NORWICH – Adventure Bikes and Boards, a longtime fixture of downtown Hamilton, opened a new store at 12 S. Broad St. in Norwich Friday.

“This town was in need of a bike shop,” said Dan Sepello, co-owner of the two bike shops. Sepello and his business partner, Scott Truitt, decided to open the Norwich location after seeing an increased number of customers from the Norwich area coming to their Hamilton shop. “All of them said, ‘You need to open a shop in Norwich.’ So we’re here by popular demand,” Sepello said.

Adventure Bikes and Boards specializes in selling and servicing high-end bikes, including the Trek and Gary Fisher brands, but also services any brand of bike, no matter where it was purchased. “There are thousands of bikes in this town, and they all need to be fixed,” Sepello said.

While the Norwich market has proven to be different than that in Hamilton, Sepello said the store will be trying to accommodate the customers’ needs. “There’s a huge demand for BMX stuff here. There really isn’t in Hamilton,” he explained. “We plan to expand more into that market, but our primary focus will still be mountain and road bikes.” While Sepello said the shop will adapt to the area and expand its stock based on the desire of the customers, he said it will stay a pure bike shop. “Our focus is on bikes and that’s where it’s going to stay,” he said.