Business Profile : Loud Performance
Business Profile : Loud Performance
Ellicottville, Bemus Point and On-Site at HoliMont’s Bike Park
Above Photo / Loud Performance, Cover Photo / Rich Rumfola, ellicottvilleNOW.
It’s no secret that Ellicottville’s slopes have made it the ultimate winter destination, but according to Dee Dippel, owner of Loud Performance, they’re also what make the village a unique adventure for avid mountain bikers. “There are not a lot of places I know where the IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association) EPICS system ties into two great bike parks,” he said, speaking of HoliMont and Holiday Valley. “It is really good riding - technical, challenging, old school hand-built trails - that make it a challenge and an interesting ride.”
Inspired by Ellicottville’s unique situation and his own passion for mountain biking, Dippel is thrilled to open a second location for his full-service bike and board shop at 2 Bristol Lane: Loud Underground.
This second location will share a space with Daily City Train, the new indoor skatepark owned by Chris and Brenda Perks. “We’re really excited to be partnering up with Chris and Brenda on this,” said Dippel. “It makes a lot of sense for us. If you have a bike to be worked on, you have to find a parking spot in town, wheel it into town, and get it down into a basement. With this new location, you can pull right in and unload your bike. The space is bigger, and we’ll be able to do a lot more here thaN we could before!”
With an anticipated opening date in the next few weeks, Dippel is looking forward to a new chapter for his business, which opened in 2015, and has its original location at 4818 Route 430 in Bemus Point. “I got into mountain bike racing in the 90s and worked on mountain bikes in college,” said Dippel. “I worked in a bike shop in Colorado and went to bike repair school in ’92. I did a lot of downhill and dual slalom racing - I’ve always had that background. As I got older, I got into powersports, like dirt bikes, and then came full circle back to mountain bikes here.”
Since moving to western New York, Dippel learned that there are many more opportunities for mountain biking than he realized. “I originally opened as a snowmobile and powersports shop,” Dippel explained. “In my first year, the snowmobile trails were only open for a few days - just not a good season. I got my first 15 mountain bikes in and tried to specialize in that.” Dippel’s plan was a success, as he had all 15 bikes sold by the end of that September. “I found my niche, and I’ve been going that way ever since,” he said.
Dippel is excited to see mountain biking expand into a year-round sport in the Ellicottville area. “Wintertime riding has really caught on,” he noted. “The WNYMBA (Western New York Mountain Biking Association) has nine trailheads in our area that you can winter fat bike now.”
This is the second year that Loud Performance will be at HoliMont with their mobile repair trailer. Loud @ HoliMont Bike Park offers sales, service, and rentals for children and adults on weekends and now during the Friday night downhill series. “Any time the lift is turning, the trailer is open,” said Dippel. “We do limited repairs in the trailer - of course, we can’t do everything we can do in our big shop, but we have lots of ways to keep people moving!”
Dippel said the Ellicottville location will have some different offerings than the original shop in Bemus Point. “We’ll have different bike offerings that I think will really lend well to this area,” he said. “We’ll also have a lot more lifestyle/casual wear and the same great service at either location.”
For more information about Loud Performance’s repair services, bikes, rentals, gear, and more, visit www.loudperformance.com. Follow Loud Performance on social media for their grand opening date.