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King Kog has been one of the most successful cycling blogs to come around in the past decade. This shop was one of the first track bike / fixed gear specialty stores in the world and has always delivered great products. Now, they’ve got a new web shop with product photos by JP Bevins.
Head over to check it out. My favorite is this handmade King Kog belt buckle! So good!
I must admit, I’m a little disappointed that my summer travel plans didn’t swing me through Denver because I had so much fun during NAHBS. One of the highlights of that trip was getting to know Tyler from Pearl Velo.
Artcrank recently interviewed Tyler Hardie from Pearl Velo. Check it out here!
To visit Gene and the crew at One on One is to visit a mountain bike museum of sorts. Gene used to race for Bridgestone back in the 80’s. His many bikes line the walls and ceilings of this mecca for dirt heads in the midwest and beyond. But One on One is much more than a MTB specific shop, it’s a cultural hub in Minneapolis, an icon of urban cycling and for many, a local bike shop. Add in a coffee shop and cycling memorabilia to the mix and you’re bound to spend some time walking up and down the space over and over again.
I spent a lot of time at One on One talking to Gene and Cars are Coffins-founder Hurl. Those two guys are some of the most sincere pedal-philes I’ve met. If you live in Minneapolis and haven’t been by, you should! If you’re nice, maybe Gene will let you into the basement. Don’t worry, it’s not that creepy…
While I was there, I shot a few photos in the shop, check them out in the Gallery!
The Urban Cycling Hall of Fame committee met last week in Chicago to select the first year’s inductees, as well as next year’s board. I still can’t believe I was in Chicago for two full days and only got to pedal around for an afternoon. But hey, work is work and sometimes I fly into a city without getting to fully emerse myself in it. There are dozens upon dozens of rad shops I wanted to check out but didn’t have time. Even though we only went to one shop, I have to say, I’m pretty stoked on visiting this one in particular.
Cycle Smithy has so much eye candy hanging from the walls and ceiling of their space. It’s overwhelming and was totally unexpected, mostly because I had never heard of the shop before. With the short amount of time we had there, I managed to shoot a few (quick) detail photos of this Cinelli Laser pursuit track. It’s a bit of an odd-bird build, with a mix of Italian and Japanese components (that seatpost) but I’m not complaining. Nor was FYXO. I wish it wasn’t raining so I could have taken it a block or so away to shoot better photos but this is what I got.
Check out more photos in the Gallery!
I promise you, I’m working while I’m here in Minneapolis. One of the places I really wanted to check out was Angry Catfish. There’s a full Shop Visit coming but for now, I thought everyone would enjoy this photo… The weekend’s here and I hope you can make it out the All City Championships events. See you tonight at the track bike crit!
Levi’s traveling bike shop tour is happening, beginning with Portland. They’re offering free tune-ups, and free tailoring? I’m all about free tailoring. Check out the Portland flier below.
Klaus from Cycling Inquisition supplied a few photos for a Merckx Mondays from his trip to the Eddy Merckx factory a while back. Well, his full story is now live on his site and it’s filled with great photos and a perfect early afternoon read. Check it out at Cycling Inquisition.
… and yes, this is 24 hours too late for a Merckx Mondays but I had to post it!
Portland’s 21st Ave Bikes can’t promise you love at first sight, but you could always try one on for size.
This weekend in SF, the world-renown bicycle company Rivendell opens its first ever pop up shop. There’s no official flier or anything, just this post on the Brooks England blog, which gives us these details:
Rivendell Bicycle Works SF
June 1st through 9th
12pm – 7pm
3156 24th Street San Francisco, CA 94110
As an architect, I can really enjoy looking through photos of the new Kinoko Cycles space. I’ve always wanted to design a complete bike shop, from the floorboards to the millwork and it looks like the designer went to town on the buildout. As part of any successful project, photos are of the utmost importance and the shots on the Kinoko Flickr look great. One day I’d love to check out the space in person!
Photos by Ezra Caldwell
I love Peter Weigle. He’s one of the nicest frame builders you’ll ever meet and even though I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Ezra before, I’d say he’s a pretty nice guy as well. Both Fastboy and Peter’s bicycles have provided me with tons of inspiration and seeing them come together via Ezra’s lens is not to be missed… and even Jamie Swan was there! Check out more photos at the Fast Boy Flickr.
