WOOLWICH

N o matter how old or how damaged, if the mechanics at Bath Cycle and Ski think they can fix an item for you, they will. And that item can be a bike, skis, snowboards — or even wheelbarrow wheels.

“If we think we can repair it, there’s really nothing we won’t work on. If we think it’s a project we can do, we’ll take it, no matter what it is,” said Jesse Pilgrim, lead mechanic.

The shop located in Woolwich is a gem for bicycle enthusiasts, serious racers and recreational riders alike. Rows upon rows of frames, bikes, wheels and tires hang from the ceiling. Bins upon bins in the back contain parts, gears and other items one might need for an older two-wheeler, as well as the newest bike models.

In addition to bikes, you can purchase helmets, bike clothing, gloves, bike shoes, sunglasses, baskets for your bike, socks and a wide variety of skis at this shop. Unknown to many people is the fact that this relatively small building at the side of Route 1 houses three separate entities.

“We make custom titanium bike frames, that’s our company known as Carver Bikes. And we also have bikeman.com or 1-800-bikeman, which is our online company. Then there’s the Bikeman cycling team,” said Gary Buch, a mechanic and salesperson.

Team Bikeman are people who ride wearing jerseys representing the shop and who race for the Bikeman team.

“Team members get discounts on products online if they race for our team. We have members all over the country,” said Zach Pilgrim, a mechanic.

Al Starrett is the person in charge of everything related to Team Bikeman. In fact, he was out mowing the lawn in front of the shop on this sunny day, fully dressed in a Team Bikeman jersey.

While the shop offers a wide variety of services and products, looks can be deceiving, the mechanics said almost in unison and with the hint of a smile.

“Many people call our 800 number and think it’s a much bigger operation, since we custom make bikes and sell all these items online. They think we are a big conglomerate … not just a little place on the coast of Maine,” said Jesse Pilgrim.

Their mass quantities of hard to find in-stock items is impressive and they will gladly let customers browse through all their bins. You may spend hours looking for an obscure part for an older model bike, for example, but the chances are good you will ultimately find it. The range of sports that they keep supplies for is varied yet unique.

“We keep a good stock of fat bike stuff, because we like to fat bike, too. And we carry several types of studded snow tires for snow biking,” Pilgrim continued.

The exceptional thing one quickly notices about the people who work here is the camaraderie and enthusiasm for the sport. “We work on and talk about bikes all day, then we go home and meet up to go for a bike ride together,” said Buch.

They also carry a line of carbon road racing wheels, as well as clinchers, tubulars and cyclocross tubulars.

“The cyclocross people have gone back to racing with tubulars and we have a lot of customers who are into cyclocross, so we carry those tires as well as other equipment for cyclocross,” said Jesse Pilgrim.

In the back there is a used bike room, where gently used or outdated bikes are sold at a discount. Some people trade-in their old bikes when they upgrade. “Nothing gets thrown out unless it’s broken or severely damaged. Almost everything we get in we save, because at some time down the road someone will need that one particular part,” Buch said.

Kids are equally welcome. All sizes of kids’ bikes, helmets, knee and elbow pads and gloves are in stock.

“If we can get kids into biking early, we are all for it,” Jesse Pilgrim said.

In addition to bikes, the shop also carries skis. Cross-country, Telemark, alpine and alpine touring.

“We’re going to be carrying a lot more NTN (new Telemark norm) items this winter, because that’s an up and coming sport. We can mount bindings, tune up your skis or sharpen the edges,” said Buch.

Ski boots and poles are part of their inventory as well. Even though they do not sell snowboards, they do work on them. “If it’s something we think we can fix for you we will. We’ve been asked to work on several snowboards in the past,” said Zach Pilgrim.

Located at 115 Main St. (Route 1) in Woolwich, across from Bath Subaru, Bath Cycle and Ski is open six days a week, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The business can be reached at (207) 442-7002.