Bright Angel Bikes

Our story starts in 2010, when we opened a tiny kiosk as the first family owned and operated small business in Grand Canyon (pictured above). My name is Wes Neal and along with my business partner, Kyle George, we own Bright Angel Bicycles and Cafe. Prior to starting this business, both Kyle and I had been river runners for 8 years on the Colorado in the Canyon. We had become passionate ambassadors of Grand Canyon and outdoor living and the thought of transitioning away from our lifestyle was not desirable, nor was it in our immediate trajectory. By 2010 however, we had both started our families and reality had set in. Working for weeks away at a time in Grand Canyon wasn’t conducive to family life. After switching gears to day tours along the South Rim to allow me to be home at night,  I began to see a gap for bicycles along the rim. I would walk miles of paved pathways on the South Rim with guests and think about how it could accommodate bicycles beautifully and get people out of their cars and onto the trails more.  When I mentioned the idea to Kyle, he immediately voiced support and boldly asked to be part of the pitch. We shook hands, one of the best decisions of my life to this point, and moved forward as partners.

After pitching the idea to the Park and securing a temporary permit to “try” the idea’s viability… we worked as hard as we could to get the story of “Riding the Rim” out to the public. By the end of the first year, ridership had drastically increased and the Park was willing to give us additional time while they explored the idea of a permanent building. By the end of the second year, they were sold. Two river runners without college degrees, connections or bucketloads of cash were writing a bid to secure a “real concession” against a handful of corporate giants with mammoth resources. We were told by people with a lot of experience high in the ranks of the Park that regretfully, there was basically no chance we would secure the contract. Our pockets weren’t deep enough. Our resources weren’t secured. Our pitch, surely, would pale in comparison to the giants (think billion dollar corporations) we were competing with. 

We however, had more heart than they had counted on. With the invaluable help of a friend, Ruthy Stoner, that had insight into the process of government bidding, tons of creativity, a shoestring budget and a whole lot of prayer … we camped out in our home office for 12 hours a day, 6 weeks straight… and completed our proposal. 

We were closing in on the end of the window of notification when we FINALLY received the call from Park headquarters. I  was on my way to Sedona to help my brother with a landscaping job since it seemed that soon I would have to find a different way to make ends meet. It had been a long period of silence, and we had all resigned ourselves at that point to the fact that those nay sayers may have been right after all. Instead, the concessions specialist enthusiastically congratulated us on winning the contract, and added that it was an outstanding proposal. He suggested that rather than keeping up with the bigger players that we had “knocked the ball completely out of the Park”.

And that, as they say, is history. The short version of how Kyle and I are able to attend our kids recitals and sporting events on a regular basis. We’re still slinging bikes, delivering food, keeping up on the books. As long as we’re in this… we’re going to be all hands on deck. This is more than a business, it’s a passion.

If you take one thing away from reading our story… remember when they say “you can’t”… it’s either true… or it’s just rocket fuel to boost you to the finish line. And… it’s only true if you believe it is.  

Our team and their incredible contribution to our business should not be eclipsed by any other part of our story. They are the life blood of our business. It goes without saying that even with fairytale beginnings, we simply wouldn’t exist without a robust, passionate, rugged team of individuals on the ground 364 days a year. (NPS grants one day’s closure per year – December 25th). Working at the Canyon is not for the faint of heart. Each person who signs up to live and work in Grand Canyon National Park enlists themselves in a journey fraught with extreme ebbs and flows in pace. Summers are manic. Winters can be mind numbing. Still, the team we have formed loves the Canyon; is eager to share it with visitors; and each seeks to make customer’s biking experience the best, safest and most impressionable and memorable thing on their vacation.

We are proud of the standards they have set, the genuine warmth they convey to visitors and the way they take care for each other. Without them, there is no us. We are forever grateful for their commitment to the company, and for their contribution to the Park and it’s visitors each year. 

Thousands of reviews not only mention the majesty of the canyon and splendor of biking along the edge… but the friendly dispositions and professionalism they were greeted with at our shop. And that’s all our team. If you happen to stop by, let them know that they are appreciated… on a busy summer day it goes a long way! And that’s also why we’ll always leave that tip screen on in case you want to thank them monetarily. 🙂