By Phil Corso
Living and working surrounded by bikes has become the norm for Douglaston’s Peak Mountain Bike owner Jerry Emerson, his wife and co-owner Joani and manager Kenny Schmitt.
For 14 years, the pro bike shop, tucked away at 42-42 235th St. off Douglaston Parkway, has offered a variety of options for residents of Queens to get in gear.
Within seconds of entering the store, guests are greeted by towering displays: bicycles from beginner to advanced that line the walls. And anyone who ends up purchasing a bike at the shop is guaranteed free tune-ups for a lifetime — a practice Jerry Emerson said makes their Douglaston business unique.
“It’s not work for us,” Jerry Emerson said. “It’s fun. It’s our lives.”
Emerson said the pro shop was all about building custom mountain bikes for hardcore enthusiasts, but has also expanded its reach by offering wheels to all types of customers from the common commuter to the serious racer.
And if bikers are interested in trying out some new wheels, or are peddling through the area for a visit, the pro shop also boasts its status as the only bike shop outside Manhattan that rents out bicycles.
“We’re here for all the different ‘species’ of people,” Jerry Emerson said, commenting on his wife Joani’s coined phrase of the different types of bikers who come through the shop from young beginners to extreme riders.
In addition to the sales and service side of the biking world, Peak Mountain Bike also participates in several group rides, where bike lovers come together on a weekly basis or more to venture through northeast Queens on their wheels. Each Sunday, the group meets at Cunningham Park at 8:30 a.m. to show off their rides where the first legal trails were established in Queens.
The group also participates in rides in Bayside near Fort Totten and in other areas in Queens.
“There used to be nowhere you could ride legally here,” Jerry Emerson said. “But now we have the greatest trails here.”
Because of his involvement in the biking lifestyle, the owner said his Douglaston store has become a popular hot spot for the extreme enthusiasts as he, too, remains an avid lover of the life.
“It’s like a hangout here,” Jerry Emerson said. “People have lunch here and end up staying all day sometimes.”
Douglaston’s Peak Mountain Bike pro shop was voted the best bike shop in New York state by Mountain Bike Review and participates in the community by offering donations to local groups, such as the Alley Pond Striders, a club of runners and walkers.
The shop is open seven days a week during biking season, which runs from April to January, which includes Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Beyond that, the store remains open five days each week, closing on Sundays and Mondays.
For more information, Peak Mountain Bike can be found online at peakmtnbike.com or by phone at 718-225-5119.
Reach reporter Phil Corso by e-mail at pcorso@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
