Dave Tullier
Owner
Dave’s Bicycle Repair
225.924.4337
“After 27 years of repairing bicycles, and many more years of serious bicycle riding, I still enjoy what I do for a living. I repair your bike as if it were my own.” — Dave Tullier
Since 1956, May has been designated as National Bicycle Month. Why not join hundreds of thousands of folks across the country in commemorating this spectacular event? Call Dave’s Bicycle Repair to ensure that your bicycle is in excellent repair and that you are absolutely ready to roll!
One of Baton Rouge’s most unique services, Dave’s Bicycle Repair is a mobile business which offers free pickup and delivery directly to your door, by appointment. Dave performs expert & economical repair on all brands; sells new & reconditioned bicycles (Adult Trikes, Commercial Bicycles & Trikes, Tandems, Recumbents, Bike Trailers & Trail-A-Bikes); provides quality bike parts, tires & tubes, tools & lubricants, and accessories—everything from the proper clothing to first aid products, from sun block to energy bars. “Call me for a price on building wheels or building a bike. Whether it’s a tune-up, a complete overhaul or up-grading parts and accessories, I’ll be happy to help.”
Truly committed to getting everyone on a bike, Dave also builds special needs bicycles and can craft customized fittings for children and adults with disabilities who enjoy bicycling and look forward to the freedom of being outdoors and completely mobile. “I enjoy encouraging people of all ages to get on a bicycle and ride,” he says, “And I especially have enjoyed the opportunities I’ve had to meet folks over age 50 who have ridden across the country on a bicycle.” A Marine Veteran who served in Vietnam, Dave also enjoys meeting the numerous veterans who travel to Baton Rouge.
A graduate of Schwinn Factory School and the Adventure Cycling Leadership School, Dave is very down-to-earth and quite approachable even for novices who may be intimidated by the prospect of bike shopping. One of his regular customers, a 68-year old man who just started cycling in 2004, should serve as an inspiration to everyone who thinks they cannot ride a bike. The man rides 30+ miles per day in Baton Rouge and has figured out a way to ride Airline Highway all the way down to the bridge and back. Dave realizes that, “People ride bicycles for all sorts of reasons, from better health to saving money on fuel, or as an alternative to driving to work.” Whether you are a commuter, a competitive cyclist, an adventure tourist, or simply enjoy riding in the neighborhood after work, he has the equipment you need. With memberships in Baton Rouge Bicycle Club, League of American Cyclist, and Adventure Cycling Association, he also has the information and resources to help plan anything from a cross-continent trek to a day’s outing to the Tammany Trace.
A native of Alexandria, LA, Dave attended ULM (Monroe) where he earned a degree in Education with a specialty to teach social studies and English. He taught high school history for 5 years before he realized his calling was not to be in the classroom, but to be outdoors and encouraging others to be outdoors. Dave’s uncle had owned a Schwinn shop in Lake Charles where he spent many of his teen years after his father died, so the bike business seemed a good fit for him. He owned and managed two bicycle shops for several years before becoming self-employed with his mobile bike repair service business in 1991.
Dave would like to see the face of tourism in Louisiana include not only the French Quarter, French Music, and Cajun culture, but also cycling. After all, Louisiana offers mild weather and fair terrain to enjoy cycling nearly all year round. St. Francisville, 31 miles north of Baton Rouge, is a major crossroads for cross-country cyclists from all over the world. Louisiana citizens probably are not aware of just how many world-wide touring cyclists actually fly in to BR Metro Airport on a regular basis. Listed with the Adventure Cycling Association as a sort of local touring ambassador, Dave is the person they contact to make arrangements to ship their bicycles here. He will pick up cycling tourists from the BR airport and assist them to arrive at their destination and overnight accommodations, usually in St. Francisville.
“I would like to see more tourism in Baton Rouge devoted to outdoor recreational activities along the river (such as cycling on the levee) as opposed to more gambling along the river.” On a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being the most bike friendly, Dave gives Baton Rouge only a 4. He supports the idea of a bike trail on the levee between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The levee should be beautified to create green spaces and bicycle pedestrian paths – places where individuals and families would be able to spend their time together outdoors safely away from road traffic. Small businesses laced along the river would be able to cater to the people along that trail. Currently the Mississippi River Trail (www.mississippirivertrail.org) bypasses Baton Rouge completely, crossing by ferry from St Francisville to New Roads and continuing down the west bank of the river to New Orleans. Dave thinks such a levee path will not only bring in cycling tourism to our city, but also provide safe riding for shorter distances for families in the small towns and communities along the river.
Besides cycling, Dave enjoys camping, canoeing, and backpacking with his wife Cindy, another Alexandria native whom he met and married several years ago. He has two grown daughters and three grandchildren. One daughter is an avid cyclist who is planning an adventure cycling tour with her dad and her children. When he finds spare time to read, his taste runs mostly to westerns and fictional books about the Marine Corps during the WWII and Vietnam wars. His favorite magazines include Bicycling Magazine and Mountain Biking. Dave expressed appreciation for the local library system which he used extensively to learn about the art of bicycle maintenance when he was working in his first bike shop.
Dave Tullier is that most lucky of men—one who has found a way to turn his avocation into his vocation. Few are able to make a living from their hobbies, sports or leisure activities. But one can plainly see from Dave’s quote at the beginning of this profile, he’s still enjoying his work (and play) after twenty-seven years.
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