Merlyn Townley attaches a spoke to the rim of a new wheel at his shop, Merlyn Mechanics, a custom bicycle wheel shop, repair station and maintenance school.From India and Rwanda to China and Argentina, Merlyn Townley has seen much of the world through the spokes of a bicycle wheel.
Townley is one of only a handful of Category 1-licensed bicycle race mechanics in the world, a distinction in the field that has afforded him the opportunity to work as a support mechanic in 60 counties on six continents during the last 20 years. He is also a practitioner of the art of building bicycle wheels by hand, a craft that is becoming rare.
After moving to Chattanooga in September 2009, Townley late last year launched Merlyn Mechanics, a custom bicycle wheel shop, repair station and maintenance school.
Q: Chattanooga is gaining a reputation as a bike town. Would you agree with that?
A: It is very much a bike town. I find that there are a lot of cyclists and a lot of really good cyclists here. It’s a great scene for that. There’s a lot of great riding here, both road and mountain.