Editor’s note: Duncan Benning, the shop’s owner, and his family have been friends of ours for several years.

Transit Cycles is the latest entry into the Tucson bike shop scene, but as its name suggests, the shop’s focus isn’t high-end road bikes but rather transportation cycling.

Duncan Benning, the man behind the new shop, has been working in Tucson bike shops for the last 15 years, but has known he wanted to open his own shop since he was a teenager.

“Having a shop is something that I have wanted to do since I was in high school,” Benning said.

As bike shops got bigger and more expensive to open he started to wonder if it would be feasible to open his own shop. The recent trend toward smaller niche shops made the dream a reality.

Transit Cycles’ 500 square foot shop will be located in the Mercado San Agustin, west of downtown on Congress Street, and is scheduled to open in the middle of January. When the shop opens, Benning will be handling both sales and service.

People will be able to get a sneak peek of some the shop’s offerings at the Mercado’s Holiday Bazaar this Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Benning said his shop will cater to cyclists who use their bikes for transportation whether it is commuting, bike touring or cargo cycling.

Benning grew up road riding, but said utility cycling and advocacy is something that he has become more passionate about and wanted to turn his passion “into a bike shop that supported commuters and folks that would never call themselves enthusiasts, that would never wear lycra, but are going to be just as passionate about their bicycle and getting from Point A to Point B.”

Transit Cycles will carry Linus, Surly, Xtracycle, Velo Orange and Heritage bicycles.

Benning is particularly excited about the Heritage bikes, which are semi-custom bikes made in the United States. He said unlike other custom bikes, they start at $800 and go up from there.

You can learn more about the shop by checking out their Facebook page.