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Big Shark Company History

A Fish Story

Big Shark Bicycle Company was founded in 1993. Located in the popular and eclectic St. Louis Big Bend neighborhood, Big Shark Bicycle Company was established with a simple goal in mind: share cycling. We will provide great products, friendly and professional service, and a refreshing place to pursue all of the different facets of cycling.

In 2012 we expanded to open Urban Shark Bicycle Company in conjunction with the Downtown St. Louis Bicycle Station AND Big Shark Bicycle Company West in Chesterfield, Missouri. In 2013 in partnership with former St. Louisan and Tour de France Veteran, Kevin Livingston, we opened the Pedal Hard Training Center out of our West County location.

From racing to touring, from kid's bikes to a bike that the grandparents would be proud to own, we try to showcase the breadth of the cycling industry. We have a diverse inventory and a knowledgeable staff that can guide you to the equipment that best fits your needs.

All of the staff at Big Shark Bicycle Company pursue cycling in one way or another, and although we all love the technology and design of performance bikes and the newest innovations, we are just as excited to get children on their first bike or to get people off of the couch or internet and out pounding the pavement, paths, and trails.

For many years, Big Shark has been honored with Bicycle Retailer's Top 100 award and are honored to be considered one of the nations top 100 bicycle dealers.  Locally, the St. Louis Riverfront Times readers poll has voted Big Shark Bicycle Company the best place to buy a bike almost annually.

What we do! We want to share our enthusiasm for cycling with you.  We actively promote cycling through advocacy and events and the intend to enrich the St. Louis cycling scene. We produce over 100 days of local events in running, walking, multisport, cyclocross, and recreational and competitive cycling. We proudly sponsor and support many of the area's charity rides, clubs and teams: Pedal the Cause, the MS 150, Leukemia Society Team in Training, The Bicycle Fun Club, The Cystic Fibrosis Cycle for Life, The Lupus Wolf Ride, The Gateway Racing Team, The Dogfish Racing Team, The Velo Force Racing Team, the SLU Cycling team, Team Revolution, Washington University's Cycling Team, Off the Front Racing team....and more. So if you are looking for a place to ride or simply someone to ride with, drop in anytime!

Why Big Shark? We get asked this all of the time... and we really wish we could tell you a compelling story. The owner, Mike Weiss, was not raised by a pack of fierce sharks. The store was founded in 1993 at about the same time as the big floods in St. Louis, our first location was in the LOOP which sort of necessitated a cool name, one of the store's founders was a deep sea fisherperson who had several trophy sharks...and one of our employees was an artist from Hawaii who had designed a shark themed presentation while getting her MFA. Add it all up it makes perfect sense...and people in Missouri like sharks. We hope.

What is a Big Shark?

Big Shark Bicycle Company sells some of the industry's best cycling brands, products, and accessories. You can find road, mountain, comfort, commuter, touring, cyclocross, cruisers, tandems and unicycles, BMX/freestyle bikes, small bikes, big bikes, expensive bikes, and inexpensive bikes. Please explore our website and come visit our store and see for yourself what we have to offer.

Here is a list of the primary bicycle brands we sell, as well as the highlights we carry from each brand.  Clicking on each logo will take you to the brand's website.

Giant Bicycles are one of the industry's best kept secrets. Originally more of a value brand, they are a vertically integrated company that makes some of the cycling industry's highest technology brands. Their current line-up now integrates the best technologies and values into their entire range making them a fantastic option for any level of cyclist.

Cannondale makes the finest aluminum and carbon bikes in the world. Cannondale is an applied engineering company that pushes the performance envelope. 

Raleigh Bicycles have stepped up their game in recent years and are now making some of the best lifestyle, road, 'cross, and kids bikes we can find.

MOOTS bicycles are hand built in Steamboat Springs, Colorado using the highest-end titanium tubes and processes in the world. Impeccable quality, their bikes represent what is possible when craft and quality are combined.

Cervelo's time trial and triathlon bikes are exceptionally cutting-edge and among the most sought-after aero bikes in the world. Winners of Ironman, the Tour de France and Paris Roubaix. Engineered in North America, eh!


Electra makes some of the coolest, most innovative cruisers and comfort bikes out there. Check out the lifestyle-enhancing Townie and Amsterdam and get to work or play in style.

Kona makes some killer mountain bikes, killer cyclocross bikes, killer urban commuting bikes as well as a few truly unusual bikes for all of your lifestyle AND surfing needs. These are bikes designed by riders for riders.

Santa Cruz's mountain bikes offer some of the coolest suspension technology available. Virtual Pivot Points, Carbon Fiber or Aluminum, 275 or 29ers, Downhill bikes, Bikes for the Apocalypse. Bikes for railing the local trails.

Something for Everyone

Big Shark Bicycle Company sells something for everyone. Please browse our online catalog or come on in. Here is a taste of what we carry....

Helmets by Bell Sports, KASK, Bern, Giro, Lazer don't look like ice coolers, fit and feel great. Feel good, look good, and save your own life, please wear a helmet when you ride.

Car Racks- It doesn't matter what type of car you drive, we have a rack that will fit. We stock trunk racks, roof racks, and hitch racks from Thule, KUAT, and Saris. We also sell storage and parking racks, so if the kickstand isn't kickin' ask our staff about options.

Saddles-We sell all of the new generation of comfort and performance saddles designed to relieve pain, pressure, numbness, bitterness, and bad breath. The Serfas line of anatomic saddles are specially designed to increase "blood flow" and replace pain with pleasure. We also sell the ever popular Fizik, Terry, Pro Logo, Brooks and Selle Italia Saddles and all of their many disciples.

Clothing- We can outfit you for indoor and outdoor workouts with clothing by Cannondale, Craft, Pearl Izumi, 2XU, Showers Pass, Louis Garneau, and Coeur. We have both men's and women's apparel, as well as cycling casuals. Every season...

Come visit us, despite being Sharks, we're friendly.