Its Official!

From the Cap times:

The Cronometro bicycle shop, known nationally for fitting riders  to their bikes, is moving to a new location on Madison’s south side.

Cronometro is leasing space at 338 W. Lakeside St., in a locally owned commercial district that includes Lakeside Fibers and the Lakeside Street Coffee House.

The store has been located at 1402 Williamson St. for the past years but owner Colin O’Brien says he had been looking to move for some time. Batch Bakehouse, an east-side bakery, will move into the Crono site in January.

“I had wanted to be more centrally located, where west-side clients could just pop right off the Beltline,” says O’Brien, who also lives just three blocks from the new location. “In some ways, this was almost too easy.”

The bike shop move is scheduled for late September.

In addition to being more convenient, O’Brien says the new location is an ideal launching spot for group rides organized by the shop. The Lakeside Street store is close to the Capital City Bike Trail and the UW Arboretum, two popular starting points for longer routes out of the city.

“Madison has a very active cycling community and Dane County is a fantastic place to ride,” says O’Brien, 55, a former elite racer who once held the U.S. national one hour time trial record.

O’Brien said the business, which has four employees, will continue to focus on custom fitting and repairs. Cronometro is also the retailer for high-end racing bikes including Colnago, Seven Cycles, Parlee, Focus and Cervelo.

Ald. Sue Ellingson said she was thrilled to see another business locating in her south-side district. The neighborhood is witnessing this summer the redevelopment of the former Bancroft Dairy site on South Park Street into a UW Medical clinic and discussions over new mid-rise apartment buildings at both the Lane’s Bakery and Ideal Body Shop properties.

“I’m very excited about everything that is going on,” she says. “Having a bike shop will be another boost for the community.”

Cronometro was founded in 1989 and has been in several different east-side locations, including a stint on Winnebago Street. In addition to the bike store, O’Brien is also co-owner of Cyclesport Travel, which caters bicycle trips to Europe for cyclists looking to climb some of the same mountains used in the Tour de France.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/business/biz_beat/biz-beat-cronometro-bike-shop-moving-to-south-side/article_08b54760-e595-11e1-b2ed-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz23XETdmqg