There were lots of "high end " stores in Manhattan and the Bronx and in Queens. Fix gear was the norm until the early 1950's at least among the racing crowd. In fact, in most races gears were not even allowed. There was Drysdale first in Hell's Kitchen then on Canal Street, Bob Berghino (who moved to CA), Dick Power in the late 40's - early 60's, Pop Perry who built out of Queens for the Long island Wheelman, Andy Hamel, John Eiesenmann who carried Durkhop, and on and on and on. Frejus was so popular because of Tom Avenia it was a prominent shop and in the 50's guys met there on their way to the races at Flushing Meadows in Queens. They had to cross the Triborogh Bridge which was up around 125th st. so they wen by Avenia's. There are hundreds of these stories.....Ask Jamie Swan for a few. Edward Albert Chappaqua, New York, U.S.A.
On Tue, Aug 11, 2009 at 10:52 AM, Stephen James <sj52@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> I also have fond memories of Tommy, the man, and his store as the first
> place I saw a beautiful bicycle. It was 1971, and I had just gotten a job
> working in Harlem. I didn't have much money, so I commuted from the Bronx
> to work by bike. I had ridden old 3-speeds converted to fixed-wheels for
> several years --at first, on flat pedals with no straps or cages. We
> stopped by jamming one foot in between the seat-tube and rear wheel, and
> sometimes gloving the front. But, who needs to stop when you're 19.
>
>
>
> On one of my commutes home, I happened to ride up 3rd Ave and saw this
> little bike shop. I can't remember why I went inside; but it was love at
> first sight. This little guy with a receding hairline wearing spectacles
> came to me and said that I should be riding a Frejus. I had never heard of
> them or seen anyone riding one (though I was from the Bronx, merely a
> province of the biking inner-circle of the city at the time). He looked at
> me, said "You take a 60cm." This little man, elderly-looking to me at the
> time, leaped up onto his counter (which seemed almost as high as his chest)
> and pulled down a bike in a color I can only describe as an iridescent pearl
> blue. He said it was Campagnolo throughout (but I'd never heard of the
> brand). I put down $5 on the $300 item immediately. It took me about 6
> months to save up, and when I returned he said that the blue bike was gone;
> but that there was a red one available. It was also Campy, but was just a
> shiny Italian red. I was somewhat disappointed, but that stopped as soon as
> I took it out to ride. From riding, I met other riders and learned about
> racing and other bike names. It has shaped and changed my life, and Tommy
> was the start of it all.
>
>
>
> Anyway, I have also wondered why the Frejus fix was so revered in NYC. My
> own theory is that fix-riding (in the Bronx and Manhattan) was popularized
> by West Indian immigrants. American kids were riding Schwinns (ime) until
> the "English racer" 3-speeds came along. I don't know much about the bike
> culture on the streets during the pre-WW2 era. There might have been a
> pre-existing tradition, or necessity, for fixed wheels earlier; but I don't
> know if the subsequent interest in them came from that. However, other than
> Schwinn Paramounts (which, iirc, were sold at Syd's bike shop and in the
> Bronx at a store whose name I can't recall, I don't believe there were any
> high-end bicycle dealers in the Bronx-Manhattan area. So, it was natural
> that people who had converted 3-speeds to "fixes" (not "fixies") eventually
> found Tommy's and Frejus. Otoh, I rarely saw Legnano's being ridden, and
> only rarely have I seen a Frejus road bike.
>
>
>
> As for why riding fixes became popular, in general, I have no idea other
> than some might consider it somewhat equivalent to the difference between
> driving a 6speed manual and a 4speed automatic transmission. Anyway, I'm
> lucky enough to have a beautiful black Frejus pro. But, I have to admit
> that I'm still looking for another red 60cm model.
>
>
>
> Steve James
> Bronx, NY USofA
> > From: devotion_finesse@hotmail.com
> > To: andy@strawberrybicycle.com; classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> > Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:33:23 -0400
> > Subject: Re: [CR] Thomas Avenia Bicycles
> >
> >
> > Someone else (Nino Helman? Michael Allison?) will have to fill in the
> dates but as far as I know...
> > Tommy moved from Spanish Harlem to a second Manhattan location at some
> point. He later moved the shop to the town of Haverstraw in Rockland County,
> north of Manhattan on the western side of the Hudson. Tommy was sick +/- 10
> years ago when his son and daughter moved the shop to it's final location, a
> bit farther north in the town of Stony Point. His daughter Alice kept a bike
> shop open called "Thomas Avenia Bicycles" until about two years ago, though
> from what I hear it was hardly a shell of what her dad had operated. There
> were still a number of Frejus bikes in the shop, mostly family bikes that
> she was either not keen on selling or wanted WAY more than market rate for.
> I visted her a number of times at this location, mostly to hear the stories
> and see some the old photos and things that she kept around out of view. We
> became quite friendly and she ultimately let me scour throughevery nook and
> cranny I could find in the shop...I most certainly came across some neat
> stuff, though the shop had been thoroughly picked over many times before I
> had ever discovered it. About 4 or 5 years ago, I brought a trunk load of
> stuff from the shop and sold it at the T-Town swap for her. Rumor has it
> that while Tommy was sick (just before he passed), the shop was left in the
> care of his youngest son, who was selling off parts by the box load.
> "Collector types" where filling milk crates with old Campy gruppos and the
> kid was taking $50 for the contents of each box.
> > Accidentally stumbling upon her shop lead to my discovery and subsequent
> fascination with the Frejus marque...launching my own obsessive research
> into the brand and attempts to understand the mistique that it still has in
> NYC among certain cycling communities. In many ways, it was a great fuel for
> my interest in the world of classic bikes. So even though I never got to
> meet him, I have to thank Tommy for showing me Frejus, for inspiring me to
> look a little more carefully and for understanding New York's long love of
> the Italian track bike on city streets.
> > Which reminds me: anybody have a beat-up 56cm Frejus track bike they'd
> like to see returned to it's (sort of) natural habitat?
> >
> > Matthew Bowne
> > Brooklyn, New York
> >
> >
> > > Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:32:09 -0700
> > > From: andy@strawberrybicycle.com
> > > To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> > > Subject: [CR] Thomas Avenia Bicycles
> > >
> > > Howdy,
> > > Anybody know what happened to the Frejus importer in NYC Thomas Avenia?
> > > I visited his shop in 1965 when I was on holiday with my parents after
> > > high school graduation as I purchased a Frejus bike from Frans Pauwels
> > > Kisslers Bike Shop in Portland. Very impressive little hole in the wall
> > > shop with literally hundreds of beautiful Frejus frames hanging from
> the
> > > ceiling.
> > > Cheers,
> > > Andy Newlands
> > > Strawberry Bicycle
> > > Portland, Oregon USA
> > > http://www.strawberrybicycle.com
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
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