Re: [CR] Stuyvesant to "A" Bikes on 14th

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Chater-Lea)

References: <mailman.14140.1250694763.344.classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> <05E3FA52-0538-42BA-B86D-FF01AF541046@gmail.com>
From: "Mike Schmidt" <mdschmidt56@verizon.net>
To: Ben Kamenjas <kamenjas@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <05E3FA52-0538-42BA-B86D-FF01AF541046@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:51:27 -0400
Cc: "<classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: Re: [CR] Stuyvesant to "A" Bikes on 14th


One way to track the shops is to have some one send you the freebie map that shows the NYC bike routes, bike shops, and their locations. Most bike shops have the maps and they get updated annually.

Mike Schmidt Millington, New Jersey Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 19, 2009, at 1:48 PM, Ben Kamenjas <kamenjas@gmail.com> wrote:
> Wow,
>
> "A" Bikes I knew quite well. I left NYC a few years back so don't
> really know of it's recent changes/closing.
>
> The real shop mensch was Edlin. Cool cat who landed in NYC from
> Belize and knew how to look after people and loved bikes (and his
> Merckx).
>
> Giovanni was from Uruguay. Excellent mechanic and spoke Italian too.
> It should be mentioned that "under the table" means from his own
> stash of parts and nothing that the shop would have stocked. Don
> knew of this from what I recall. I often bought vintage parts from
> Giovanni and paid the shop for having them fitted or my bikes worked
> on.
>
> Don married Sal's daughter and "fell" into ownership. He shoulda
> opened a baseball card business or sumtin'. He never was into bikes
> - never had a love for 'em.
> And it showed. All the employee's had passion and wanted to bring A
> Bikes back to what Stuyvesant used to be but IMO Don held the shop
> back. Coulda been worse I guess.
>
> I met Sal's wife briefly in the shop one day. She spotted my off-
> topic bike (Cavalera) was from Padova and she rattled off a bunch of
> frame builders I'd never heard from "her" region. Lovely lady
> and very sweet - happy to see a little know frame outside of Italy.
> I never understood how she could let her daughter marry such a
> philistine like Don. His idea of a good customer was somebody who
> bought a bike and never returned again. In contrast Sal's wife would
> make you feel at home, a part of the family.
>
> Anyway, Matthew et al ... if'n you run into Edlin say hello for me.
>
> ciao,
>
> Ben "sadly, a million miles from NYC" Kamenjas
> Kensington, Australia
>
>
>
> On 20/08/2009, at 1:12 AM, <classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org> <classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org
> > wrote:
>
>> On Aug 19, 2009, at 12:00 AM, Matthew 'Devotion' Bowne wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> I am a little foggy on details, but will fill in what I can.
>>> Sal ultimately moved the shop to a second location on 14th Street,
>>> near 8th Avenue. Sometime in the mid 90's, I believe, the shop was
>>> sold to a cousin or other family member. I wanna say his name is
>>> Don or Dom or something of the sort. I recall hearing that he was
>>> interested in business much more than he was interested in
>>> bicycles, but who knows. The shop's name was changed to "'A'
>>> Bicycle Shop". Until about 5 years ago, there was a great old-
>>> school wrench there named Giovanni. I met him when every other
>>> shop I went to told me that I'd have to replace the fork on my
>>> Somec track bike (originally purchased at Stuyvesant in '85) after
>>> it was bent in a crash. He simply pulled it straight and sent me
>>> on my way.
>>> Rumor had it, Vanni had quite a line on old Campy bits and would
>>> sell some customers vintage stuff kinda "under the table".
>>> Don and company moved the shop to Chelsea about two years ago,
>>> where it still operates.
>>>
>>> Matthew Bowne
>>> Brooklyn, New York