TW Carbon has a new, larger home for its carbon-fiber bike frame repair and custom paint business thanks to St. Louis’ cycling community and Billy Goat Bicycle Co.

Earlier this year, owner Nick Hand found himself laid off from his full-time job due to COVID-19. Rather than dwell on unfortunate circumstances, he saw an opportunity to follow his passion.

“I focused on TW Carbon more and quickly realized I needed to build it into a full-time business, because I enjoy the work so much,” Hand explained. “And, to do so, I needed a larger workspace.”

TW Carbon

Nick Hand at work.

He asked the St. Louis bike community if anyone had dealt with real estate.

“Someone mentioned that Dirk [Sprogoe] at Billy Goat Bicycle was looking to rent out a portion of the shop,” Hand said. “I met with Dirk, checked out the space, and explained my vision for TW Carbon. He explained his ideas for the future of Billy Goat and the cycling community.”

Hand spent June transforming 1,200 square feet of Billy Goat’s space into his own shop. It has a separate entrance and dedicated areas to sand and repair carbon fiber, as well as a dedicated paint booth with a specially designed exhaust system. There’s also a dust-free drying room, office, and a shop area to disassemble and rebuild bikes.

You can visit TW Carbon at 10211 Manchester Road B, next to Billy Goat Bicycles in Kirkwood, or online at twcarbon.com.

Author: Nick Brennan is a contributor to Terrain Magazine.