Medford teacher shares passion for bicycles with community

Rich Palzewic

Staff

August 3, 2026

MEDFORD – Underground Cyclery Owner Davey Sapinski said his goal is simple: help customers get their bicycles back on the road as quickly as possible while sharing his passion for cycling with the Medford community. 

Sapinski, a tech-ed teacher at the local high school, said he understands how important bicycles are to people – as a mode of transportation, for leisure and as a stress reliever.

“When your bicycle is working properly, I think people take that for granted – similar to a vehicle,” he said. “But when it requires repair, that’s where I can help.”

Sapinski – who bikes upward of 4,000 miles per year – said he wanted to create a reliable bicycle shop where Medford-area customers receive personalized service and care.

“That’s why I started Underground Cyclery,” he said. “The difference between my shop and the ‘big bike shops’ is Underground Cyclery isn’t an in-the-door, out-the-door, pay-the-guy-at-the-front-desk shop. It’s personalized care for your ride. Every bike is treated as if it were my own bike.”

Located at 145 S. Main St., Sapinski said he provides services ranging from a quick and easy tune-up to an entire bike overhaul to custom wheel builds.

He said he also provides e-bike service and front wheel laser alignment.

“I’m also an authorized dealer for Cinelli, an Italian bicycle manufacturing company based in Milan, Italy,” he said. “I went with Cinelli because it doesn’t require shops to carry a certain amount of stock – you order as you go. Obviously, doing this part-time [because of my teaching duties], I can’t afford to have $30,000 worth of inventory sitting on the shop floor.”  

But, if the first 10 months are any indication, Sapinski said the Medford community was “craving” a quality bicycle shop.

“It’s been very well received, and I feel blessed,” he said. “A lot of people are stopping in or calling. They are dropping bikes off for repairs or looking for bikes to purchase.”

Keeping in line with that personal service he aims to provide, Sapinski said he is transparent and upfront with his customers.

For example, he said when a customer brings in a department store bike needing repairs, he is honest about what the bill might look like.

“Bicycles [bought from a big-box store] are really not meant to be repaired, especially from a financial perspective,” he said. “If a bike from a department store costs $100 to buy and soon requires repair work, the cost of parts and labor might be more than the bike is worth. In the world of bicycles, you get what you pay for.”

Sapinski said some customers initially come in believing they don’t need or want an expensive bicycle, but after being fitted for the right bike and taking it for a test ride, many leave with a different perspective. 

“The better the bike, the better wheels it has, it’s lighter, the components are better – the list goes on and on,” he said. “I’d say gravel biking is king in this neck of the woods. There are also a lot of road bicyclists, but because of our rural nature, more people seem to enjoy going off-road more.”

A lifelong passion

Sapinski – who will turn 52 this fall – said he was like any normal kid growing up in North Central Wisconsin, riding his bicycle everywhere.

“It was my means of transportation,” he laughed. “My buddies and I would take our bicycles everywhere back in the day – that is, until we turned 16 or 17 and got cars and found other interests.”

Sapinski said his interests shifted over the years, from “the whole racecar scene” with his friends years ago to running marathons and eventually adding cycling to his list of passions. 

“I really got back into biking – road, gravel and mountain – right around that 2010 era,” he said.

Though putting in the miles on road or trails, Sapinski said, doesn’t necessarily translate into becoming an effective bicycle mechanic.

He said his mechanically inclined nature stemmed from another source.

“Before I was teaching, I was an ASE-certified auto technician, and then I was also a hydraulic fluid power specialist,” he said. “I’ve always been a hands-on guy. You can ask my parents, I tore everything apart and would put it back together.”

Sapinski said it got to the point where he thought it was a good idea to mix his love of biking with his mechanical skills.

“I’m riding and racing bicycles, so why not open a shop?” he said. “We didn’t have one in Medford, and I feel I have a talent for fixing them, so why not combine the two. Obviously, I’ve taken some actual bicycle mechanic online courses to broaden my horizons, if you will.”

Much like vehicle repair work, Sapinski said bicycle repair work is “constantly changing.”

“The technology has changed drastically,” he said. “There is now battery-operated shifting, hydraulic brakes, tubeless tires, etc. If I don’t keep up on the latest technology, I’m going to miss out on things.”

Every Thursday on Underground Cyclery’s Facebook page, Sapinski said he posts a tech tip for his visitors.

He said it’s a good way to stay involved and give simple tips the general public can utilize.

Finding a location

Because he was working on bicycles from his garage for years before opening Underground Cyclery, Sapinski said a conversation with his wife last year prompted him to look for a suitable building.

“She came home from work one day and said, ‘You need to get a building, because I can’t get in the garage anymore,’” he laughed. “I’m in the lower level of the building on Main Street – hence the name of the shop. There is a bridal shop above me.”

With his teaching duties set to begin again in less than a month, Sapinski said he will probably take the same approach he did last year.

Teaching from September through May, he said he balances his classroom responsibilities with running Underground Cyclery. 

“Obviously, I’m committed to my teaching duties, but during the school year, I can leave the building by 3:50 p.m.,” he said. “I’m usually at the shop by about 4:30, and I’ll work until I’m caught up.”

The growth Underground Cyclery has experienced over the past 10 months, Sapinski said, has him considering the next step for the business – adding additional help to support its customers. 

“In October, it will be a full year – it’s a good time to reflect on how things are going and think about whether I might need more help,” he said. “I’m very busy right now, but I’m cautious because it’s new to the area, and I don’t want to get in over my head. I’m waiting to see how all of this transpires.”

Summer hours, Sapinski said, are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment on Saturday.

For more information and updated hours come fall, find Underground Cyclery on Facebook.