University Bicycle Center Inc

What University Bicycle Center Inc does

University Bicycle Center Inc is an independent, privately held bicycle retailer and service provider founded in 1972 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The company operates a main retail storefront in Tampa supplemented by a secondary mountain bike rental kiosk at Alafia River State Park, alongside an e-commerce storefront at ubcbike.com that supports direct-to-consumer ordering and free in-store pickup. Its core offering is a full-range bicycle assortment (road, mountain, cyclocross, commuter/urban, hybrid/comfort/fitness, electric, BMX, children's/youth, and used bikes) backed by an extensive catalog of components, accessories, and apparel that the source material describes as exceeding 20,000 items, with authorization for major brands including Specialized, Giant, Cannondale, Santa Cruz, Liv, Trek, and Yeti Cycles.

Commercially, the company earns revenue across three streams: (1) one-time retail sales of bikes, components, accessories, and apparel at unit prices ranging from under $10 for small accessories up to $10,500+ for premium mountain bikes; (2) recurring service revenue from professional bike repair and maintenance, pre-packaged tune-ups, and professional bike fitting; and (3) experience-based revenue from mountain bike rentals at Alafia River State Park and a trade-in program operated in partnership with Bicycle Blue Book. To support higher-ticket transactions, the company resells third-party consumer financing through Acima Credit (lease-to-own), Synchrony Bank (0% interest financing), and Snap Finance (buy-now-pay-later), and operates a price-match guarantee and 30-day return policy.

The underlying technology is a standard e-commerce and retail-management stack with online catalog browsing, inventory management, and online checkout, with no proprietary systems, no public API, no mobile app, and no AI features disclosed. Customer acquisition is primarily local to the Tampa Bay area, supported by organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube under the @ubcbike.tampa / #ubcbike.tampa handles) and inbound content marketing in the form of buyer's guides and trail information, with no evidence of paid acquisition or outside-market expansion.

Name

University Bicycle Center Inc

Legal name

University Bicycle Center Inc

Website

https://ubcbike.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

University Bicycle Center Inc is an independent, family-owned bicycle retailer and service provider founded in 1972 in Tampa, Florida, selling new and used bikes, components, accessories, and apparel across major brands through a physical storefront, an e-commerce site, and a trailhead rental kiosk at Alafia River State Park, serving Tampa Bay area cyclists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Bicycle Retail

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (459110), Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)

akta.pro primary industry

Cycling & Bike Retail (Sales, Service & Accessories) (CRAMABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bike Service, Repair & Maintenance Shops (CRAMAHAH), Bike Fit, Performance & Training Retail/Studios (CRAMAHAI), Bike Apparel, Helmets & Protective Gear Retail (CRAMAHAC), Used & Refurbished Bike Retail (CRAMAHAK)

Keywords

• Bicycle retail
• Bike repair services
• Cycling accessories
• Bike rentals
• Cycling apparel

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Bicycle Sales: Retail sales of new bicycles including road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid/fitness bikes, electric bikes, and children's bikes from major brands like Specialized, Giant, Cannondale, Liv, Santa Cruz, and others
2. Components and Accessories Sales: Sales of bike components (derailleurs, brakes, chains, tires, wheels, etc.) and accessories (helmets, locks, lights, pumps, nutrition, car racks, trailers)
3. Apparel Sales: Sales of cycling apparel including jerseys, shorts, gloves, shoes, socks, and outerwear
4. Bike Repair and Maintenance Services: Professional bike repair services including tune-ups, brake adjustments, drivetrain maintenance, and full bike fitting services
5. Bike Rentals: Mountain bike rentals at Alafia River State Park for trail riding
6. Trade-In Program: Used bike trade-in program in partnership with Bicycle Blue Book

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

University Bicycle Center is a multi-channel bicycle retailer selling new and used bicycles, components, accessories, and apparel across categories such as road, mountain, hybrid, electric, children's, BMX, cyclocross, and commuter. The retailer also provides professional bike repair and maintenance, tune-up packages, bike fitting services, and mountain bike rentals at Alafia River State Park, supported by an e-commerce storefront with store pickup.

