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All of Moab’s Bicycle shops have remarkable stories to tell.  This month we are focusing on Poison Spider Bicycles

The Poison Spider Bicycles story began in 1988 when Judy and Chuck Nichols brought their tour company to Moab and started Canyon Country Bed & Breakfast, Moab’s first B&B, and established a mountain bike rental fleet with 6 used bikes.  By 1990, the popularity of mountain biking exploded and both the bike rental operation and tour company moved from the B&B to the current location, which back then was a tiny turquoise and pink house called Nichols Bike Stop.

Poison Spider Bicycles
The giant spider on the side of Poison Spider Bicycles’ building has been a longtime landmark on the north end of Moab.

The name of the shop changed to Poison Spider Bicycles in 1992 and in the winter of 1993 work started on the current building, which opened in March of 1994.  Scott Newton started as a mechanic and, when offered the business in January of 2007, he took the opportunity to instill his love of riding through the business. All of the employees that work at Poison Spider Bicycle ride some type of bike. Triathletes, racers, mountain bikers, dirt jumpers and roadies all work there and convey their love of riding daily to the locals and tourists alike!

Poison Spider Bicycles Staff
The Poison Spider staff fully support Moab’s Do It Like A Moab Local program which promotes stewardship of our unique and fragile environment.

Poison Spider Bicycles, a longtime asset to the Moab Community, is involved in the following programs and organizations:

  • High school and middle school mountain biking team coaches
  • Grand County High School student government and cheerleader sponsors
  • Bike rack provider to local businesses
  • Bike to work program for Moab employees
  • Christmas Toy Drive for foster families in Grand County
  • Christmas food drive
  • PSB recycles
  • Support for renewable energy sources by participating in the Utah Blue Sky Wind Generated Power Program
  • Donates a portion of their t-shirt sales to the Moab Trail Alliance
  • IMBA and Bikes Belong member

Poison Spider Bicycles achievements include:

  • Bicycle Dealer Showcase
  • Velo News, NBDA and North American Cyclists Top 100 Bicycle Shop
  • Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence for the past three years as well.


Woman and child in Canyonlands National Park

There’s no place on Earth quite like Moab, Utah—it’s why millions of people flock here every year from every corner of the planet to hike, bike, raft, off-road, and generally enjoy the otherworldly scenery and unique terrain. In fact, some of us love it so much that we live here year-round. And while the Utah desert seems like a rugged place, you might be surprised to learn the environment is surprisingly sensitive. To make sure everybody—both locals and visitors alike—has the chance to enjoy our little slice of paradise for generations to come, residents of Moab are taking steps toward sustainability with the Moab First Sustainable Tourism Program. When you visit Moab, keep the following tips in mind to visit like a local and do your part to protect this amazing landscape.

Stay on the Trail

Hikers in Grandstaff Canyon

While the desert soil may look unassuming, it’s actually teeming with life. Biological soil crust (also known as cryptobiotic soil) is a major part of the desert ecosystem, and helps prevent erosion as well as trap nitrogen and other plant-friendly nutrients in the soil. Cryptobiotic soil is also incredibly sensitive, and can take decades to recover from even a few footsteps breaking through the crust. When you visit Moab, make sure to stay on established trails and roads—and if established routes aren’t available, do your best to walk through dry creek beds or on bare rock.

Leave No Trace

Most people with a conscience already know not to litter up the great outdoors, but there’s more to Leave No Trace than just packing out all your trash and recyclables. When picking a campsite, use a pre-existing spot rather than placing your tent on top of vegetation, and make sure to stay at least 300 feet from water to avoid scaring animals away from critical sources of hydration. And speaking of wildlife, make sure to give them plenty of room in general—keep pets leashed, and teach children never to chase, approach, or pick up wild animals.

Respect the Rocks

Moab and the surrounding areas are home to an incredible number of ruins, artifacts, and ancient rock art. While it can be tempting to get up close and personal, make sure to admire from a distance—and look, but don’t touch. We want to keep these pieces of ancient history around for many years to come—so stay out of ruins, leave any artifacts you find in place, and encourage others to do the same, so everyone can appreciate the wonder of ancient civilizations well into the future.

Bring Your Own Bags

MoabFirst Reuseable Bags

Starting in January 2019, the city of Moab enacted a ban on single-use plastic bags. It’s part of Moab’s efforts to help curb the use of disposable plastic products. Besides being a major litter problem, plastic bags also tend to make their way into waterways and oceans where they can harm animals, as the plastic bits don’t biodegrade even as they become divided into tiny pieces. Remember to bring your own reusable bags for any grocery or souvenir shopping, several businesses will have reusable available during January supporting the plastic-bag ban.

Drive Electric

Moab Recharging Station

As part of its new sustainability strategy, Moab now features 10 electric-vehicle charging stations located throughout the city, as well as four additional Tesla supercharging stations that can charge Tesla vehicles halfway in about 20 minutes. A recent study by the Utah Department of Transportation estimates an average of 13,000 vehicles at the intersection of Moab’s Main and Center streets—if even a small fraction of those cars were electric, we could save hundreds of thousands of pounds of air pollution every year.

Eat & Shop Local

Downtown Moab, Utah

Another great way to visit Moab like a local is supporting local businesses that have made a commitment to sustainability. Keep an eye out for businesses with a Green to Gold sign—the Green to Gold program is a city-sponsored initiative encouraging establishments to take simple steps to reduce their environmental impact. In the summer of 2018 alone, Green to Gold businesses in Moab saved over 850,000 kWh—the same amount of energy used by 136 cars over the course of an entire year, or the annual CO2 emissions from 68 homes.

With these six tips in mind, you’ll be helping the cause of keeping Moab an amazing destination (and an amazing place to live) for years to come. For more information on Moab’s sustainability efforts or to start planning your trip, visit discovermoab.com.