“We hear the term ‘life changing’ often”. (Babu Blatt on customers who changed their mindset.)

You expect to hear phrases like “tightening margins” and “limited import supply” from a normal bike shop and not ones such as “promoting cycling advocacy” and “council cooperation” but Matt Quirk and Babu Blatt are not normal bike shop owners and Good Rotations isn’t a normal bike shop. Since opening in 2009 it is quickly becoming a community hub in Wanaka and there’s good reason for this.

Neither Matt or Babu are business minded which was fundamental in taking their vision to where it is today, even if they had no idea of where it was going when it all started. Sounds a bit crazy but it’s working well. The original plan was to sell electric cargo bikes as a way for locals to forgo using their beloved cars for shorter journeys, but Good Rotations has turned into something so much more. Hailing from the Isle of Man, Matt’s background is as a graphic designer and cycle courier. He has a fantastic eye for simple, tasteful, eye-catching designs that perfectly communicate the intended message and he’s always had a passion for bikes despite never spending much time as a bike shop employee.

From Geneva, Babu comes from the project management and chef-ing side of things so is ideally suited to keeping Matt’s head out of the clouds and focused on the task, and fed well. Constantly surrounded by passionate bike enthusiasts, she has never really needed to share it because bikes are viewed more as tools than toys in the Continent. It’s like Kiwis growing up with a pair of gum boots at the back door, you just don’t consciously give them a second thought.

The two combined are a force to be reckoned with and they don’t seem to ever run out of good ideas. Tweed rides, bike movie nights, bikepacking 101 are all regular occurrences at GR and attract good numbers ranging from the converted to the curious. Shops like this give me hope for the future, and I don’t say that very often.

First coming to Wanaka in 2006, both were surprised by how many people were using cars to get around such a small town and once they made the move permanent, wanted to inject a bit of their take on what bikes can do to change your everyday life if you’re prepared to shift your perspective a little. A big part of shifting that perspective surrounds convincing people that bikes are cool.

Coolest. Clipboard. Ever.

Most kids discover a certain amount of freedom when they learn to ride without stabilizers for the first time but when they hit adolescence and get a car, suddenly riding a bike isn’t cool anymore. I’m not talking about crushing massive jumps or busting berms on the full-sus, but using a bike for what they were invented for in the first place, transport. Maybe a bicycle will find its way back into their lives but it will usually be as a form of recreation.

Geared up for adventure

I love mixte frames

So what’s their plan for the future? What do they see five years down the road? Well, that’s a question that a normal bike shop owner wouldn’t have trouble answering, but Matt and Babu just smile and say, “Hopefully, more of what we’re doing”.

quite a lot of this is consumed on premises