Businessman José Villegas is a bicyclist at heart.
He knows bicycles inside out, and for him, repairing the machines is a snap.
Jesús Frías, a bicycle-motocross racer, is a people person and salesman who can move bicycles and accessories out the door.
Together, Villegas and Frías opened JJ Bicycle Shop last month at 640 N. Stone Ave., just north of Downtown.
A top-rated haven for cyclists, Tucson is home to several long-established bike shops.
But JJ Bicycle hopes to find a niche catering to students and Spanish-speaking cyclists — including bike enthusiasts from across the border.
Both Villegas and Frías have worked for other bicycle shops for years and decided to invest about $40,000 and their talents into their own shop, explained Villegas, who graduated from the University of Arizona in 2001 with a degree in business administration.
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"Cycling is something that we know and something that we like," said Villegas, 32, who can repair any make and model of bicycle, including Trek, Fuji, GT and Haro.
The shop has something for everybody — from the college student who wants a used bike starting at $60 to the racer who can plop down $5,000. The business offers new and used racing, mountain and "comfort" bicycles, along with beach cruisers.
"We are bilingual and have clients who come from Sonora and Southern Arizona, because we speak Spanish and can help them with their needs," said Villegas.
While some other local bike shops have bilingual staffers, JJ is reaching out to Spanish-speaking riders with bilingual repair classes and bike trips to Mexico.
Customer Pedro Davis wrote in an e-mail that he has seen how customers from Mexico seek out Villegas for their repairs and cycling needs because they can communicate in Spanish with him.
"Downtown can always use more businesses, and the Latino community will find a friendly face when it comes time to look for a bicycle," wrote Davis.
Villegas, a native of Hermosillo, Sonora, used to own a shop in his hometown before moving to Tucson to continue his education at the UA.
By age 18, he was an amateur bicycle racer and continued in the sport for several years.
Today, Villegas rides a mountain bike for enjoyment, taking in Tucson-area landscapes such as the 50 Year Trail near Oracle in the northern Foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
He also bikes Fantasy Island Mountain Bike Trail on Tucson's far Southeast Side. This area is 19 miles of wavy trails with six loops through the desert that is welcoming after summer rains, or in late winter and early spring.
Frías, 36, began bicycle motocross, or BMX, racing at age 9 in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, and started mountain-biking about 12 years ago. He now competes with his daughters in BMX racing on weekends.
He and Ana Myriam, 11, and Alejandra, 7, make a team on the track at Desert Sunset BMX at 9245 E. Irvington Road.
Frías says he becomes energized on the track or while riding in open desert spaces and mountain trails, and he and Villegas want to share that biking enjoyment with the public.
Besides repairing and selling bicycles, and the partners plan to organize mountain bike tours in Sonora and Sinaloa in October.
Cyclists can tour San Carlos, Ciudad Obregón, Navojoa and Alamos in Sonora. Tours to Mazatlán, Sinaloa, are also planned, Frías said. Prices will vary depending on the number of participants and days.
Location: 640 N. Stone Ave.
Phone: 882-8858
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays.
Events: Day trips, repair classes and bicycle trips in Mexico. To sign up for a Sunday bike trip or bicycle repair classes, call the store. You can sign up now for bike tours in the mountains of Sonora and Sinaloa. The tours will be in October, and prices depend on the package.