About  cycles de ORO Bike Shop

      Cycles de ORO Bike Shop began it's business life as  "Toga Bike Shop" in 1975. The name "Toga" was chosen because founder Robert Kraus had helped start the successful Toga Bike Shop in NY and he thought the name was pretty neat and unusual, however there was no financial or organizational connection to the NYC shop.

      Dale Brown joined Robert shortly after start up and through their shared enthusiasm for all aspects of bicycling, they created a shop that fostered a high level of cycling activity and an absolute dedication to quality products & service.

                                                  
The original "hippie shop" on Spring Garden Street.          Then into a former Lil General store On Huntington Road
                     
Fond memories of the Northwood St shop..                 Then our new digs on Mill Street!
(click pics for more.)

      As the Greensboro shop gained some a good regional and even national reputation, some confusion about "which Toga?" started to arise and in the early 1980s, (after a lot of agonizing over which to choose) the shop's name was changed to cycles de ORO, which literally means "Cycles of Gold."  This was in reference to the Olympic gold medals and the prevailing  bike culture's tradition of using the gold "ORO"  color to designate the best components (for instance, the Italian Regina company's top-of-the-line  "ORO" chain and "ORO" freewheel.) There also was the neat coincidence that there is an "ORO" at the end of Greensboro, and that there are two "Os" that sort of look like a bicycle (?)

      The shop grew but in the mid 1980s, Robert Kraus decided to pursue his own college degrees (ultimately a PHD program at UNC-Chapel Hill.) and he sold his share to Dale.  Dale took the helm and has been the President since then...