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Two Wheels Good: Where to Buy a Bike in L.A.
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4893 Reads
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 Someone asked me today where to buy a good bike in Los Angeles.
Bike geek that I am, I have plenty of answers, but relatively limited experience.
But since you may have either Xmas cash burning a hole in your wallet next week - or a roll of holiday fat pushing your belt to the breaking point - here's a short, annotated list of good bike shops I've visited. Anyone have other recommendations?
New:
Wheel World Cyclery:
4051 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230, (310) 391-5251
Solid, dependable service. Very reasonably priced rides. When my beloved mango-colored Cannondale F-1000 got ripped off from my garage six years ago, I shopped there, and found an excellent F-700 replacement - with a gnarly Lefty fork and Hayes discs, no less - for just a bit more than what the insurance company paid me.
They redid the Sturmey-Archer rear-end on my old Schwinn cruiser for a song, and always had whatever crazy part I needed, right when I needed it. Good selection of Cannondales, Konas and a few more exotic models, as well as a wide array of kids' bikes, dual-use hybrids and studly-O.G. stretch DynoCruisers. Great shop ...
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Helen's Cycles:
1454 25th St, Santa Monica, CA 90404, (310) 453-8396
and 2472 Lincoln Boulevard, Marina del Rey, California 90291, 310.306.7843, plus Manhattan Beach, Westwood and Arcadia
Helen's is crazy-popular, but always a bit more overpriced than I've ever felt comfortable with. However, they have a vast selection of bikes, clothing, parts and accessories. They can get you weird parts on short notice (e.g. a complete Thule Big Mouth roof rack module for just $105 within three days). And their service department - while sometimes overbooked - is sharp, fast and knowledgeable.
I had one bad experience with their Marina del Rey store about five years ago - I took them the Lefty to have a new cartridge installed, and the job came out a good $50 over their initial ballpark estimate, and took a week longer than promised. But hey, I'm just one guy, that was just one job, your mileage may vary.
I. Martin Imports:
(multiple locations)
This is a chain of hugely high-end stores selling ultralight road bikes (mostly) for the head-to-toe spandex'd, leg-shaving, Gu-guzzling crowd of professional triathletes, century fanatics and weekend warriors - what a fellow AIDS Rider once called "bike weenies." We're talking $2,000- to $3,000 carbon-fiber frames without wheels, brakes, cranks or chains.
If you're the kind of rider who measures toeclips and sew-ups by the gram, then hey, God bless. Nirvana awaits.
Safety Cycle Shop:
1014 N Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029, (323) 464-5765
This is an excellent neighborhood bike shop, just south of Santa Monica Boulevard on Western. They carry a nice variety of bikes, most notably some very pretty Schwinn 3-speed cruisers ranging between $279 and $350, and some upper-end mountain bikes at jaw-dropping sale prices. The owner's a super-nice guy, the service staff is very personable, and the accessories rack is chock-full of the very things you're looking for.
Orange 20 Bikes:
713 N Heliotrope Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90029, (323) 662-4537
I've only been into this place a couple of times, but found the guys there to be down-to-earth, smart and very willing to help. Fellow IAAL-MAF-er Mike went in one night looking for spokes of a bizarre length and configuration, and they quickly looked 'em up and put 'em on order for him.
The stock is built-to-order track, BMX and fixed-gear messenger bikes. Cofounded by and right across the street from Bicycle Kitchen, about which more below.
Supergo Bike Shop:
501 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401-2405, 3104519977
Not sure if these guys are still open, but last time I was in there, they had a great array of rides at very reasonable prices. I tried out a few dual-suspension bikes (not my cup of tea) and have bought a few things from time to time. Very busy shop.
Used:
Bicycle Kitchen:
706 Heliotrope @ Melrose (2 blks west of Vermont), Los Angeles, 90029, (323) NO-CARRO (662-2776)
The Kitchen - a cramped but ultimately tidy and crisply-run little do-it-yourself shop just south of L.A. City College, is a near-legendary epicenter for L.A. urban bike culture for good reason: Anyone can walk in there with a smallish amount of cash and a modicum of mechanical skill and - with the help and $7-an-hour tool rental offered by the knowlegeable and generous member/volunteers - roll out a few hours later on a roadworthy bike.
They offer classes on basic wrenching and wheel-building, they hold the "Bicycle Bitchen" women-only sessions on Monday nights from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.., they help cash-poor 12-to-18-year-old kids learn to be bike mechanics and Earn-a-Bike, and they really know their shit. I had a great experience there rebuilding my Cannondale's transmission last winter.
Mind the crazy hours, though: Saturday/Sunday: 12-6, Monday: 12-6:30 (Open to All), Monday: 6:30-9:30pm (Bitchen: Ladies Only), Tu/We/Thu: 6:30-9:30pm, Friday: closed. Get there at opening time to do your part by helping them load-out the ever-rotating of donated frames, and you might just find your next ride.
Atomic Cycles:
17322 Saticoy Van Nuys CA, 91406, (818) 609-0113
I've only visited once, but had a great experience shopping there, too. Highly recommended.
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| Posted by: Mack_Reed on Thursday, December 21, 2006 - 04:10 PM
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