[Steltek]

Spot on.

Every bike shop has a "flavor". There was the "carbon fiber" shop where I'd get funny looks if I dragged my commuter bike in. They closed up shop and moved even farther into the suburbs. It'd take me an hour to bike there now.

Then there's the "commuter shop". Where they charged $0 for labor when I walked in one cold, messy winter night with a shredded tire and a crazy story. That does simple fixes on the spot quickly and painlessly so my commute time is bumped by less than 30 minutes. They'll get my business every time. I haven't tried to do an online order with them yet though; we've just bought bikes off the showroom floor.

[davidw]

The best ones handle a range. I don't want a mechanic who's too good to touch my commuter bike, but I don't want a dude wrenching on the expensive Campagnolo bits on my road bike whose experience primarily consists of bashing stuff together on fixies, either.

I really miss my shop in Italy - that guy occasionally worked on pro's bikes. Like the guy who won a gold medal in the olympics. But he always had time for me, and whatever bike I brought in - whether it was the rusty commuter or the nice bike I'd bought from him.

I would never consider buying a bike on line. They're always going to need maintenance and having someone who knows what they're doing is worthwhile.

[muxator]

Your blog about Italy is really interesting, thanks!

[CydeWeys]

My go-to bike shop is a commuter shop right at the base of the Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown. He's always getting all sorts of walk-ins from, e.g., banged-up people whose brakes failed them on the downward slope into the city. The entire space is the maintenance area, and he's always right in front of you working on bikes.

You can also order bikes online and have them shipped to him for assembly, and his rates are extremely reasonable (something like $45 for a single speed, $75 for a geared bicycle). He did a great job assembling my bicycle.

Poor guy also works something like 80 hours per week, because he's always there during opening hours (which include everyone else's commuting times), and he often works late on the backlog of bikes to repair that's been building up.

[jacobrobbins]

so glad to see that place mentioned! it was my morning coffee stop when i lived in new york. the owner/operator is great to chat to, lots of interesting stories about the neighborhood.

[CydeWeys]

Yeah, lots of interesting stories about the neighborhood and your typical "just rolled into the shop" horror stories from people's commutes. Lots of banged-up people coming through there. He also does a big business with bike messengers, and if you end up chatting with them you hear all sorts of interesting stories. Many stories involve running from the cops for traffic violations as if it's just a routine thing. It's true though ... bike messengers don't get tickets as they won't let themselves be caught, and the police aren't going to start a dangerous car chase over a ~$200 ticket.

It's also hilarious how often people waiting for the Chinatown buses try to use his bathroom (and how good he's gotten at rebuffing them). I think he should start charging for bathroom access.