Okay, I’m digging back to one of my funeral trips for my Pops, pre-Germany. I’ve been meaning to add this, but it’s been kind of wacky lately. You deal with grief differently sometimes, I guess. Me, II hit 4 Cycling Shops in less than 2 hours. That said, here goes…
So, with all kinds of thoughts flooding in as I drove back to the old hometown – memories, regrets, joys and frustrations – I knew I’d not get too much time that wasn’t spent grieving for my Dad. Fair enough. Once I was officially ‘in town,’ it would all come crashing down.
So, like any reasonable fella, I decided to a) not tell anyone exactly when I’d hit the River City
With the decision made, I knew time was of the essence and headed off I-64 at Grinstead to find Cyclers Café: part eatery, part bike shop. I totally dug the concept and imagine it would be the best place to use as a base of operations for a Saturday group ride.
The shop is small, but is clearly divided and the folks were nice to talk to. I had a Bluegrass Brewing Company Ale and sat and got my bearings.
What sticks out for me about Cyclers Café is the big smoker right outside the shop. My pal, Jason, told me that the service side of things isn’t the best in the city, but the pork can’t be beat anywhere. Good to know.
Cyclers Café
One shop down, I knew I was going straight to On Your Left cycles on Baxter. I had read via the interweb that they’re pretty involved in all things bike in Louisville
The shop is teeny tiny, but was full of folks. There is little barrier between the repair area and the shop, which is cool. I got the impression they were equally invested in BMX/freeride/trick bikes as they were Mtn or road steeds. All takers welcomed. The staff were particularly friendly and talked it up with me a bit. Again, pal Jason shared they’re owned by the kids doing the work and they’re some of the best in the city. His recommendation for repairs. Good enough for me.
On Your Left
Realizing I was making decent time, I snuck down to Vic’s Classic Bikes. I had read from my pal, Dom, that this was a good shop. It’s TOTALLY different from any shop I’d been in before. I dug it completely and, to be frank, it was my favorite of all shops.
I’m going to go with ‘Organized Chaos’ as the description. There are bikes in every single available spot – to the point where walking was almost difficult. Vic was behind a counter and working on a bike. He welcomed me and introduced himself. He’s an older-timer who is clearly doing it all for the love of the game. By his own account, he said, “I worked 70 hours a week last year and cleared $13,000.” Sweet. He’s wearing is bucket cap and just plugging away.
You see, Vic rebuilds old bikes and sells them. Some he rebuilds for specific customers, such as a Rivendell that rebuilt for $5,000. Some are just oldie commuters, but true to their old style and are steals for a couple hundred bucks. I desperately longed for a beautiful, old, fully restored Univega that reminded me of the one I wanted when I was 15 years old. The bikes he sells are, often, online at his site, but he also runs a blog to detail some of the work he does that would never go retail. Very, VERY cool shop. If I decide to buy a commuter, I would go all the way to Louisville
A little time left before my dinner appointment, so I headed just a couple doors down to Bardstown Road Bicycles. This is the most conventional of all the bike shops I saw that day. There were lots of vintage models on the walls and hanging from the ceilings, but there were lots of new, shiny bikes for sale as well.
This was another group of folks who liked to talk bikes and just enjoyed the conversation. I could see why locals might like a community based out of this shop. I snuck out with a bike bottle and a new Velonews and made a day of it.
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