Leeman Markee is the proprietor of Oh, Wheelie? bike shop in the Cole neighborhood. Since 2012 Leeman and Oh, Wheelie? have been encouraging “cycling as an alternative mode of transit by offering new and used bikes, meticulous, knowledgeable service, advice and encouragement, and occasionally instruction to persons wanting to ditch their cage and get shit done without burning a bunch of dead dinosaurs.”

Leeman is kind enough to offer Denver Vibe readers 10% off any tune up package, now through January. You must reference this article to get the discount. So stop by, introduce yourself to Leeman, Marcel the shop cat & pick yourself up a bike or tune yours up to start reducing your carbon footprint.

 

Leeman Markee

Oh, Wheelie? Bike Shop

3660 Downing St #B

Denver, CO 80205

303)587-8389

OhWheelie.com

 

 

 

Why did you choose Cole to do business in?

We partly chose this neighborhood because we’re drawn to old architecture – the old buildings felt comfortable to us. Also the fact that, at the time, there wasn’t another bike shop in the neighborhood.

 

What about this neighborhood jives with your business culture?

It’s a small community. You have to be pretty strait-laced with total strangers, but, you know, if somebody’s been in a few times and next thing you know, you’re all making fun of each other, it’s like a comic roast. It’s great. I’ve met some wacky people here. I love that.

 

Why are you passionate about your business? What’s the story?

Burning gallon after gallon of prehistoric sludge just to bring your own metal room with you to the liquor store ten blocks away so that you don’t have to – a) get cold, b) interact directly with passing strangers, or c) break a slight sweat – is a societal norm now. Bikes can’t fix everything, but few things are more underappreciated for their potential to make the world a better place. Riding a bike to work directly affects your stress levels in several ways. First off, negotiating with people in metal cages with tinted windows will make you lose your mind. That’s obvious. Would you rather do that every morning, or ride by a river and say hi to a duck? If that wasn’t reason enough to cancel your car insurance, look at the physiologic angle. Plenty of people never get their heart rate up over 100 bpm. So the same people who never get enough oxygen to their brains also have their amygdala running in the red due to other drivers trying to pass them on the on-ramp at I-70 and Washington. Life doesn’t suck, we as a society just need to do a few things different. Basically, I guess it’s a sense of responsibility that keeps me going.

 

What inspired the look of your business/ the design?

What inspired the look of my shop? It’s pretty organic, we’re just working within the parameters of the space.

 


 

paulWant to find your perfect Denver neighborhood? Reach out to Paul, a Live Urban Realtor & Denver Vibe writer who interviewed Leeman Markee.

paulkourkoulis.liveurbandenver.com