HIT THE TRAILS
Ben Alexander has spent much of his life around bikes.
In a previous life, he worked at various community centers while racing his own bikes. Then one day, he found a fresh perspective on the craft from an unlikely source.
“This seventh grader came up to me and asked if I’d ever thought about fixing up bikes for little kids,” Alexander said. “It’s not a question you get from many 12-year-olds.”
Inspired by the request, Alexander shifted his focus to running a non-profit that repaired bikes at middle schools in the Kansas City area.
Now in Southeast Kansas, Alexander is the owner of Southwind Cycle and Outdoor, a shop that sells and repairs a variety of bicycles. The original location in Iola opened in 2017, and the new location in Downtown Pittsburg opened in March 2022.
“There is a great market in Southeast Kansas,” he said. “There are some great trails down here, nice gravel roads. We’re excited to open the shop in Pittsburg, which really has a strong biking community.”
Southwind carries a variety of brands for both acoustic and electrical bikes. Check them out at https://southwindcycle.com/
“There are some great trails down here, nice gravel roads.”
