Street, dirt and snow

Turple Bros. Ltd. is Red Deer’s trusted source for snow, dirt and street machines. The specialty shop opened in 1956, and has since contributed to the growth of the riding community in the city.

Troy Dezall started working at Turple Bros. more than a decade ago. He is now lead of the sales team, and part owner at the shop. “We are your one stop for non-stop fun.” is the shop’s slogan.

Dezall doesn’t just work in the shop. He gets out on his own machines as much as possible. “I started riding sleds, motorbikes and quads when I was a kid,” he said. He remembers ripping around his grandfather’s acreage as a kid, not stopping until it was dark or he ran out of fuel—or both. “It was an easy fit to get in to Turple Bros. and start riding again as an adult.”

After getting married, Dezall took a few years off regular motorsports. He and his family lived in Calgary, where he worked in television and only rode when visiting his father back in Red Deer. However, he and his wife soon realized it was time to move back to their Red Deer roots. “I am a farm boy, and the big city wasn’t for me,” he said. “I do enjoy riding, that’s for sure!”

It runs in the family

Dezall brings the Turple Bros. motto of “non-stop fun” home to his family. He balances his busy schedule at the shop with family trips to the private dirt bike track in town. When they have a bit more time, the Dezall family likes riding west of Rocky Mountain House to the Foresty Trunk Road and the Hummingbird Falls area.

Luckily for Dezall, his four kids love their motorsports just as much as he did growing up. “We try to get out as much as we can on the dirt bikes,” he said. “I have to keep buying them bikes because they keep growing!”

While trail riding, he teaches his kids the importance of respecting the land they ride on. “I’m an active member of the Bighorn Heritage ATV Society, so we go out as a family every year and do trail maintenance,” he said. Whether one, two or all the kids are available to join him, he goes out to help clean up. “It’s a good family affair to teach them proper trail maintenance, and that you have to respect the land, and help maintain it if you’re going to ride it.”

The fun doesn’t stop when the snow falls for this family, though. They recently acquired some old sleds for winter rides. “I got them running, and I’ve been pulling the kids around on sleds behind the machines,” he said. “We have a lot of fun doing that.” While he hasn’t taken the kids out to ride any mountain trails yet, he’s hoping to over the next couple of years as they get older.

The outdoor family time is priceless for this rad rider from Red Deer. “It’s nice to get outside with the kids,” Dezall said. “It makes winter fun! It gets you out of the house, doing something that’s fun. Everyone enjoys getting out in the fresh air.”

Dezall stresses the lessons that learning to ride dirt bikes and sleds have taught his kids. These recreational motorsports teach kids how to ride safely with others, and respect the land around them. Plus, it lets them experience things that others might not experience. “You can go places on bikes and sleds that you can’t go in a car. It gets them to explore the wilderness that we have,” Dezall said.

Part of the community

The community spirit Dezall teaches his kids while they ride Alberta’s trails continues into the daily operations he encourages at Turple Bros. “We like giving back to the community because the community has been good to us,” he said. The store is actively involved in the community, through different motorcycle rides and ATV rallies. Plus, shoppers might even see the employees out on the trails. “Most people in our store ride something of some sort, whether it’s street, dirt or snow,” Dezall said. 

As part of the community, Turple Bros. takes a low-pressure approach to its clients. “We want to make sure that people are buying the toys because they want to buy the toys,” Dezall said. He hates feeling pressured to buy as a shopper, so he encourages his sales team to greet and inform their clients with the same easy-going respect. “We try to bring honesty and integrity to the business,” he said. That way, shoppers buy the toys that are right for them.

Say hello to Troy Dezall and the rest of the team at Turple Bros. on your next visit to Red Deer, Alberta.