CogJoint » Bike Shops

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MexicanSongBird — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 04:06:33 +0000

There’s a tightly woven lattice of coincidence on the web and GSC (Golden Saddle Cyclery) appears to be one of the major nodules on the grid.

After becoming familiar with the shop (through the Internet), and all the events and personalities that originate from or in close proximity to GSC, I knew it was time for a trip to Mecca.

By appearance GSC is not a pro-shop, but as you become familiar with the personalities involved, it’s apparent their expertise runs deep and they’re serious cyclists. On the surface it’s a shop all about city-riding, single-speeds and goofing around but underneath it all the boys in attendance are cycling nuts with deep roots in the racing community (track, road and cross) (but they don’t make much fuss of it). The reticence is so thick you need a band-saw to cut through it; it’s old-school through and through with a keen mind to the current vibe of the cycling community.

GSC: http://goldensaddlecyclery.com/

Trackosaurusrex

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MexicanSongBird — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 05:03:02 +0000

West River Cycles: Julius (proprietor) evolved his love for cycling in Philadelphia (hence the Keystone graphics) and recently relocated to Long Beach (CA) where he and his wife Kristen (newly nuptial’d) opened their Bicycle Love Furnace and have devoted themselves to all things bikes. There are a lot of new bike shops opening in Long Beach. The Revolution Will Not be Motorized.

The inventory is coolly limited in selection but the enthusiasm is as hot it gets. I actually discovered the shop in a long shot through a link from Rothera Cycling (based in Philadelphia) and paid them a visit the next day.

Visit the website: http://westrivercycles.com/

Visit the Shop:
1233 E 4th Street
Long Beach,CA 90802
562-590-4809

Monday, Wednesday — Saturday 12-7
Sunday 12-5
Closed Tuesday

t(R)i.{pac}If[ic]=TP

MexicanSongBird — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 03:20:22 +0000

Tri-Pacific [TP] is a fairly new, high-end, small boutique Tri/Road Shop on the sleepy upscale island of Naples [Long Beach, CA]. When it first opened, the circle of “KNOW” talked about TP’s staying power; its future looks promising. Leonard [the proprietor] appears to be developing an ardent cadre of followers; tri-characters, road evangelists, junior race enthusiasts, tek-gear-geek aficionados and people who simply love the finer qualities of all-things-bikes. He’s also creating deep affiliations with the players in the industry, personal relationships with the local cognoscenti, and shows a quiet strength of leadership in sartorial ideals and convictions on and off the bike; he’s always dressed in a fine button down shirt and well fitted slacks. His personal sense of style and his concern for quality are reflected in the character of the shop and the products you’ll find available. In square footage the shop is tiny but jacked crammed with lots of high end gear, clothing, shoes, helmets, wetsuits, general accessories, bikes by Pinarello, Cervelo, Specialized and BMC. At the back of the shop you find cool Jean Michel Frank style low back leather club chairs where you can sit comfortably and watch the traffic in the store amble around and have a conversation with the proprietor and anyone else who happens to wander over to enjoy a little bit of shop culture.

Stop in for a visit. Engage Leonard in a casual conversation about cycling. Ask him about his trip to the Tour de France [2012] when he drove in the BMC Team car and followed a few of the riders in the Individual Time Trail and went to some of the after parties. He’s a gracious host; if he’s having an espresso he’ll be certain to offer you one too.

Visit the website: http://tri-pacific.com

Eres mUy Tres AnIMaUx!

bI{cYcLe}.(s)Tand.LoNG[.]bEAcH

MexicanSongBird — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:46:28 +0000

Mojo Voodoo Vibe is good crack. There’s a relatively new bike shop in Long Beach full of that energy on Broadway just west of Cherry in the Broadway Corridor. They specialize in vintage and city style bikes and offer restoration services. It’s a quirky little shop with an offbeat attitude that fits the locale perfectly. If you walk in feeling a little blah you’re sure to spring out busting happy because the shop hosts are full of good spirit and you will undoubtedly encounter a celebrity of the Long Beach vintage cult crowd. Evan and Nicole (proprietors) are full of contagious enthusiasm for all things bikes. Drop in and crank-up your mo-jack.

