After 25 years of meeting Brockport’s needs for two wheels, Russell S. Church III is closing Bicycle Outfitters on December 31.
Russell and Bicycle Outfitters have been fixtures on Main Street for a quarter of a century. As a Brockport native, Russell attended school in Brockport and rode BMX bikes on area tracks as well as nationally. He developed his other lifelong sport, hockey, playing in local youth leagues and on Brockport’s varsity team through to graduation. He continued to support hockey and played in the Sunday Brockport Zamboni League until Covid hit.
Russell’s transition to Bicycle Outfitters was BMX racing – his first love of the two wheels. He was 12 when he began visiting Track and Trail Bike & Ski Store for advice, parts, and repairs. At sixteen, he began to work there when it became Towpath and became both a bike and ski technician. After high school, he went to SUNY Canton, located close to the Adirondacks, and took his mountain bike, of course. After transferring to Monroe Community College, he continued working at Towpath. Russell graduated from MCC with honors in business. In 1997 he purchased the Brockport Towpath but decided to concentrate on biking while continuing to offer ski and skate sharpening. Bicycle Outfitters became an anchor on Main – first on North Main and, since 2002, at 72 Main Street.
Many remember Russell’s beloved yellow lab, Sprocket, who met every customer and welcomed all. He was devoted to Russell and even had three newspaper articles written about him and his unique presence on Main Street. Sprocket was a special part of the Brockport shopping experience until his passing in November 2016.
Many of today’s Brockport residents probably had bikes purchased from Bicycle Outfitters when they were kids. Now they consult Russell for their own children’s needs – purchasing birthday and Christmas bikes, accessories like helmets and pumps, and seeking needed repairs. Russell has guided numerous customers from first bikes to ones appropriate for their adult ability.
Several of Russell’s family members have moved from New York State to the western Carolinas. He believes that area will provide tremendous opportunities for his skills and interests with mountains, trails, lakes, and rivers. Thus, Russell plans to move south and relinquish the rigors of his professional snow plowing with its freezing and sometimes hazardous conditions. He will finish this year’s plow season on May 1, 2023, but will close the doors of Bicycle Outfitters at the end of this month.
Russell loves his Brockport family but looks forward to more time with his real family in the south and the opportunity to explore endless new biking trails.
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