A leap of faith

In 1975, Hal Honeyman made a bold move.

At the time he was a college student working part time in a bike shop. When an opportunity to buy the shop arose, Honeyman brought the idea to his family. And together, they…

“Just jumped off the cliff,” Honeyman said.

Fifty years later, the family business is still soaring.

A St. Charles institution, The Bike Rack sells a wide range of bikes, from road and mountain bikes to those designed for riders with varying needs and abilities. Among its more unique offerings are recumbent bikes, which provide a greater level of support and require less exertion for the rider than traditional models, and adult-sized trikes, which allow for additional stability by way of a third wheel.

“We have customers riding 100 miles a day at 60 years old,” said Honeyman, adding that electric assistance is another huge benefit to riders. “People are out there riding and improving their quality of life tremendously.”

In addition to its retail selection, The Bike Rack is known for the care and consideration staff put into finding the perfect fit for riders, utilizing several tools such as motion capture and pressure mapping.

“With mapping, we can see all the pressure points and we can try out different saddles,” said Honeyman, adding that the goal is remove a rider’s “hot spots” so as to eliminate any pain caused by cycling. “We have technology that will take the guesswork out and provide a better experience.”

Family matriarch, Nancy Honeyman, is particularly known for her successes in the fit department.

“She was a pro at fitting anyone who came in no matter how big or how small,” said her daughter, Tammy Simmons, who is also part of the business. “People would be like, ‘are you sure?’ and she’d say “yes, get on the bike with both feet and I will hold you up.‘”

Nancy Honeyman remains a presence at the store, working alongside her family. Her husband, Dale, was also an integral part of The Bike Rack until his death in 2021.

“Working with all of our children most every day has been the best part of owning our own family business,” Nancy Honeyman said. “Not just working with our kids, but our grandkids and now even our great grandchildren come in and spend time here.”

Nancy Honeyman also cherishes the relationships she’s made with those who have worked at the store over the decades.

“We have had such amazing kids who came to us when they were teenagers and would stay with us through college,” she said. “We even have some of those same kids still help us out for special events or if we need some extra help.”

The Bike Rack takes part in numerous community cycling events every year, providing logistical as well as mechanical support to participants. The business is also behind Project Mobility, which supplies adaptive bikes, specially fabricated and fit to meet a huge range of abilities, to disabled children, adults and soldiers. The nonprofit puts on events throughout the region, including at children’s and VA hospitals.

“Many times, it’s the first time someone in a wheelchair has gotten on a bike,” said Honeyman, who has a personal connection to helping individuals with motor impairments. His son, Jacob, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a baby. “We give people that freedom and they smile ear to ear. You take someone with a spinal cord injury or brain injury and they’re getting some of their mobility back. That smile never gets old. It’s life changing.”

Hal Honeyman also finds an immense sense of gratification in his work with wounded veterans.

“I’ll see someone three years after I put them on an adaptive bike and they’ll tell me ‘I would not be alive today if you hadn’t gotten me on a bike,” he recounted. “We’re pretty blessed to have that experience.”

To learn more about Project Mobility and how to support its efforts, visit projectmobility.org.