Country Time Cycle in Mattituck is closing its doors after decades

When he first started working at Country Time Cycle in Mattituck in 1991, Greg Williams wasn’t much of a cyclist. The then-teenager was simply looking for a part-time gig. What he found instead was a passion that’s helped get North Fork residents going on two wheels for more than three decades.

Williams, now 51, is preparing to say goodbye. He announced Thursday that the bicycle shop, which has stood as a pillar of cycling camaraderie on Main Road, will close this fall.

“It was a very fun job, a very rewarding job,” he said, reflecting on how his store served as a backdrop for core memories like kids’ first bikes. “I [was] the guide on their journey into cycling."

Over time, Williams developed an affinity for the sport as well as a knack for matching customers with suitable bikes, whether they were looking for something to take for a spin around their neighborhood after dinner or training for a triathlon.

He pointed to economic hardships, including competition from big box retailers and direct-to-consumer sales online as reasons for the closure, along with the seasonal nature of the business.

The pandemic may have prompted an uptick in sales as people sought out outdoor activities to stay active, but Williams said supply chain issues posed a difficult challenge. “Everybody in the industry was very hopeful that COVID would breathe a renewed life into cycling,” he said. “My opinion is it was a temporary blip.”

National reports also suggest business has slowed in the cycling industry.

A report from NPD, a market research group, found that bicycle sales surged by 57% from April 2020 to April 2021, but have since declined.

After purchasing the business in 1997, Williams grew the shop organically. “It was humble beginning,” he said. “I think we had 16 bikes in stock.”

The store has since grown to include over 200 models, staying current on trends from BMX and low riders to electric assist bikes. The shop also was trusted for repairs and tune-ups, expanding from just one double-arm workbench to six.

The shop’s legacy spans generations. Karen Heck-Harris of Laurel can remember saving up from a job down the road at Magic Fountain ice cream for her first big purchase: a shiny new racing bike as a teenager in 1989. “Out here, there wasn’t public transportation,” she said Friday. “That bike not only took me all over the North Fork until I got a driver’s license, but I competed with it.”

Her kids also would grow up riding bikes from Country Time. In 2015, her daughter, Morgan, won a bicycle during an Easter egg hunt, Heck-Harris, 48, recalled. A few years later, Williams gave her son Gavin his first real job. “He instilled this work ethic that he still has today,” she said. Williams and his family "always gave back to the kids and community.”

Williams began discounting inventory, including bikes, gear and accessories, on Friday and he plans to continue repairs until the shop closes, though no firm date is set, he said.

He plans to remain on the East End and pursue other opportunities, he said, though he declined to say what those plans are. In June, Williams lost a Republican primary to Catherine Stark of Riverhead in Suffolk’s 1st Legislative District.

“I’m looking for new challenges, and that’s what I’m off to do,” Williams said.

The closing will leave a void of bicycle shops on the North Fork. Twin Fork Bicycles closed its storefront in Riverhead in 2020. Excluding big box stores along Route 58 in Riverhead, the closest bicycle shops include Rotations Bicycle Center in Southampton, Kreb Cycle in Eastport and Rocky Point Cycle in Rocky Point.