on your bike!
an interview with claudia nix
by danny (danielle) bernstein

The phrase is an insult in British English. It means “get lost”, the equivalent of the American “take a hike”. For Claudia Nix, "on your bike" is anything but an insult—biking is her total life. She sells bikes, she rides bikes, she advocates for cyclists and bike paths.

I first met Claudia Nix at a Mountain Microenterprise Fund (MMF) event held to inspire its members. (She was part of a panel of successful business owners.)

As the co-owner of Liberty Bicycles in South Asheville and a committed advocate for the outdoors, she seemed to embody the attributes of a woman who I wanted to get to know. Her presentation at MMF emphasized how giving to the community in terms of time, money and expertise would come back to business owners with high interest. Claudia certainly “talked the talk”. But I was curious to learn if “she walked the walk” or in her case, “cycled the road”. When I looked her up on the Web and learned that she came to Warren Wilson College in 1965, it did not take higher-level mathematics to figure out that we were almost exactly the same age. I was eager to talk with her in depth.

At the back of the Liberty Bicycle shop, we sat down in a cluttered office she shares with her husband and business partner, Mike. Claudia grew up outside Cleveland and taught ballet, tap and modern dance after high school for two years. She was attracted by the work-study program and the Presbyterian heritage of Warren Wilson College (WWC) and fell in love with the area. “You could touch the stars here”, she recalls. At WWC, she also met Mike, who she refers to as her “good buddy, my best friend”. Click! They must be married for over thirty years, another thing we have in common.

She graduated with a Social Science degree, in the first WWC class to complete four years of college. Previously, WWC had only offered Associates Degree. In the 1970s, she practiced Social Work and headed the Health and Physical Education area at the YWCA. She also taught aerobics.

“The big bike boom was in the 1970s. I helped organize meetings encouraging bike paths in Asheville.” She started to lead rides in 1974, was instrumental in forming the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, and became president. Currently Mike is president. The club encourages both mountain biking and road biking and is involved in trail maintenance and advocacy for road biking.

I asked her what she likes about riding. “I love bike riding because of the freedom it gives me. We went on a two-week bike trip in our early cycling years. Every night, we went to bed exhausted and every morning we woke up refreshed and ready to go. I was hooked. Traveling by bike is invigorating, the smells, the sounds and it is easy to stop and enjoy the surroundings. It is also a great way to meet people. When you get off the bike on a road ride, drivers always ask where you came from and where you are going. Cycling clears the physical and mental yuck out of your system.”

She explained that mountain and road biking are two different sports. To Claudia, road biking means speed, wind blowing through her hair, freedom. With mountain biking, she does not have to worry about cars. “In a way, mountain biking is similar to hiking but you can go further but you can also fall more often.”

The best places to mountain bike around Western North Carolina are the North Mills River area. Her eyes lit up as she re-emphasized that the area had wonderful riding opportunities. For road riding, she recommended Biltmore Forest.

Fitness program
We compared our fitness programs. Claudia pointed out that cycling is not enough for total fitness. “If you just ride, you lose flexibility in your shoulders and hips. When you ride, your upper body is almost immobile and you are bent over the bike for a long time.” That’s why she does yoga. Her employees were surprised to discover how inflexible they were, even though they are strong and dedicated cyclists. So Claudia hired a yoga teacher and the whole staff, including herself, practice yoga together once a week.

She stressed the need for walking or hiking. Women, especially, need impact sports to ward off the decline into osteoporosis. She lifts weights, especially in winter. “I ride at least three times a week and also commute to work. In our current store, we have installed a shower so that my staff and I can feel comfortable riding to work.”

Getting started in the bike business
When Mike was a teacher, he started a cycling program at his school and found himself fixing kids’ bikes. Claudia and Mike bought bikes and eventually planned a bicycle tour for a group. Then they discovered that bike stores in Asheville at that time did not stock touring equipment, such as pannier, needed to carry gear for multi-day rides. The stores were not even willing to special order for a group. So Claudia organized equipment for the trip. Little by little, Claudia and Mike found that they had set up a shop in their house. When they realized that they had bikes in every room of their house, they opened a store on Liberty St., hence the name. Their present store is their fourth location—fifth, if you count the house.

When she finally quit her job to run the shop, she did not have a day off for three years. She only had one employee, a mechanic, since Mike was still teaching. So she found herself working fourteen-hour days and had no time to cycle. Finally, Mike bought her a dog so she would be forced to go outside.

Giving back to the community
Community involvement was the recurring theme throughout our discussion. She was on the board of Riverlink, as part of her efforts to find places for people to ride. Currently she is involved in the Safe Route to School program including the National Walk to School Day.
“Walk to School Day?” I asked her.
“In the 1980s, my son walked or cycled to school every day, independent of weather or how late he got up. How did we get to a point where children cannot walk or cycle to school?”

Claudia explained that the news media magnifies all possible dangers that could happen to a child. They blow every incident out of proportion and the result is that parents are not comfortable with children out on their own. We have lost many of our neighborhood schools. When Asheville converted to magnet schools, we increased the distance between home and school. In addition, our whole culture is drive-thru. We have further to go to stores and playgrounds.

She is also involved in Strive Not to Drive Week, an annual program urging people to walk, cycle, carpool, take public transport— do anything but drive. This Asheville program is being held this month from May 10 to 18. Every day that week, a different mode of transportation will be emphasized.

“Biking is my total life.” She reiterated, “I want to see the community not depend on cars. As you get older, people find it difficult to drive and can lose their mobility. So they need other options such as biking and walking.”

Different phases of the job
Claudia has no disconnect between her business life and her personal life. “It is fun to work for yourself. But it can get too serious if you let it. I like to be with my customers. I am a people person.” She finds it exciting to lead rides, meet new riders and to watch people become confident on their bikes. “I think it is important to educate the customer, not just to sell to them. In a way, I am still doing social work, but in a physically active setting”. She also encourages all riders to wear helmets although it is only a North Carolina law for children under 16.

Mike and Claudia deal with different aspects of the business. Mike is the big picture person. He analyses where the business is now and where it is going. “But he’d give away the store if I let him”. Claudia takes care of the details. When I came in to the store, she was discussing the price of a shirt as she and a young woman employee walked around the clothing section. She could not overemphasize the importance of her staff to the success of Liberty Bicycles. They are dedicated people who enjoy the sport.

Her proudest physical accomplishments:
Claudia did the Spartanburg to Mt. Mitchell event, a 100 miles one-way ride. If you have ever driven the Mt. Mitchell road from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the parking lot at Mt. Mitchell, think about the challenge of cycling up that road. Claudia has also qualified to compete in the National Senior Olympics in Hampton Roads, Virginia and will represent our state in the 55-59 year age group at the end of May. The Senior Olympics, a biennial event, expects over 10,000 athletes age 50 and over. Claudia will compete in two timed trials and two road races: one 20K and one 40K.

We all wish Claudia good luck at the Senior Olympics!

Resources

Blue Ridge Bicycle Club
main.nc.us/BRBC

Mountain Microenterprise Fund
mtnmicro.org