A Closed Cedar Rapids Bicycle Bar is Set to Reopen Soon

Good news for Iowans cycling their way through Cedar Rapids - The Loose Chain is making a comeback!

The Original Loose Chain

The Loose Chain first opened at 1731 Center Point Rd NE in Cedar Rapids back in July of 2023. The building was formerly an auto shop, but was transformed into a bar for bicyclists passing through the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. The tiny business featured walls of garage doors that opened to the outside, as well as an outdoor patio where they hosted events like live music and karaoke.

Then, in the summer of 2025, The Loose Chain suddenly went dark. There were a lot of rumors going around on social media about why the bar closed, but there was never an official statement about the closure. The last Facebook post from the original Loose Chain was on July 9th.

The New Loose Chain

I drive past The Loose Chain almost every day, and for the past few weeks, I've been noticing people working inside and outside the building. I was wondering if a new business was taking over the space, but that's not the case. The Loose Chain is set to reopen under new management! A Facebook post from the bar's new page reads:

"Right now, our crew is working hard behind the scenes to finish construction and remodeling the space into the laid-back trail stop we’ve been dreaming up.
As excited as we all are, we kindly ask everyone to please avoid interrupting or entering the construction area while work is being completed. Every day counts right now, and giving our workers the space to focus helps us open the doors that much sooner.
Don’t worry! We’ll be sharing updates, progress photos, opening details, and important dates across all of our socials as we get closer!"

A couple of more recent posts show lots of progress being made on the building, including a new, "larger, live-edge, horseshoe bar" and a coat of black paint on the once-gray exterior. Check out some photos and videos posted by the bar below:

We don't know exactly when The Loose Chain will reopen, but the business says that they will be updating their Facebook and Instagram pages as they move forward. In the meantime, they say that the best way to support the new bar is to like, comment, and share their posts on social media. We can't wait to see how it turns out!

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READ MORE: A Cedar Valley Burger Joint is Making a Comeback At a New Location