Daytonian of the Week: Mike Bisig

Dayton has a long-established history as being a city of visionaries, and that lineage continues with Mike Bisig. It was October of 2016 when the teacher, musician and biking enthusiast stood in front of an abandoned and dilapidated industrial building at 1300 East First Street and confidently declared it the future home of Dayton's first ever indoor bike park.

>> Dayton’s first indoor bike park to host grand opening bash

Less than a year later, with the help of investors and more than 100 volunteers, that building stands transformed into a site bustling with activity seven days a week. Cyclists of all ages and skill levels fly throughout the structure now known as Mike's Bike Park.

“I can’t even begin to thank the volunteers that have come out to help us. They are the reason that this place looks the way it does. The community has been phenomenal on that,” Bisig explained.

It seems his wheels -- in one form or another -- are always spinning. Now, with his ever-present positive attitude, Bisig has spun something very positive for the Dayton area.

SNEAK PEEK inside Mike's Bike Park in Dayton

Posted by Dayton.com on Wednesday, March 29, 2017

>> Dayton's indoor bike park set to open before summer

What do you do?

I am the owner of Mike’s Indoor Bike Park (Dayton, OH), a local musician (Cricketbows, Lord Kimbo), and a Dayton-area music educator.

What superpower would you love to have?

There are so many to choose from! I think being able to fly would be cool, or maybe the ability to heal like Wolverine would be helpful.

What do you love about life in Dayton?

The people I meet every day, 100 percent. Dayton has the most amazing people and no matter what scene you are a part of, you can find a wealth of intelligent, funny, original people.

What’s your favorite spot in Dayton?

Aside from Mike’s Bike Park? I really like the wealth of great music venues. I am not sure I can narrow it down to just one place, but the music scene in Dayton brings me several great places on a regular basis including The Trolley Stop, Blind Bob’s, Oregon Express, Jimmy’s Ladder 11, and more.

>>Inside the future home of Dayton’s new bike park

Why did you decide to settle in Dayton?

I would never say that I settled in Dayton, I would say that I was drawn to Dayton. I have lived in several different places over the years, including Hawaii, and I think that I really am interested in how real Dayton feels. When I walk through Dayton I get a real sense of belonging and acceptance for who I am and what I do.

How did you get involved in your line of work?

There could be an entire series of adventure/suspense books written about my journey and how I got to where I am today! The short version begins when I returned from Hawaii and realized that Ohio weather would not allow me to ride my bike in the woods whenever I wanted. Over the next few years I kept looking for someplace to ride when the weather was bad and it never happened. Finally, I decided to take matters into my own hands and open an indoor bike park for everyone to ride!

If you could change or bring one thing to Dayton, what would it be?

If I could change anything, it would be the perception of downtown Dayton in the surrounding communities. Dayton has been growing in a positive direction for several years now. I think that anyone who comes downtown and takes the time to experience the positive changes would agree that Dayton is an amazing city full of wonderful people and positive things to do. I would challenge everyone to take at least one day a month to see what this great city has to offer. You won’t be disappointed!

What do you think Dayton will look like in 10-15 years?

Dayton is going to continue to grow in ways that no one can truly predict and that is very exciting. I think we will continue to see a focus on bringing people back to downtown Dayton for living space, retail, and entertainment. I already enjoy being able to ride my bike to any number of great entertainment spots (DK Effect, Dragons stadium, Mike’s Bike Park), grab a bite to eat (Brixx Ice Company, Spaghetti Warehouse, Taqueria Mexteca), and then catch any number of great bands performing throughout the city. I can’t wait to see what possibilities happen in the future!

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