Life is better on two wheels – and after 39 years of Bicycle Bob’s operating in Old Town Goleta, owners Bob and Julia Zaratzian are retiring. We couldn’t let them go without a proper Goleta send off. At the February 21 City Council meeting, Bicycle Bob’s was honored for its outstanding service to the Goleta community all of these years.

The Zaratzians opened Bicycle Bob’s in downtown Santa Barbara in March of 1983. Quickly outgrowing the space, they expanded their business with the opening of the Goleta store in 1988. 

Bicycle Bob’s raised the bar for what a bike should be by focusing on being an inclusive store for all members of the Bicycle Community. Juveniles, commuters, recreation riders, and bicycle enthusiasts of all ages were made to feel more like friends than customers. Throughout their nearly four decades in business, they supported local schools, non-profits, and law enforcement through their donations of bicycles, helmets, and gift certificates.  

“This is a really wonderful way to wrap up our almost 40 years of business.” said Julia Zaratzian, “We raised our family here and we love this community”.  

For Bicycle Bob’s, cycling was more than a hobby, it is a way of life. “I came 45 years ago to Goleta.” said Bob Zaratzian, “We couldn’t have asked for a better community to run a business and to raise a family”. 

While Bicycle Bob’s has now changed to Trek Bicycle Santa Barbara, they will still be operating out of the same location on 320 S. Kellogg Ave. Please make sure to welcome Trek Bicycle to Goleta and join us in thanking Bob and Julia for providing generations of Goleta families the opportunity to discover their passion for biking! 

Pictured top-right: Bob and Julia Zaratzian with Mayor Pro Tempore Kyle Richards

Bob and Julia outside of their store

Bob and Julia with some of their employees

Bob and Julia with their family after receiving a proclamation from the City