About Terry’s Cycle

Terry Clements got his start in the bicycle world in 1971 when he went to work for his father-in-law at Western Auto. Remember that? That is where he learned the ins and outs of bicycles. Working on 2-speed kickback hubs and 3-speed Strumey-Archer hubs which he is still the master of today. Terry was around for the 10-speed bike boom, the BMX craze, and even the introduction of the mountain bike in the mid-eighties. Terry was instrumental in getting the Ithaca Jailhouse Trail project started, has helped with the Heartland Trail, and is on the board to help make downtown Alma more bicycle-friendly.

Shop owner Chris Malty racing at the 2017 Big M Challenge.

Terry’s Cycle opened in 1989 when Terry’s father-in-law retired and closed the Western Auto. Seeing that there was a need for quality bicycle sales and service business in downtown Alma, he opened in November of ‘89. The original location on Superior Street was a 1200-square-foot retail area. After bursting at the seams at the old location, we moved to our current storefront of 5000 square feet.

Mike, or Napper as most people know him, started as a customer in 1992 when he bought his first mountain bike from Terry to get in shape for motorcycle racing. In the early spring of 1993, Napper started to work for Terry’s on a part-time basis which led to a full-time job that summer. Napper attended the Barnett Bicycle Institute Elite Technician’s Program, as well as the USA Cycling Mechanics Race Mechanic’s Program.

Napper worked at a couple of USA Cycling junior camps as a mechanic. Then in late 1997, he left Terry’s for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work for a professional cycling team. That team was the Volvo/Cannondale Mountain Bike Racing Team. He worked for them as a team mechanic for three seasons, then the last two seasons as the head mechanic. During his tenure, he worked with professional cyclists who earned National Titles, World Cup Titles, World Championships, and even an Olympian who earned a bronze medal in the Sydney Summer Games in 2000. Also, the Volvo/Cannondale team was the number-one team in the world for mountain bike racing in 1999, 2001, and 2002. In 2005, Napper came back to Terry’s Cycle as a co-owner.

Meet the Team

    Sabine            Lola                                        Chris