[BikeMag]

My local bike shop is the kind of place where everyone knows your name, or some variation of it. They hassle you and high-five you. They give you hugs and lectures about not taking better care of your ride. They are family.
---

The Bakery: For the Love of Independent Bike Shops

 

[John F]

Rad article- as someone who has been a bike mechanic for a long time and now works to help "bike mechanic" be an honorable, noble, and decent-paying position I can't agree enough with what you're saying. A well-run and passionate local shop who understands the value of supporting the local community is critical if there is going to be any kind of a sustainable bike culture.
I do have one caveat though: you touch on a common perception within the bike world- that the good, cool, local shops that support the community is messy and gritty where the clean and upscale shop doesn't support the community. There is no shortage of hip, gritty, local shops who provide terrible customer service and only do a great job of maintaining the bro culture. Yet there are a lot of people who are extremely passionate about bikes and cycling choose to work at the newer, cleaner, well-merchandised shops because they see professionalism as a means of getting more people stoked on cycling. They also see professionalism as a way to actually make a sustainable career out of working at a bike shop- something that I think anyone reading Bike would appreciate.

Again- thanks for the great read and perspective.