2012 Bicycle Travel Award Winners

Reader Contribution by Adventure Cycling Association
Published on January 9, 2013
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This article is posted with permission from Adventure Cycling. 

Adventure Cycling Association is excited to announce the winners of its 2012 Bicycle Travel Awards!

The Bicycle Travel Awards celebrate the individuals and groups making bicycle adventures possible. Support can come in a myriad of forms, from route creation to a hot shower, and these awards are Adventure Cycling’s way of saying a big, collective ‘THANK YOU!’

The Braxton Bike Shop Award is named in honor of the inaugural winner, the Braxton Bike Shop. In addition to servicing the repair needs of hundreds of long-distance riders, Sam Braxton hand built beautiful custom touring and expedition bikes and wheels designed for the rigors of loaded touring. His wife Shirley offered gracious hospitality that made the shop complete. This award honors bike shops throughout the nation that go out of their way to provide unique services to bicycle travelers. A long-standing commitment to providing touring equipment & gear, skilled mechanics, and great services are hallmarks of the winning bicycle shop.

The recipient of the 2012 Sam Braxton Bike Shop Award is Pacific Coast Cycles in Oceanside, California, for the incredible care and attention with which they serve their customers. Chuck Hoefer’s shop, opened in 1977, is not very large, but there’s enough space to keep Surly Long Haul Truckers stocked in every size, as well as classic and custom bicycles, and mountain bikes. He also carries a wide variety of vintage and modern bicycle parts. Hoefer is a master mechanic and an expert wheel builder, and his shop shares the same spirit and tenacity that Sam Braxton’s shop once exuded, one that creates life-long bonds and friendships, instead of just returning customers. “Chuck and Gretchen are honest, passionate, knowledgeable, and competent,” said Pacific Coast Cycles’ nominator. “They want to sell you a bike you’ll love — nothing more. Chuck might be the best darn mechanic and dedicated lover of biking that Southern California could ever have.”

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