Product overview

University Bicycle Center Inc operates as a comprehensive bicycle retail operation offering a diverse portfolio of products and services. The core offerings center on complete bicycles across multiple categories (Road, Mountain, Hybrid/Comfort/Fitness, Electric, Children's, BMX, Used), supplemented by an extensive range of components, accessories, and apparel. The company provides complementary service offerings including professional bike repair and maintenance, tune-up packages, and bike fitting services. Additionally, the company offers mountain bike rentals for Alafia River State Park and provides flexible financing options through third-party providers (Acima Credit, Synchrony Bank, Snap Finance). The product portfolio features over 20,000 items and includes offerings from major brands such as Specialized, Giant, Cannondale, Santa Cruz, Liv, Trek, and Yeti Cycles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bikes Complete bicycles across multiple categories including Road Bikes, Mountain Bikes, Cyclocross Bikes, Commuter/Urban Bikes, Hybrid/Comfort/Fitness Bikes, Children's/Youth Bikes, BMX Bikes, Electric Bikes, and Used Bikes, sold to individual consumers through retail and e-commerce channels.
• Components Bicycle components including Bar Ends, BMX parts, Brakes/Levers/Pads, Cables, Cassettes/Freewheels, Chainrings, Chains, Cranksets, Derailleurs, Forks, Groups, Handlebar Grips/Tape, Handlebars, Headsets, Pedals, Saddles, Seatposts, Shift/Brake Combinations, Shifters, Shocks, Stems, Tires/Tubes, and Wheels, for cyclists performing upgrades or repairs.
• Accessories Bicycle accessories including Body Care, Car Racks, Children's-Bike Accessories, Child Seats, Electric/Gas Motor Kits, Electronics, Eyewear, Fenders, Helmets, Hydration, Lighting, Locks/Security, Nutrition, Packs/Racks/Baskets, Pumps/Inflation, Safety, Storage, Tools/Maintenance, Trailers/Strollers, Indoor Cycling, and Travel Cases.
• Apparel Cycling apparel including Gloves, Jerseys/Tops (Short and Long Sleeve), Outerwear, Protective/Armor, Running tops, Casual Shirts/Tops, Shorts/Bottoms, Casual Shorts, Skinsuits, Socks, Triathlon, Undergarments, and Shoes, for cyclists and recreational riders.
• Bike Repair & Maintenance Professional bicycle repair and maintenance services including tune-ups, safety inspections, and component replacement/repair performed by certified technicians, for individual bike owners in the Tampa Bay area.
• Tune Up Packages Pre-packaged maintenance service bundles for routine bicycle care and servicing, offered to individual bike owners.
• Bike Fitting Professional bicycle fitting services to optimize rider comfort, efficiency, and performance, for individual cyclists purchasing new bikes or seeking performance adjustments.
• Bike Rental for Alafia River State Park Mountain bike rental service for Alafia River State Park trails, offering a selection of popular MTB models for trail riding, for visiting and local riders without their own trail-ready bikes.
• Sales & Closeouts Discounted and closeout bicycles and components available at reduced prices, with discounts ranging from 4% to 54% off original pricing, for value-oriented individual consumers.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bicycle Blue BookcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity Bicycle Center is an authorized trade-in partner with Bicycle Blue Book, allowing customers to trade in their used bikes. This partnership enables the store to offer trade-in services and customers to get value for their old bicycles when purchasing new ones.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• REI Co-op: National sporting-goods cooperative with a large cycling category including bikes, apparel, components, and in-store repair services. Comparable to UBC as a multi-channel cycling retailer, but operating at vastly greater scale and breadth across many sports verticals.
• Trek Bicycle Corporation: Major bicycle OEM that also operates company-owned retail stores and supports an extensive independent dealer network. Comparable to UBC through direct retail, premium-brand positioning, and full-line bike-plus-service offerings.
• Sun & Ski Sports: Multi-outdoor-category retailer with a meaningful cycling department including road, mountain, and e-bikes plus apparel and accessories. Comparable to UBC as a competing outlet for premium bike purchases but with a much broader seasonal-sports assortment.

Direct peers

• Jenson USA: Online-direct cycling retailer carrying bikes, components, apparel, and accessories from major brands. Comparable to UBC as a competitor for the same enthusiast customer base across overlapping premium and mid-tier brands.
• Wheel & Sprocket: Midwest U.S. independent bike shop chain with multiple locations, full-service repair, rentals, and a broad bike-plus-accessory assortment. Highly comparable to UBC in scale, retail-plus-service model, and community-focused positioning.
• Mike's Bikes: Multi-location independent bike shop chain on the U.S. West Coast offering new bikes, service, fitting, and rentals. Comparable to UBC as a regional specialty bike retailer with an integrated service and retail model serving enthusiast cyclists.
• Competitive Cyclist: Premium online cycling retailer specializing in road, mountain, and gravel bikes plus apparel and components. Comparable to UBC at the premium end of the price spectrum and as a direct competitor for high-ticket bike sales.
• Bicycle World: Regional independent bike retailer offering new bikes, service, and accessories from major brands. Comparable to UBC as a similarly sized specialty retailer targeting enthusiast cyclists with an integrated retail-and-service model.
• Richardson Bike Mart: Long-established independent bicycle retailer in the Dallas area with multiple stores, full repair services, and broad brand representation. Comparable to UBC as a multi-location specialty bike shop with deep local roots and a service-driven model.
• Landis Cyclery: Independently owned specialty bike shop offering premium bikes, professional fitting, and repair services. Comparable to UBC as a service-intensive, expert-staffed retailer competing for the same enthusiast-cyclist customer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ubcbike
• Facebookfacebook.com/ubcbike.tampa
• Instagraminstagram.com/ubcbike.tampa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-bicycle-center-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University Bicycle Center Inc