The Local Bike Shop
Posted by Kevin Kastner in Bicycling, Neighborhoods on Mar 5th, 2013 | 2 commentsIndianapolis may have a Winter Storm Advisory forecast for today, but my mind is focused on the upcoming spring. Last year, I discovered a new bicycle shop at 54th and Winthrop known as Bicycle Exchange:
At first I thought it was an intriguing concept to buy, sell, and trade bicycles. But the shop is much more than that. They are a full-service repair shop as well, which is a huge bonus in our neighborhood. There were times in the past where I walked a mile and a half to the Bike Line in Broad Ripple, as bike owners occasionally have to leave their bikes at the shop, and transporting them by other means can be tricky.
Bike shops also don’t need as much automobile parking as other business for obvious reasons. That makes their potential for reusing older buildings greater. Recently, Joe Cox from Joe’s Cycles in Fountain Square has mentioned that they are moving to the old Oddfellows Building on East Washington Street. It will be exciting to see some new life on this corridor, and I’m confident that Fountain Square will be able to attract a new bicycle shop.
Another fine bike shop is Free Wheelin’ Community at 34th and Central. It is a full service bike shop, but it is so much more than that. Their mission is to reuse old bicycles and helping children get engaged in bike mechanics. The non-profit organization has become a bedrock of the community.
These are just 3 of the many bike shops around town. Please let me know about yours in the comments.
This post is beyond accurate. Nice work Kevin.
Currently, Indy doesn’t have the mass of bike riders needed to sustain numerous bike shops as neighborhood retail centers, but I am confident we are headed that direction. As it stands, it can be difficult servicing a bike when you travel by bike or simply struggle to find another way to get your bike to the shop. In the past, I have used a friends car to tote the bike to a store, I have used a work truck, I have taken Indygo (w/ transfer included) to get to Joe’s, I have walked to/from bikes on Mass Ave and recently, I used a friends car to take one bike in, when it was ready, I rode my other bike in and exchanged it for service.
As usual, you find a way.
I really value having the Bicycle Exchange within walking distance from home. All I’ve used them for is service, which they’ve been pretty reasonable with. They closed early one night without reason and I wasn’t able to get my bike when it was ready. That was a bummer, but they’re quite workable and way too local.
The best place in the city for service, hands down, is the Bicycle Hospital on Michigan Rd/MLK south of 38th. They love bikes and take good care of whatever you take them. They also charge next to nothing for service. I typically would buy something just b/c their service was so cheap, and I’m a cheapskate. However, you do have to budget time because when you stop in you will want to hang out and visit. This causes repairs to take time, but it’s worth it.