Owner of On Two Wheels bike shop stresses inflated tires as riding season takes off
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Photos by Ryan Kerwin, JTV
Jackson — He could speak in bike lingo many would never understand and most wouldn’t have the patience to decipher.
But if there’s one thing Adam Kohn will stress, in as plain as terms as possible, it’s the need for bike riders to inflate their tires.
Simple enough?
“You would think, but I can’t tell you how many issues we see,” Kohn said with a laugh. “The most frequent type of flat we see at the store is a pinch flat, riding with too-little air in tires. It pinches the tube.”
Kohn, who owns On Two Wheels bike store in Jackson, decided to take things into his own hands with this biking epidemic, so to speak.
On Two Wheels recently donated two pumps to the Friends of the Falling Waters Trail in an effort to make inflating tires as simple, and routine, as possible.
“We recommend pumping tires at least once a week,” Kohn said. “The modern tube tires naturally seep air. Ride quality has improved dramatically over the years, but the rubber is more porous and will seep more air. Thirty years ago they didn’t lose air like now, but they were thick and heavy and rode like a tank. Some people do it every day, or at least check their tires everyday.”
The pumps were a donation for those who don’t, or don’t even consider it.
“We wanted to give something to the trail to promote that concept,” Kohn said. “We sponsor rides every week on that trial. Our family uses the trail. We always see people with low tires. … I think it was a nice gesture just to help the community. And we see it being taken advantage of quite a bit.”
Kohn said most people are aware of handheld pumps, or simple plastic ones.
“These are for outdoors, and high quality,” he said of the pumps donated to the trail. “These aren’t the basic pump you find in the garage. It’s an industrial, outdoor pump built to last.”
On Two Wheels is a shop that does sales, service and parts, said Kohn, who purchased the store from his father Chris a few years ago.
Kohn said the shop offers something from everyone, “from the most experienced riders to those getting on a bike for the first time.”
“This is a labor of love for me. The shop and staff we have working is so experienced,” Kohn said. “We’re a store that loves giving back to the community, and I think community outreach really helps everyone. I’d prefer to advertise with a pump or something if you know it’s doing good.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.
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