oops - forgot to sign off.
John Barry
Mechanicsburg, PA USA
> From: oroboyz@aol.com <oroboyz@aol.com>
> Subject: Re: [CR] NYC Bike Scene- Conrad's (Josh Berger)
> To: jswan@optonline.net, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 6:26 PM
>
> << Hey Dale, all this NYC stuff is really drawing me
> out from under my rock. I think that this might be the first
> time ever that I've used up my posting quota. ; ) ?>>
>
> Hey Jamie, that's OK. This Frejus-Tom
> Avenia-into-Juner's-NYC thread is one of the more
> interesting we have had in many moons. I own the list and
> can make allowances when I think stuff is really valuable!
> Ha!?
>
> I hope all of the rest of you are enjoying this too??
>
>
>
>
> Thanks to allcontributors,
>
>
>
>
> Dale
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dale Brown?
> Listmeister
>
> Greensboro, North Carolina USA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: James Swan <jswan@optonline.net>
> To: Cino1947@aol.com
> Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Sent: Sat, Aug 15, 2009 4:07 pm
> Subject: Re: [CR] NYC Bike Scene- Conrad's (Josh Berger)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi Josh,?
> ?
>
> I was involved in Conrad's transition from draperies to
> bike shop. In 1973 and 74 I worked as a mechanic at
> Hempstead Cycles in Hempstead Long Island. That was a very
> big bike shop that wholesaled bikes and parts to small shops
> all over NYC and Long Island. Conrad originally bought a
> half dozen or so Raleigh 3 speed bikes from us to start his
> rental business. I assembled and delivered those bikes. I
> think that we sold him a bike parking rack too.?
> ?
>
> At the beginning of the rental business they brought those
> bikes out to our shop for service. I guess that got annoying
> so they started servicing the bikes themselves. That lead
> into setting up a small shop area and taking in some
> neighborhood bike repairs. Conrad would come by our shop to
> pick up parts and ask questions about how to work on bikes.
> He was a really nice guy. It didn't take long before
> Conrad's evolved into half bike shop and half drapery shop.
> They were dabbling in the high end bikes a little but one
> particular deal put them on the map with pro bikes.?
> ?
>
> Our shop was one of the largest Schwinn and Raleigh dealers
> in the country and my boss (George Oslander) was a real
> wheeler-dealer. One day he got a call from the Raleigh rep
> saying that they were about to take delivery on a 40 foot
> container of Raleigh Professionals and Internationals.
> Raleigh USA was very over-stocked and they were looking to
> sell the whole container at a very good price. George
> snapped up that deal and immediately got on the phone to see
> if he could find somebody to flip it to. Conrad was the guy
> who said yes. I forget how many bikes fit in a 40 foot
> container but it is probably several hundred anyway... So
> Conrad took those bikes and pulled the groupos off them. He
> ordered dozens of high end Italian frames from their
> respective distributors... And he ordered cases of NR
> Italian bottom brackets and headsets. His shop was
> overflowing with full Campy bikes of every description and
> he had some killer deals on Raleigh Pro frame sets complete
> with headsets and bottom brackets. Some of the guys in our
> shop bought those frames for next to nothing... Conrad's and
> Hempstead Cycles continued to do business for many years
> after that.?
> ?
>
> Hey Dale, all this NYC stuff is really drawing me out from
> under my rock. I think that this might be the first time
> ever that I've used up my posting quota. ; )?
> ?
>
> Jamie Swan?
>
> Northport, NY, USA?
>
> http://www.jamieswan.net
> ?
>
> ?
>
> ?
>
> On Aug 15, 2009, at 3:24 PM, Cino1947@aol.com
> wrote:?
> ?
>
> >?
>
> >?
>
> >?
>
> >?
>
> >?
>
> >?
>
> > No discussion of NY bike shops would be complete
> without mention of?
>
> > Conrad's originally on 47th and 2nd Ave.; now on Tudor
> City Place > near the U.N.?
>
> > Conrad and Sarah Weiss started as a drapery business,
> Darnoc (Conrad?
>
> > backwards), and rented out bikes because business was
> slow.The bike > business did?
>
> > very well, and they eventually dropped the drapery
> business. They > ran a?
>
> > mostly high end shop with many imports including
> Cinelli, > Campagnolo, and many?
>
> > European marques .I got my first pro bike there,
> a Grandis, in > 1979, which?
>
> > I now run as a fixed. They were visited by Eddy
> Merckx, and still > have a?
>
> > great photo display of him in their shop. Conrad
> passed away many > years ago,?
>
> > and the shop is now run by John and Yi, who have
> been there since the?
>
> > early days. John is a great guy and very
> knowledgeable. Yi is > about as good a?
>
> > mechanic as I have ever dealt with. Sarah still
> comes into the > shop and?
>
> > holds court a couple of times a week. They still
> carry top end > stuff, but know?
>
> > a great deal about vintage bikes.?
>
> > Josh Berger?
>
> > Bronx, NY?
>
> > USA?
>
> > _cino1947@aol.com_
> (mailto:cino1947@aol.com)?
>
> >?
>
> >?
>
> > _______________________________________________?
>
> > Classicrendezvous mailing list?
>
> > Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org?
>
> > http://www.bikelist.org/
> ?
>
> _______________________________________________?
>
> Classicrendezvous mailing list?
>
> Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org?
>
> http://www.bikelist.org/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Classicrendezvous mailing list
> Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> http://www.bikelist.org/
>
_______________________________________________
Classicrendezvous mailing list
Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
http://www.bikelist.org/