INTERVIEW WITH NATE LESSNICK BY CHRIS TIESSEN; PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN 

I’M A SUCKER FOR A BIKE SHOP. AND WHILE JUST ABOUT ANY SHOP WILL DO, SOME ARE COOLER THAN OTHERS. ENTER FLOW STATE BIKE CO – THE BRAINCHILD OF LOCAL GEARHEAD NATE LESSNICK. LOCATED AT THE MAIN INTERSECTION IN THE TINY HAMLET OF ARKELL, NEAR STARKEY HILL CONSERVATION AREA, THIS BOUTIQUE BUSINESS IS SURE TO APPEAL TO CYCLISTS AND NON-CYCLISTS ALIKE. IT’S GOT GREAT KIT AND A FULL-SERVICE MECH, OF COURSE. BUT ALSO A COFFEE BAR, FROTHY BEER (IN BOTTLES AND ON TAP), HOT FOOD AND COLD SNACKS, AND A COZY SEATING AREA. SETTLE IN HERE AND WATCH GNARLY BIKE FILMS, PERUSE CYCLING MAGAZINES, OR TAKE A SEAT AT THE COMFY BAR AND WATCH YOUR BIKE BEING SERVICED WHILE YOU ENJOY A PINT AND SAUSAGE ROLL. SOME TIME THIS FALL, I SAT DOWN WITH NATE TO CHAT ABOUT THIS SWEET HAVEN OF COOL. HERE’S WHAT HE TOLD ME: 

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THIS PLACE, FLOW STATE BIKE CO?
I like to think of Flow State as your friendly neighbourhood coffee bar, ice cream parlour, local pub, full-service bike shop, and community hub – all wrapped into one. The idea for Flow State stemmed from my travels with Sacred Rides Mountain Bike Adventures, where I worked for eight years prior to the pandemic. I remember one particular bike shop in New Zealand where people would stop in to chat with the mechanic, or to grab a flat white, or to get comfortable on the patio for a pint and a meat pie. That place had such a wonderful community vibe that went far beyond the sale of bikes. This is what we’re all about here at Flow State. 

CAN YOU ELABORATE A BIT MORE ABOUT THE SHOP’S ‘RAISON D’ÊTRE’?
For many folks, bike shops can be intimidating spaces. I designed Flow State to bring all the appeal of a coffee bar — the aroma, the aesthetic, and, most importantly, the welcoming vibes — and blend it with all the offerings of a boutique bike shop. As a passionate cyclist, I’m always looking for bike shops where I can just hang out: meet with friends, go on a date, bring my kiddos. Since I was never able to find one anywhere close by, I decided to create it. But I can’t take any credit for coming up with the bike café concept – it’s all over Europe. For some reason, it just hasn’t fully caught on here – until now. 

WHY CHOOSE ARKELL AS YOUR LOCATION? 
Before I opened Flow State, the building we’re in now housed Union Market – a quaint grocer-meets-bistro where I’d come for a beer and a bite after riding the nearby trails at Arkell Springs or hiking the loop at Starkey Hill. When I learned that the space was becoming vacant, I hopped on the opportunity. The building has a cozy country vibe, and the riding – including mountain, gravel, and road – can’t get much closer. Moreover, the growing demand for bikes and service — and the fact that the booming south end of Guelph didn’t have a bike shop — definitely helped solidify my decision to take the plunge. 

AS I’M SURE ALL CYCLISTS WILL WANT TO KNOW: WHAT BRANDS DO YOU CURRENTLY CARRY?
We focus on brands that we feel are underrepresented west of the GTA. For bikes, we currently carry Kona, Santa Cruz, Juliana, and Ibis. We’re excited to be bringing in Rocky Mountain this winter to round out our offering. When it comes to bike gear, we carry POC, Evoc, Troy Lee Designs, OneUp Components, Race Face, Giro, Bell, and more. 

AND THE ‘FOOD & DRINK’ SIDE OF THE BUSINESS – HOW DOES THAT WORK?
We have a large fridge where we carry a variety of refreshments — juices, kombuchas, sports drinks, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages. We also offer grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, soups, chilis, and paninis, as well as sausage rolls through the colder months. On top of this, we have a variety of baked goods — muffins, tarts, banana breads, brownies — to pair with our coffee bar menu supplied by Guelph’s Lost Aviator Coffee. We have Fixed Gear brew on tap, Burning Kiln wines by the glass, twelve flavours of Kawartha Dairy ice cream, and Laza Ice pops. Really, there’s something tasty for pretty much everyone. 

HOW HAS THE SHOP BEEN RECEIVED BY THE COMMUNITY? DO YOU GET FOLKS IN WHO AREN’T CYCLISTS?
You bet. Since we opened last fall, it’s clear that there is a large demand for this type of community-oriented shop. On weekends, we get large groups of cyclists coming from Milton, Burlington, Oakville and elsewhere who use the shop as a halfway point to fuel up and caffeinate. And on weekdays, we get lots of local visitors coming in for coffee, lunch, ice cream, a bike tune-up, or just to chat. 

YOUR SHOP ISN’T FAR FROM GLORIOUS TRAIL NETWORKS – WHAT ARE A FEW OF YOUR FAVES?
I love the work that GORBA [the Guelph Off Road Biking Association] has done at Arkell Springs and Guelph Lake. ‘Ridgeback’, ‘Esker’, ‘Fight Club’ and ‘Phoenix’ are among my current personal favourite trails in the area. I also love taking my gravel bike on the Guelph Radial Line and the Royal Recreation Trail from the shop all the way to Guelph Lake. There are some super fun and scenic bits along the Eramosa and Speed Rivers. and the great thing is that we’re also close to many other amazing trail systems such as Twin Ponds [Puslinch], the Hydrocut [Kitchener], the Agreement Forest [Halton], and Kelso [Milton]. I’ve been fortunate to cycle in many places around the globe and I still can’t get enough of the incredible variety we have access to right here in our own backyard. 

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT FLOW STATE THAT YOU’D LIKE OUR READERS TO KNOW?
For sure. Over the past year, we’ve hosted a number of cycling-themed movie screenings and guest speaker talks – both of which we’ll continue offering. In October we held our inaugural ‘Flow Fest’ as a way to celebrate one year in business, bring the community together, and raise funds for local clubs and organizations that we support such as GCAT, GORBA, and the Guelph Cycling Club. In the future we plan on hosting bike maintenance workshops, bike skills lessons, and possibly even adding a fleet of rental bikes. The best way to find out about upcoming events is by signing up for our newsletter and following us on social media. At the end of the day, we think that bikes are an incredibly positive force for good in the world, and we want more people to experience that state of ‘flow’. Whether you’re a cyclist or not, there’s something for everyone at Flow State. 

FLOW STATE BIKE CO 
599 ARKELL RD, ARKELL ON 
flowstatebikeco.com