Mojo Animaux!

http://www.thebicyclestand.org/
The Bicycle Stand
1824 E. Broadway
Long Beach, CA 90802

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MexicanSongBird — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:21:42 +0000

Junking out new bike shop discoveries is a grand part of the urban cycling addiction.

When you’re powering the internal combustion you often can’t crack-out the hidden treasures and it’s just too much damn work to stop and find a parking space in the urban confine to see how anyone else is thriving; when you’re on a jack’d bent trajectory through the city who has time to stop.

Along Beverly Blvd, between Normandie and Vermont, on my way to LACMA* for Earth-Day Festivities, I noticed a little bike shop tucked away between a spread of other booming retail stores. The proprietor’s name is Jorge and he loves to build wheels and crank the wrench. Jorge isn’t a bike racer or a city rider; he’s injecting value to the neighborhood.

Magnolia’s Bikes
4073 Beveryly Blvd.
LA CA 90004

No estamos en Kansas Animaux!

*Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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MexicanSongBird — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 04:04:43 +0000

seriously. what the hUH(?) is a bike shop s’Poz to be? it’s time for shops to transform themselves to be more than just a repository of bicycling merchandise for sale; ain’t that’s what(z) the douBle-U.dOUbLe-u.doUBle-yoU’z {www} beez’n all’bout.

Maybe it’s a rough road to hoe (ya’hOE) but the retail paradigm be shift’d. Bike shops offer needed service and their expertise is indispensable but damn! somehow they must getz to participating more directly with the already emerged model and redefine themselves better within it. it’yl getz loTz of work but they’z gotz to do it.

Dave Lettieri’s FasTrack bike shop {sANtA bARbArA, cA} is full of Lettieri Memorabilia of an accomplished and honorable bike racing career and lends depth to the store’s credibility and seriousness as a pro-shop.

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MexicanSongBird — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 04:11:45 +0000

I found a sUpEr-KoOL Jack’d-ouT bike shop at 1157 Long Beach Blvd [near Anaheim]: The Long Beach Bike Connection. They’re over-stocked with lot’s of cool junk. They must have 100 used bikes on the floor and lots of them worth their weight in gold for city riding. Their entire inventory is used bicycles with about a dozen new single speed bikes. It’s a treasure trove of pre-owned machinery. Behind the counter, where the repair station is located, it’s crowded with parts and buzzing with tinkering. The owners are just plain bike shop entrepreneurs; no pro-shop arrogance, no fixie hipness posturing, just good ol’bike-shop attitude.

Las BiciCLeTas: Tesoro de oRo Animaux!

Long Beach Bike Connection
1157 Long Beach Blvd
Long Beach, CA

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MexicanSongBird — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 04:10:26 +0000

The new Velo Joint {Long Beach Cyclery / aka LaHabra Bixby Knolls} is almost prime time!!

Don’t miss the Limp-D Opening December 3rd. Bring Champagne. 3756 Long Beach Blvd, 150 feet south of Bixby Rd.

The shop is featuring an Opening Special; custom wheels and bikes for the new race team {see photo}.

The Tortuga has enlisted the talents of Simôn-Esé ! ( i.e., Gian Simonetti of famed Simonetti Bicycles; one of the personalities behind the long defunct legendary Medici Bicycles {bad-ass, super-cool SoCal frame builder – everyone had a Medici } whose frames were built by Michael Howard, dubbed the Hair Bandit [that's a story in itself beyond the scope of this edition]).

That’s Gian, standing next to Tortuga, the new power behind LBCyclery, building the next generation of high performance race machines!

Bad Ass Animaux!