
Most of the customers are enthusiasts who come from within 40 km, but they draw from as far away as the Okanagan, Washington State and Vancouver Island for their rare facilities.
“It’s all wheels all the time,” said Upton. “We have BMXers, mountain bikers, skaters and scooters who all share the same space, and we never have conflicts.”
The business is slower during the summer, so they offer lessons and camps. But winter is when it gets busy, as the facility allows enthusiasts to pursue their sports year-round.
“It’s safe, dry, and hopefully warm,” said Upton.
They held an event for volunteers last weekend, where there were the first test runs.
“It was to thank them, and to help see how things flow,” said Upton.
They have jump lines, a pump track, a foam pit for tricks that would otherwise have a hard landing, an urban zone, and an upstairs mezzanine for viewing. And they still have about 8,000 square feet to build on.
The company has got a lot of expertise in building indoor terrain.
“Josh (Straat) and his guys did an awesome job,” asserts Upton. “The feedback we’ve had has been incredible – everyone is stoked.”
The next step is permitting. He said city hall welcomed the unique new business, and he is hoping their final inspections will allow them to open as soon as this weekend.
“The City of Maple Ridge has been amazing – I have no complaints,” said Upton.
For information see northshorebikepark.ca