In case you’ve never been to Chari in NYC, this video will introduce you to their space. Oh and there’s a Ktel voice over.
So my post earlier today touched on this news, but here’s the official word from Tokyo Fixed, or now, Kinoko Custom Cycles:
“Our shop in Peter Street in Soho has been the heart of our operation for years now. Fast becoming known as the ideal place in central London to find high quality parts, talk to experienced and enthusiastic staff and generally be surrounded by the best frames, clothing and art that modern cycling has to offer, we’ve enjoyed our tenure there.
However, we’re extremely proud and extremely excited to announce our imminent move to Golden Square in Soho, and the launch of our new shop, Kinoko Custom Cycles. Our aim is to move from being the best place for incredible steel and rare parts to a singular destination for London’s cyclists. That means we’ve got a full fitting center with 2 top-level qualified fitters, a huge workshop, a massive space for bikes, parts, clothing and art and even our own in-house baristas in Daily Goods.
Our increase in space also means an increase in the things we can offer. We mean to be the best place in England to get a custom bike, and our work with artisanal and boutique bike builders like Tonic Fabrications, Cherubim, Donhou and Independent Fabrications affirms this aim; but we’re also stocking some of the top names in performance road bikes. Cannondale, Trek and Focus will all be gracing our showroom, alongside custom frames and our own Tokyo Fixed models. The same goes for our clothing and components – we’re still going to be championing small brands like Vulpine and Paul Components, but they’re going to be sharing pride of place with Castelli team kit and Shimano groupsets.
Now that you know what we plan to do, how does this affect you? Tokyo Fixed at 4 Peter Street will close its doors on Saturday 11th of May. Kinoko Custom Cycles will open its doors to customers the following week, with a grand launch party to be announced soon. The web-shop will remain open, and no order will go unfulfilled. Our website will change to represent its place as the online store of Kinoko Custom Cycles, and the URL’s will redirect accordingly. For the meantime, our huge moving sale continues in-store and online. We’d recommend you check it out, as we’re place huge discounts on a significant amount of our stock.”
Sounds like Kinoko Custom Cycles us going to be pretty legit.
… and three of my favorite shops made the list. Of course, there’s no contest as to which shop is the best, in my opinion anyway. Check out the full post at Cycling Tips.
It’s hard to be around Shifter Bikes and not want to document what Dan does each day. Over the years, he’s become not only a mechanic for many of his customers, but a consultant. There’s only one way to gain knowledge and that’s through experience, something few people have the time for. While many people have naive opinions, Dan has callouses…
Tools of the trade:
Leica M7
Leica Summicron f2 50mm / Zeiss f2.8 28mm
Fuji Neopan 400
When FYXO moved out of the “hub”, Northside Wheelers moved in. Now nestled behind Shifter Bikes, Mal’s shop has expanded to almost three times the size of the old shop. He’s still stocking a lot of the same brands and even some new ones. In a shop like this, you spend a lot of time asking yourself “what’s for sale and what’s for show?” but that’s part of the charm. Check out some more selects in the Gallery!
This site has featured Shifter Bikes numerous times in the past and since arriving in Australia, I’ve already picked up on a few changes at Dan’s shop. Here’s a little preview showcasing some new accents that just so happen to be orange and black…
I’ll be setting up my desk at the shop while I’m in Melbourne, so swing through.
I feel like this goes without saying but Pearl Velo, Berkeley Supply Co and Avery County Cycles really left a great impression on me and just about everyone else who was visiting for this year’s NAHBS. These three shops have created a really admirable energy through their spaces and the shop owner’s faces.
Pearl Velo would fall into what I’d like to call a neo bike shop. While it is full-service, Tyler won’t hesitate to send work down the street to the larger shop. You walk in the doors and everything is merchandised with thought. Its surfaces are clean and orderly, so much so that you almost don’t want to touch anything, but you do anyway. Tyler sells everyday accessories from brands you trust, he carries complete bikes and frames from the manufacturers you probably ride and as previously stated, his own branded products are worthy souvenirs.
To top it off, Tyler’s father hand-painted each of the wooden signs outside the shop. They’re so beautiful that I had to shoot the first couple of photos in the Gallery with my Mamiya 7ii to capture the color and light just right. Check out more photos in the Gallery and shop info below!
