Second life: How Lewis Denver is winning cyclists over with pre-owned bikes

When I was in Adelaide in January, my partner and I made a special trip to Magill in the suburbs to visit the new ReCycle Bicycle Sales shop founded by Lewis Denver. We’d met Lewis the year before in the tour village and were struck by his enthusiasm and drive. And in those 12 months, he’s certainly progressed his business selling second-hand bikes. Whilst visiting the shop, we also met Lewis’ nan, Colleen, and sister, Charli, both of whom work with Lewis, and I knew I needed to interview Lewis to learn more.

Why did you decide to start a business selling pre-owned bicycles?

 I used to work at a prominent bike shop in Adelaide and was working there when Covid came through – and as everyone in the bike industry knows. Bike shops were totally run off their feet. I helped my customers sell their old bikes to fund their new ones, and I quickly became known for it. My boss began to see a conflict of interest and asked me to choose my next path (and, as we all should, I chose to bet on myself!). My side hustle grew to 80 bikes in my house within a few months, so I had to find a shopfront. As someone who buys everything second-hand (other than undies and mattresses), I believe no one needs to pay $4,000 for a base model road bike – you can pay ¼ of that!

How many years have you been in business, and how is your business going?

Well, I opened the first shop in November 2022 but ran it out of a shed I built out the back of my house, so let’s say five years now. We actually just quadrupled in size by moving to a larger premises in quite literally THE BEST location for a bike shop in Adelaide (Base of Norton Summit). Within the first two months of this new shop, I knew we were on for a winner here. You might have noticed I switched from “I” to “We” now – that’s because the team at ReCycle has grown as fast as a bamboo shoot, which takes five years to grow from a seed, then only five weeks to grow to full height.

I know you lost your mum at a young age. What impact has that had on your career choice?

My mum, Tanya Denver, was one of the best humans to have walked this earth. Her funeral had 600+ people flowing outside the building and deep into the carpark with important names in the journalism and sporting world. Mum was not only the first female sports reporter for The Advertiser (a statewide newspaper) before climbing the ladder, but also a close friend to all the elite sportspeople in any discipline you can imagine. She travelled the world with Olympians, shared taxis with world champions, and lots knew her by nicknames like “Blue” or “Lewy” (her maiden name was Lewis. Awesome). Ever since I started working in bike shops in 2014/15 people random to me have recognised my Denver surname and told me stories of what an inspiration she was – and I believe them. My Nana, Dad and sister are so grateful to Hitaf and the Tour Down Under organisation team for naming the award for the highest-ranked South Australian in the race in her honour – the Tanya Denver Award, which I present with my sister Charli annually. 

Do you ride yourself? What’s your favourite type of riding and what’s your favourite bike?

 Yes, I ride – I mean, it’s a prerequisite for the job, I suppose… I don’t ride much at the moment because we’re in such a steep season of growth right now. I grew up racing downhill, but picked up road racing too. As all my social media followers will know, I’m a big fan of my Cervélo S5 at the moment, but recently picked up an S Works Demo 8.

Have you got any expansion plans (you mentioned your ‘school’ when we met)?

I haven’t made it super public just yet, but yes, the next step is the bicycle school. Readers here know before the rest of the world. A large part of my time is spent in front of the camera filming YouTube videos in the education space. We’ve made hundreds of “how-to” videos and received such beautiful feedback. I can really only help one person at a time inside the store, but through educational videos, I can help thousands at a time, which I like. My mum was a master with printed words, and I’m trying to follow suit with spoken words. I wish someone made these types of videos when I was a kid. Follow our socials for more updates about the school.  

How was business during the recent Tour Down Under in your new premises?

I will struggle to explain with words how wild it was. High highs and low lows… We had a break-in overnight on our busiest day of the event, but had record months at the same time. We helped so many people sell their bikes, and helped so many people get onto bikes. Tour time in a bike shop is phenomenal. If you’re not from Adelaide, please pop down next January – it’s the best time! Pop in, and say hi. 

Follow ReCycle Bicycle Sales on Instagram to learn more.