undefined | Better HN

0 pointsCydeWeys8y ago0 comments

My go-to bike shop is a commuter shop right at the base of the Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown. He's always getting all sorts of walk-ins from, e.g., banged-up people whose brakes failed them on the downward slope into the city. The entire space is the maintenance area, and he's always right in front of you working on bikes.

You can also order bikes online and have them shipped to him for assembly, and his rates are extremely reasonable (something like $45 for a single speed, $75 for a geared bicycle). He did a great job assembling my bicycle.

Poor guy also works something like 80 hours per week, because he's always there during opening hours (which include everyone else's commuting times), and he often works late on the backlog of bikes to repair that's been building up.

0 comments

jacobrobbins8y ago

so glad to see that place mentioned! it was my morning coffee stop when i lived in new york. the owner/operator is great to chat to, lots of interesting stories about the neighborhood.

CydeWeysOP8y ago

Yeah, lots of interesting stories about the neighborhood and your typical "just rolled into the shop" horror stories from people's commutes. Lots of banged-up people coming through there. He also does a big business with bike messengers, and if you end up chatting with them you hear all sorts of interesting stories. Many stories involve running from the cops for traffic violations as if it's just a routine thing. It's true though ... bike messengers don't get tickets as they won't let themselves be caught, and the police aren't going to start a dangerous car chase over a ~$200 ticket.

It's also hilarious how often people waiting for the Chinatown buses try to use his bathroom (and how good he's gotten at rebuffing them). I think he should start charging for bathroom access.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse