In an Increasingly Bike-Friendly City, BY SAM BLEIBERG Bike shops get us rolling. Whether they’re helping a beginner choose their first bike, keeping a trusty commuter on the road, or just serving as a quick pit stop for flat tires, a good bike shop can make getting around town a much more pleasant experience. What separates a great bike shop from an average one? It has less to do with the price tag on the bikes than the knowledge of the staff — and their willingness to understand your needs. A bike shop should be sensitive to the customer’s budget and provide the best value solution. That’s why every shop featured in this article provides bikes at all almost every price point, from entrylevel models around $300 and up to high-end models costing several thousand dollars. A great bike shop salesperson may even talk you down from a feather-light but uncomfortable racing bike to a workhorse that can handle Manhattan potholes on your commute up Eighth Ave. Another key element of any cyclery is Ph o by Photo b Sa Sam am Bl Bleiber Bleiberg ib g
Bicycle Habitat’s Chelsea location has several veral custom customers rs who first st got g bikes biikes there the here e as children, and have returned to shop p as adults.
Belong. Believe. Become.
CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL
OPEN HOUSE
JOIN US TO LEARN MORE
Sunday, October 21, 2018 12 – 3 PM
Medical Gateways Program Law Program Business Program STEM Curriculum The Class of 2018 earned over $30 million in college scholarships and
350 East 56th Street, NYC www.cathedralhs.org 2
October 4, 2018
212.688.1545
the mechanic shop. Depending epending on the th he significance of the repair, epair, your ur safetyy may be in the mechanic’ss h hands ass ssoon as you leave the shop. Don’t on’ n t rush the the magic! A busy shop will rarely bee able to turn around a same day repair other her than a flat tire or quick part installation. Loyalty pays dividends with a neighborhood shop. If you become a regular, they may even throw some grease on the chain for free, or install parts you purchase there at a discounted price. Shops will typically be more than happy to order parts online that they don’t have in-store. Almost every shop we visited cited the impact of the Citi Bike network as a boost to their business. Charlie, a manager at Danny’s Cycles, said he was not concerned with early warnings that Citi Bike would harm local bike shops. “I thought, ‘This is only going to advocate cycling even further and get people’s butts on bikes.’ A lot of people who started on Citi Bikes got into cycling. They started riding around, and it became a huge part of their lives. There’s some that converted into hardcore riders,” he said. If you’re looking to try out life on your own pair of wheels, or just get a
neglected bike rrunning again, neglect ected d bik ning again gain make sure to check out these local institutions. t ou lo ocal ins itution BICYCLE | 288 Seventh BIC BI CYCLE E HABITAT H Ave. | bicyclehabitat.com | This narrow Ave bi bicycllehabita space tuck tucked away on Seventh Ave. is ked chock full of functional bikes and an impressive collection of practical accessories. The Chelsea location opened three years ago, but the original Soho shop has been around for over 40 years. Many customers have traveled Uptown with the shop, and some have become return customers after buying bikes during their youth. “A lot of our customers from Soho moved up here. It’s like family with people who live or work in the neighborhood,” said Lia, who recently joined the Chelsea location. “We have lots of customers that came here and bought bikes as teens, and now they’re coming back as adults.” The shop stands out by making an effort to promote gender equity in cycling and fostering a comfortable environment for women. In addition to sponsoring Women Cycling New York City, Bicycle Habitat ensures that at least one female employee works at each location, including in the mechanic shops. “We have women working in all our City Media LLC