Nytro's Changing
Of the Guard

New Owners Boost Service And Inventory for Roadies

If you've been too busy training, working, or just plain out of touch then you're the last person in San Diego to know that Nytro ownership changed hands a year ago in June. A local businessman named Skip McDowell convinced his wife Kristie to quit her job and help him acquire and run Nytro. Both have a passion for cycling and according to Skip, “Nytro has enabled us to work side by side in a business environment where the workday is truly a labor of love...a 12-hour a day, 7-day a week labor of love.”

Since 1992, Nytro had built its reputation by stocking a wide selection of high performance cycling gear and offering expert technical advice. Enthusiasts have made their pilgrimage from all over the country to this “Mecca” of road and triathlon bikes for years. Skip and Kristie wanted to expand that core focus by improving the overall customer experience in the shop – better store merchandising, expanding the bike service area, and improving customer service. If you haven't been in Nytro lately, you should! The first thing you will notice is the number of people there to serve you. You are free to browse around all you want but when you need assistance, there is a knowledgeable staff there to help.

The store has been completely remodeled and is divided into a Road area (upstairs) and a TT/Triathlon section (downstairs). There's a newly expanded service area including a staff of full time mechanics, a bike builder, and a large parts cage. A new professional bike fitting station has been added for optimizing a rider's position and power output on the bike. But the best thing of all is the biggest selection of bikes in San Diego – Cervelo, Scott, Felt, Cannondale, Kuota, Guru, Quintana Roo, Litespeed, Kestrel, Pinarello, and Colnago. They've also brought in several women-specific bikes.

“My goal was to stock a wide selection of the models and sizes of bikes people want to ride,” said Skip. “We leased warehouse space down the street so that we can maintain a multimillion dollar inventory of everything on a cyclist's wish list – from the latest SRAM Red grupo to Zipp 202 carbon wheels to compression technology.”

“The greatest satisfaction Kristie and I have had so far is the positive interaction we've had with our customers. Cyclists' are the best people on Earth. They love the riding, the equipment, and the camaraderie...but they'd rather loan their car to a friend than their bike. That says something about the mindset of a cyclist. The ever present good-natured bantering amongst cyclists always keeps a smile on our faces throughout the long days. The hardest thing about running Nytro is that you become so committed to improving the quality of the shop that you spend less time in the saddle. Kristie and I hope to see you and your Cyclo-Vets buddies in the shop sometime soon.”

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