Bulldog Bikes And Floats Is The Place For Outdoor Fun

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Bored with retirement, Mike Prager wanted to get back to having fun. He had spent 20-some years in the trucking industry after he graduated from college in 1972, but his passion had always been the bike shop he opened in Easton called Easton Cycle and Sport, which sold bikes, kayaks and sporting equipment. So upon moving back to Anne Arundel County — where he had previously coached lacrosse at Severna Park High and Archbishop Spalding — he knew it was back to bikes.

He opened Bulldog Bikes and Floats at the beginning of 2018, combining his years of experience with sales, service, rentals and working with kids into a family-owned, family-oriented business. The shop sells, rents and services bicycles, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards.

“We are the most northern bike shop since the one in Linthicum closed,” Prager said. “We sit right between two rivers for the kayaks. The bike trail is right across the street. It’s all about location, location, location.”

Additionally, its spot right along Ritchie Highway close to the intersection of Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard makes it convenient for customers from Severna Park, Pasadena, Glen Burnie and Arnold. Prager even has an open parking lot out front where kids can take their bikes for test rides.

In addition to the centralized location and family focus, Bulldog Bikes and Floats partners with industry leaders to offer the latest breakthrough in products and designs, such as e-bikes, which combine electric power with human power to enhance the riding experience.

Prager runs the shop with Karen Remington, who has been handling community outreach. They hope that when summer comes around, Prager’s daughter Brittany — the shop’s resident boater — can provide kayaking and paddleboarding lessons to local camps.

“Mike and I want to get back into shape and plan to do so through biking,” Remington added. “We know there are lots of baby boomers like us out there who have been away from the sport for years. We are planning to document the struggle with a blog. It's just one more way we can connect with the community and hopefully find inspiration for and through others.”

For now, the shop is open only on the weekends, but Prager expects that as the weather gets warmer and business picks up, he will be able to expand his hours. “You can only go so fast,” Prager said. “You can’t be everything to everybody right off, as much as we’d like to be. Plus, at 70, I don’t have the energy I did at 35.”

Bulldog Bikes and Floats is a member of the Pasadena Business Association, the Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce, and the Northern Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, and through those organizations, Prager plans to become an active member of the communities he serves.

“We aim to deliver service with a smile and fun with every mile,” Remington explained, adding that their pet bulldog, Huffy — who inspired the store’s name — is “bullish on quality service and workmanship.”

Bulldog Bikes and Floats is located at 405 Ritchie Highway in Severna Park and is open 10:00am-5:00pm Friday and Saturdays and 10:00am-4:00pm Sundays. Although its website is not up and running yet, interested customers can find more information on its Facebook page “Bulldog Bikes and Floats” or by calling 410- 544-MIKE.

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