PROLLY IS NOT PROBABLY

Posts Tagged ‘shops’

Chari and Co NYC Store

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.

Introducing Kinoko Custom Cycles

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.

Cycling Tips Ranks 10 Of the World’s Best Bike Shops

000009

… 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.

Recent Roll: Shifter Bikes

There's no secret, no short cut to craftsmanship.

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

Shop Visit: Northside Wheelers

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!

Black and Orange is the New Black

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.

Shop Visit: Pearl Velo

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!

Pearl Velo Has Some of the Best Branding

Denver_mamiya-25

I know I’ve given Denver, specifically Pearl Velo, a lot of love here on the site this week and it’s not going to end. Not yet anyway. One of the best ways small bike shops can generate income during the slow winter months is through selling merchandise. The problem is, very few shops put time and energy into this, so they miss out on the opportunity.

Shop Visit: Avery County Cycles

For me, the best part about NAHBS is being submerged into the host city’s community and getting to know some of the local names. I first heard of Avery County Cycles through a video that I posted about a year ago. Josh seemed like a good guy, with attainable aspirations and a love for frame building. One of the things that struck me in his interview was his commentary on “more frame builders are a good thing”. That’s a weighted statement but in Josh’s eyes, and as something I can understand, having a local framebuilder that serves the local community is important. In today’s world, everyone orders frames from all over. You simply email in your fit information and 6 months later, your bike arrives. It’s great for business and no builder would ever complain about being busy, but that statement really struck me.

In the two years Josh has been building frames, he’s been catering to his local community. Starting out with frames for friends to practice his torch skills and moving up to a full fleet of single speed cross bikes for Pearl Velo. His space sits next to Berkeley Supply Co and Pearl Velo, just up the hill in Denver. The energy of these three storefronts is intoxicating. Honestly, the only comparison I can draw is how the old FYXO Hub and Shifter Bikes shared a space. A couple of motivated young men, looking to just do shit right. Josh’s work is very much localized to the Denver / Boulder area and he’s just one of the many faces building bicycles in Colorado. I honestly believe what he’s doing is legitimate and his community respects him for that. His work won the Rookie of the Year award at NAHBS, so he’s doing something right!

Check out some photos I shot of Josh working during my stay in Denver in the Gallery.

Leica M7
Leica Summicron 50mm f2
Zeiss 28mm f2.8 T* ZM
Neopan 400

Mamiya 7ii
80mm
Portra 400

Speaking of Australia…

Shifter_Bikes-shirt

Kyle had me playing his private photographer while he was in Texas, directing me to shoot this photo of his new Shifter Bikes tee (that I gave him). These came out great, so hassle Dan on his Twitter to make more!