Sean Logan repairing a bike. Photo by Sarah Logan.
BABYLON, LONG ISLAND
Sean Logan, a 26-year-old mountain biker and bike repairman greases up bike chains and tightens nuts and bolts on bikes in his family’s small garage. The coronavirus pandemic has given him a new profession. More Long Islanders want to escape their homes and are turning to their bikes for freedom and my brother Sean recognized this as an opportunity to help others and make extra money.
“One day I went to the bike shop looking for a part and saw this big line,” he said. “People were waiting for three weeks just to pick up simple bike parts.” Because of new social distancing protocols caused by COVID-19, many bike shops on Long Island have changed the way they do business. People have to wait for service and the lines get long. Sean saw an opening for business. “People want their bikes up and running as soon as possible,” he said.
Sean put an ad on Craigslist and business flooded in. On weekends, he might have four clients drop off and pick up their bikes. He orders bike parts from online bike retail stores. When he does not know how to fix a bike, he studies YouTube videos and reads articles on Google.
Steven McPartland, an avid biker, used Sean’s services to get his biking season started. “I needed a quick tune-up and I saw Sean’s ad on Craigslist. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to quickly get my bike in shape for the incoming warm weather,” McPartland said.
Pursuing his new booming business, Sean takes precautions to limit his exposure to the virus. He wears a mask and gloves when he interacts with clients. He maintains a safe six feet of distance between himself and a client and he disinfects bikes when customers drop them off. So far, he has kept himself safe.
His customers appreciate the care and caution Sean takes when he handles bikes. “I think this is safer than going to a shop and waiting on a line. You’re in contact with many more people through that method of transaction,” McPartland said.
His bike repair side gig takes a lot of time, but some of it lets him nurture the hobby he loves: biking itself. Some of his clients have requested at-home services, so Sean jumps on his bike and pedals to distant towns miles away from his garage to repair clients’ bikes where they live. He sees this as an opportunity to ride the many bike trails on the island. It is a two-for-one deal.
“Beyond the exercise biking gives me, it helps my brain. I get to meditate, reset, and restart. When I am mountain biking, I must focus on the dexterity of my movement, so I forget about the problems at home and focus on dodging trees,” Sean said.
When the world returns to normal after the pandemic, Sean hopes to keep repairing bikes and start a more formal business. He has already created a brand name and logo: Bike Boys. “I will definitely be using his services in the future,” said McPartland. “I like his drive and motivation. I think he will be successful.”
Sean has already set his goals. “I hope to hire younger bikers interested in learning about bike repair in the future. It’s a great learning opportunity for them and a way for me to get some much-needed help,” Sean said. He wants to create his own website to boost his clientele. But, for now, he is going to stick to his garage.
