the story of tubes

The concept of Tubes was developed by Brent – from his experiences in cycling and working in a bike shop, his education at United Bicycle Institute, and many sleepless nights with thoughts racing. He asked himself – What do I love? What do I excel at? How can we be different? And what can we offer the cycling community? The answers all came together in the form of a shop that focuses on his passion for quality service work and custom building of wheels and bikes. A shop that carries a curated line of quality parts, gear, and accessories. Most importantly, we want to provide a gathering place for our cycling community. 

After a couple months of exploring available spaces, we found a 100-year-old building** right on Frederick that had been empty for a few years and badly needed some love. We were excited about the high ceilings, the original wood beams, the clearstory windows in the back, and the overhead door in the front. It was basically a blank canvas and after a lot of conversations, planning, and finally construction, we were able to create exactly the space we wanted. We’ve always loved the charm of Frederick Avenue and the fact that it’s right in the center of town and home to many long-standing successful businesses. Plus, the constant additions with new people coming in and restoring and revitalizing is so exciting. We are thrilled to be a part of this important historic corridor in St. Joseph. 

A tremendous amount of thought and time went into every detail of the shop – from the bike wash station, the post-ride shower, the water fountain with the bottle filling station, and seating areas available throughout, including on the new mezzanine. Every brand and product that we carry was hand-selected. We invite cyclists of all levels and backgrounds to come and enjoy the space – have a beer, wash your bike, fill your bottles, meet up for a group ride, or just hang out. And, of course, you don't have to be a cyclist to come in and enjoy the shop and bar! All are welcome. 

** Scroll down to view photos of how the building looked when we bought it and of our construction journey that took up most of 2022. Scroll down a little bit farther to see a video of our floor demo.