Today we’d like to introduce you to Corey & Chantal Reed.
Hi Corey & Chantal, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Corey moved to Fort Worth to attend TCU and met Chantal while there. They were first introduced to Colonel’s Bicycles when it was on University Dr. next to the TCU campus. This is where they met Doug Coyle and Rick Faulkner, who started the shop in 1994. From joining in group rides, to buying bicycles for their growing family, they because a regular part of the Colonel’s family. When they heard that Doug and Rick were looking to retire and mentioned the possibility of putting the shop up for sale, Corey tossed around the idea of an acquisition with his close friend, John Ragland. With their shared interest in bicycles and John’s history of entrepreneurship, they put together an offer to take over operations at the beginning of 2025. Corey was focused on IT, account setup, Chantal on graphic design and social media, and John on reimagining the retail space. Once the new business was operational, John transitioned out and Chantal took over as the majority partner. Now into their second year, their focus has been on widening product selection and building up a riding community that emphasizes access across all fitness levels, age groups, and economic brackets.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The first year was full of challenges, from managing cash flow, figuring out capital investment, reestablishing vendor accounts and more. One of the things that we found particularly challenging was how much it felt like starting from scratch. The business had been around for 32 years, but we had to establish a whole new customer base, since so many previous customers had heard that the business had closed.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Colonel’s has always been about delivering quality service, regardless of the make a model of the bicycle. We have carried lots of premium bike brands and accessories over the years and made a name for offering quality products and standing behind them with service and support. With our location right on the Trinity Trails, we can help solve problems in the moment, turn bikes around quickly, and help people get the most out of their bicycle. We are most proud of the fact that people can come in with an expensive race bike, or a 25 year old bike that has been sitting in the garage, and they can both get the same quality of service. We are also trying to build community around riding bicycles that is open to the whole family through our Thursday Night Slow Roll weekly rides. (Every Thursday at 6:30 pm. Come join us!)
What were you like growing up?
We were children of the 80’s, so we rode our bikes until the street lights came on. We rode our bikes with friends and enjoyed that first taste of freedom… and might have ended up with some scars to show for it. We were two creative kids that spent most of our lives in Texas, went to TCU, and fell in love with Fort Worth, the community, and each other.
Pricing:
- Used Bikes – $350+
- New Bikes – $500 – $3,000
- Tune-ups – $120
- Safety Check – $50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://colonelsbikes.com
- Instagram: colonelsbikes
- Facebook: colonelsbikes
- Yelp: https://yelp.com/biz/colonels-bicycles-fort-worth
