Heavenly Shops

[Goride]

I've written about a couple heavenly shops I've been witness to.

Recently Fabers in San Jose: http://www.dirtragmag.com/web/news-article.php?ID=879

Back in 2002 I wront about Kraynicks: http://www.dirtragmag.com/print/article.php?ID=391&category=features



So, let's hear 'em.

[DirtRagArt]

Well you got those freaks in Minneapolis...

http://www.crccoffeebar.blogspot.com

http://www.oneononebike.com

[Spalls]

Give these shops in Seattle a try:

Aaron's Bicycle Repair
www.rideyourbike.com

Recycled Cycles
www.recycledcycles.com

[mimbresman]

My favorite shop in Albuquerque.
http://www.twowheeldrive.com/

And in my hometown...(they don't have a website)
http://www.silvercity.org/search_detail.mvc?CID=533X77131S

[tryandgetme]

www.naturalcycle.ca absolute best bike shop in Winnipeg. Coolest looking shop, you walk downstairs and there's cool music playing, interesting cobblestone floor, a few old bikes (I want the one with the rod brakes) and a weird cargo trike sitting around. They didn't look at me funny when I asked for fixie wheel parts, and they were able to quote me for a used parts buildup when I had my fixie destroyed in a bike-vs-car. They also do buisness with the mec around the corner so they often recommend stuff from there. It's a worker owned co-op, they also do messengering all year. They're definately not going to try to make you buy something you don't need.

Oh when I was building up a 26" mtb ss wheel, the spokes didn't fit. I didn't realized they had closed (by about an hour), so I called. The gal saw my phone number show up on the caller ID and picked it up, wondering if I was having problems. Another day I wandered into the store, again not knowing they wern't open that day. The guy there sat and gabbed with me for 20 minutes about fork options before telling me he couldn't sell me the fork that day, they were closed. How's that for service!?

[hairygrump]

Well you got those freaks in Minneapolis...

http://www.crccoffeebar.blogspot.com

http://www.oneononebike.comOne on One is the awesomest. I pretty much wrote my whole masters thesis there, eating soup and grabbing a bike periodically to blow clogs out of my brain. If there's a better room to sit in, I haven't found it yet.

There's a few good shops in MPLS, though. If you don't necessarily like coffee and art with your bike culture, then Behind Bars is a nother place that people love.http://www.behind-bars.com/

[SynicGeek]

If you're an alchoholic bicycle mechanic with a bad attitude there's no better place to work than the mighty Fridley-Hieghts Cycle. It's pretty good to be a customer too, since FHC is about the only shop in town with not only the supply of old parts, but the knowhow and willingness to use them at a remarkabley fair price. And no, I won't install an Alivio SGS 8 speed rear deraileur and 8 speed chain on your early 80's Italian built Bianchi with a 14-21 5 speed freewheel and double 600 crank, then not trim and end the cable. What was Erik thinking?
And no, The FHC does not have a website, it's a bike shop, not a marketing department.
-The Flameburger

[jeffc]

Technocycle in Sinking Spring, PA is great. It's a converted 2 bay garage attached to an auto parts store. The owner's a great wrench. He's got a mini-museum in the back. Plenty of freak bikes hanging around. Shop dog. Couch and TV for watching race tapes. For some reason there's an orange corvette in the shop. Outside, there's an old '70s Mavic support wagon. Just awesome. You can kill time there like you're getting paid for it.

[rockhound]

The coolest shop in the Ozarks with the most educated mechanic/owner.
http://www.route66bicycles.com/

[rockyrider]

In my neck of the woods I like Different Bikes (http://www.differentbikes.ca). They just opened up a second location in a shopping centre at the base of Mount Seymour, one of the most popular North Shore mountains, so they can demo bikes on real trails. Good guys to deal with in both locations, and the owners work out in the shop, they recognize the regular customers, and they handle a good range of bikes and components.

It reminds of the old bike shop I used to deal with when I was a kid, the one guy who owned it was always working on bikes, and he had to wipe the grease off his hands to take your money when you bought a tube or a tire. I used to hang out in that shop back when I was 11 or 12 years old, just looking at bikes and bits I couldn't afford. I still do that 40 years later.

[Lorax]

Rhino Bike Works rhinobikeworks.com (http://www.rhinobikeworks.com) is a kick ass Shop located in Plymouth, NH. super friendly knowledgeable guys. Warm up next to the wood burning stove in the winter and rides going out from the shop almost everyday of the week during the summer.

[S. cerevisiae]

Augie and his crew at Thumm's in Warren, OH. No website. He and his crew are top-notch. Pity they don't have a product line that has any 29ers available...yet.

Great place to find old/hard to find parts and components. What's more, they are good wrenches too.

There is also Olde World Cyclery in Perry, OH. That guy knows his old-school cruisers.