When mountain bike enthusiasts and travelers Tyler and Morgan Baumgardner began to look for a place to call home, they chose one of their favorite stops along the road: Northwest Arkansas.
The couple spent two years living and working remotely from their RV and soon after settling in Bella Vista saw an opportunity to provide quality mountain bike rentals in Benton County.
Bentonville, becoming known as the “mountain bike capital of the world”, has more than 250 miles of top tier mountain bike trails and has earned a reputation as one of the top off-road cycling destinations in the nation. Due to the popularity of the sport, rentals were frequently difficult to find.
The Baumgarders launched Encore Bike Rentals in early 2022 and reached out to the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas for guidance. They also participated in the first cohort of the Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP) at the University of Arkansas Collaborative in Bentonville, in collaboration with the UA Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and were mentored by Catherine Corley, ASBTDC, UAF business consultant.
Corley and the ASBTDC team assisted the Baumgardners with market research, financial preparation and planning, website review, social media strategy, and photography.
Encore specializes in rentals of mountain bikes, electric mountain bikes and city/greenway e-bikes and strives to provide convenience, quality, and service to their customers in Bella Vista, Bentonville, and Rogers, including a location at Hobbs State Park.
Customers book the bikes of their choice, including helmets, protective gear, trail guides and maps, that are delivered to them at the local trailheads, their home, hotel, or Airbnb. After exploring trails and greenways, bikers meet Encore back at their set-up location for an easy return.
As the region and the sport of mountain biking continue to grow, Encore Bike Rentals is focused on growth and partnerships with area hotels, Airbnb, and other outdoor organizations and activity providers. “We have been doing a bit of dreaming as you all encouraged us to do, a few of those dreams have pushed us to try a new booking software,” said Tyler. “We are currently implementing that and it’s going to be far more custom to our needs. You all have been nothing short of incredible to work with!”