ISSUE 3
written by Billy E
Features:
- No Handsies Local Shop Review
- Bike Mechanic Profile
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Once a truck repair stop, the space was also home to (not-so legal) underground parties before its transformation. Tucked next to neighbors Golf Leaf Studio and the Durkl warehouse, the space opened with a focus on creating a community, not just customers, through an on-going series of neighborhood events, locally renowned bike mechanics and a unique selection of products specific to us city-dwellers.
There’s lots of space at the shop, but the owners have paid careful attention to what makes sense for them to carry, so the shops not overly cramped with goods. A couple of items stuck out: The Linus commuters, steel framed cycles inspired by Parisian bikes of the fifties and sixties, are pretty much a necessity for high-faluters looking to be the dandiest of them all at the annual Tweed and Seersucker rides (Bike Space is a sponsor). For our efficiency apartment friends, the Brompton folding bikes which are hand made and imported from London. But what was really sweet was their extensive display and selection of Brooks bike saddles. These classic weathered leather seats soften over time and mold to the shape of your ‘seat’--ultimate customization.
Meet Paul the Mechanic, your old-school bike repair guy. Hanging out with Paul while he works on your bike is kind of like hanging out on the corner of your block while your pal works on his beat-up Trans Am. All that’s missing is the beer.
One evening after close, I spent some time hanging out and knocking back a few Yuenglings with Paul. This guy reminds you of a classic craftsmen, an expert immersed in his trade. Just like a skilled blacksmith in cities of old, Paul has built a fiercely loyal customer following. Bikes piqued his interest at a young age, and he first started tinkering around with discarded bikes he’d pulled out of dumpsters. He built his skills and lots of bikes while working at the Proteus bike shop, learning along famous frame builder, Koichi Yamaguchi. Paul’s experiences have earned him a tremendous depth of knowledge and history. These days, about 35 years into the bike business, he’s honed his skills and seems to excel at solving even the most complex of problems for his customers. And to say he’s passionate about his trade might be an understatement; he lives bikes, and basically lives with them. (He estimates there’s about 26 bikes in his bedroom right now).
Getting to hang with the guy was a trip, we rapped about everything from the detailed evolution of spokes and bike making machinery to the origins of giving the finger. (According to Paul, this began with the French threatening to cut-off the bow fingers of their enemies).
Having first spent a little time with Paul when my pal needed her vintage-road bike tuned-up, I’m pretty stoked I got to hang out with him a little more. Over a 6-pack I got to pick his brain, talk shop and I highly suggest, when you’ve got a flat, or your bike’s just plain eff’d up, you do the same. With or without the Yuenglings.
Previously in no handsies:
God loves a cheerful giver.
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