1986: Epic recovery

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Tags: Arts, business, winter-2011

John Pittendreigh

John Pittendreigh, Bachelor of Arts

When John Pittendreigh’s business was inundated by the Brisbane floods in January, he wasn’t about to bite the dust.

With determination and a whole lot of community support, Mr Pittendreigh was able to re-open his business and local icon Epic Cycles within a week.

“Although we were inundated with over two metres of water, I always like to point out that our experience was nowhere near as dramatic as what people experienced in the Lockyer Valley and Toowoomba,” he said.

“Complete removal of all income for what appeared initially to be an indefinite period is just a bit unsettling – especially when the bills don’t seem to disappear anywhere near as abruptly!

“During the floods I was really blown away by how eager all sorts of people were to get in and muck mud out of pretty much anything.”
Mr Pittendreigh graduated with an arts degree in 1986, majoring in government.

“I found such a broad, liberal education to be a great foundation from which to understand the hows and whys of the world we live in,” he said.
Mr Pittendreigh also spent one semester of his degree studying political science, history and psychology at Calgary University in Canada.

After a career with The Wilderness Society, CSIRO and experiencing life as a parent, Mr Pittendreigh and his wife opened Epic Cycles in Rosalie, a western suburb of Brisbane.

Over the past seven-and-a-half years, it has become one of Brisbane’s most well-known local businesses thanks to its striking purple storefront.

“Given that I was a very active mountain bike racer, commuter, and touring cyclist it seemed almost natural to combine my retail experience with my love of cycling,” Mr Pittendreigh said.

However, he said there were some negatives involved with owning your own small business.

“The downside is that for most people it will mean taking on a significant degree of financial risk, working very hard and very long hours, often without seeming to receive reasonably commensurate remuneration, and usually with no one to blame but yourself for being there if things don’t work out,” he said.

“On the other hand…you will never again have an excuse for being bored.”

By Janardin Kewin

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