Depot Bikes and Cafes, a conjoined bike repair and retail shop, cafe and social area, plans on opening its doors at 431 I St, Suite 102, in mid-May.

This location sets the business at the convergence of the Sacramento Amtrak and Capitol Corridor train stations, SacRT bus station and Sacramento light rail stations. Owner Tim Fallis said he hopes the shop will foster a stronger trend of bicycle commuting and commerce in Sacramento.

Fallis' family has always been full of cycling enthusiasts. The business venture started as Fallis began reselling Strida compact bicycles independently from the manufacturer. His success pushed him to pursue opening a specialized bike shop, focusing on commuter and commercial-use bicycles.

Fallis contacted his sons Mike, who has made a career in food and wine sales, and Chris, who attended the United Bicycle Institute in Ashland, Ore. with his proposal. The brothers agreed to offer their services and together came up with idea of a cafe, lounge area and bicycle shop under one roof.

In his market research, Fallis found that similar businesses were popping up around the United States and Europe. Sacramento presented itself as a prime location.

According to the Bicycle Commuting Trend's survey from 2000-2008, Sacramento is No. 4 of the 70 largest U.S. cities in terms of population that commutes by bicycle daily. The Sacramento Capitol Corridor station is rated No. 1 from here to San Jose in terms of bicycle-to-train interaction.

Depot Bikes plans to offer a wide variety of services to this large and ever-growing population of cyclists. The shop includes commuter and commercial bike sales, bike rentals, indoor bike valet and storage, quick turnaround repair, cafe-style food and drink service, lounge area for train layovers and repair wait, a historical library of the Sacramento area and a map service for train and bus routes, bike trails, river access and downtown neighborhoods.

"Our main focus is to get people out of their cars as much as we can." Fallis said, "and to show them bikes are functional for commuters and commerce as well enjoyment."

Depot Bikes will be hosting a preconstruction party from 5-8 p.m. Saturday.The event is invitation-only, but local businesses, community members and other interested individuals are encouraged to contact Fallis for additional information.

For more details and contact information, e-mail: info@depotbikesandcafes.com