Wheel & Sprocket celebrates 50 years, legacy of late owner
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A party 50 years in the making celebrated a local bicycle shop.
"It's got to be fun, and bikes are fun. So, if we're not having fun, we're not doing it right," Wheel & Sproket Owner Amelia Kegel said.
For 50 years, Wheel & Sprocket has been a fixture in the Milwaukee bike community. One of its first employees became the face of the business through ads that used fun commercials and comic strips to get people interested in cycling.
"Our father, Chris Kegel, was the second employee of Wheel & Sprocket; he was the first mechanic when they opened back in 1973," Kegel said.
A cartoon Chris Kegel greeted gala attendees at the door on Friday.
Fifty years later, Kegel's children run the business their father, who passed in 2017 after being diagnosed with a rare type of pancreatic cancer, dedicated his life to.
"I was a baby in a bike shop, and throughout my life, I really have seen we've touched so many people, and bikes bring so many different styles of people together," Kegel said.
Friday, their Bay View location was transformed to welcome 250 guests for a gala to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
The night was complete with a band, a woman in silts, and a man juggling on a unicycle. The evening had silent auctions to help the Chris Kegel Foundation, which works to inspire all types of people to ride through events and support transformative projects.
"So, you only turn 50 once, right?" Kegel said about the festivity.
The room was filled with many friends of Chris Kegel. One tells CBS 58 it is no shock the business has grown from one shop in Hales Corners to 12 different locations in 5 decades.
"I'm not surprised in the least. Chris worked really, really hard at it in a lot of different ways. It wasn't just about biking. It was about the community," Shorewood Resident Jim Kircher said.
The shop was known for its fun marketing, but that is not the only thing that brought them success. Chris Kegel's efforts to make Wisconsin bike-friendly also kept the wheels turning, something his children are continuing as well.
"A couple of decades ago, a lot of this stuff didn't exist, and now, it's becoming part of culture. People want to live in places that have great bike paths and have great bike infrastructure, and we're so happy that the tables have turned," Amelia Kegel said.
The Wheel & Sprocket 50th-anniversary celebration continues on Sunday with the 8th annual Slow Roll Bike Ride, a 10-mile lakefront bike ride by the Chris Kegel Foundation. For more information on the Slow Roll, click here.