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B icyc le Heaven to
Pittsburgh. Itâs not all about football, chipped ham, and sandwiches with fries on them. Sometimes, just sometimes, if you look beneath the epicenter of the city, you may uncover a hidden gem or two.
Nestled in the North Shore industrial park on Prebble Ave. sits Bicycle Heaven, a vintage bicycle museum, retail outlet, parts emporium, and collection of oddities from around the world. Bicycle Heaven is housed in a 10,000 square foot industrial warehouse that has been flooded with bikes from every era. Visitors can enjoy a nostalgic jaunt through the eclectic inferno as they peruse banana seats, tassels, mannequins, bobble heads, and other things that might make you feel a little weird inside. (Like Pee-Wee Hermanâs Bike). Thereâs even a car sitting on the museum floor. But not just any car. The HMV Freeway is the worldâs answer to gas guzzlers. The three-wheeled microcar which was manufactured in the 80âs, gets 100mpg and reaches a top speed of 70-mph. Although there were only 700 sold, the museum owns three. Other braggadocious rights come from the museumâs possession of the worldâs largest collection of Schwinn Sting Rays. With 400+ bikes, valued at roughly $2,500 per bike, the museumâs collection is bursting at the seams.
Written by: Enzo Knight Photographed by: Julie Kahlbaugh