Train Station Bike and Bean Café

Location Tantallon, N.S. Owner Dan Flinn Website bikeandbean.ca

What’s your favourite coffee drink?

I usually drink regular dark-roast Sumatra we get from a local bean roaster. I just like the taste of coffee. I don’t do the lattes. I stick to the basics.

Describe the café.

Marilou Levangie originally founded Bike & Bean. She passed away in 2012. I bought the name and the business about three seasons ago. The store is in the old French Village train station, 30 minutes from Halifax, along the St. Margaret’s Bay Rails-to-trails route, a 32.5-km multi-use pathway. This trail makes up a section of the Rum Runners Trail, a system of seven connecting trails from Halifax to Lunenburg, spanning nearly 120 km. We are like a biking convenience store: we sell shorts, socks, helmets and other accessories people forget. Or, if someone blows a tire, we can help with a repair while the customer enjoys a cold beer or a coffee.

What’s the local riding scene like?

If it weren’t for this trail, a lot of people wouldn’t be riding. The distance is about 25 km west from Halifax. They can ride out and ride back. We give them a push to get out and get a treat and a coffee and make a day of it. The trail has a very flat grade, making it accessible to everyone from the beginner cyclist to experienced riders to get somewhere or not go anywhere.

Do you have a favourite ride?

I like the St. Margaret’s Bay Rails-to-trails route that we are situated on. I live off a section of trail in Halifax. I also like to mountain bike, so for this I go off trail and do some singletrack.