Since the Ashokan Rail Trail opened in the fall of 2019, the scenic 11.5-mile path has quickly become a star of the area’s outdoor recreation scene, offering visitors with majestic, year-round views of the Ashokan Reservoir and Catskill Mountains. While the trail has provided easy access to walkers and runners, the lack of bike rental options nearby has mostly limited the trail’s ample cycling potential to enthusiasts.
This May, Overlook Bicycles owner Billy Denter finally answered the call to help get beginners or those without bikes out on the rail trail by opening a new location of the fan-favorite Woodstock bike shop.
Located just across the street from the Ashokan Station Trailhead parking in Shokan, Denter’s new spot is devoted entirely to rentals. “There’s just so many burgeoning and developing cyclists who need a place to recreate safely,” he says.
While the Woodstock location has long been the go-to shop in the area, its spot on busy Tinker Street made it difficult for Denter to offer a safe, pleasurable rental experience. Now, with all of Overlook’s rental business concentrated just 10 minutes away in Shokan, local or visiting beginner cyclists and families with kids have an easy way to get out and enjoy cycling in the Catskills.
The new Shokan location has a beefed up inventory of 40 brand new bikes, which includes kids bikes, electric assist bikes, hybrids, road bikes, mountain bikes, and tow-behind trailers for the little ones. Bike rentals start at $25 per hour or $50 for the full day. The shop also has a retail space stocked with basic supplies and a repair center. In the future, Denter also plans to host rotating food vendors and live music at the shop.
For Denter, who started working at the Woodstock shop when he was in high school and bought the business fresh out of college, increased access to safe cycling routes in the community will only reap benefits. “Cycling is the great unifier, no matter your race, religion, or creed,” he says. “It was my first taste of freedom to explore and garner my independence. It’s good for you, it’s fun, and for me it’s mentally cathartic. It’s like a therapy session on wheels.”
Hopefully, someone will be briefing these new bikers on trail etiquette! Walkers, many of them seniors, need to feel safe walking on the trail, and speeding bicyclists who don’t say, “on your left” or who ride 3 abreast and don’t move over for walkers present a real hazard.