Full Metal Cycles in San Rafael closing, big sale on

[EB]

Very sad to see this little shop closing. I believe it was started by a former employee of A Bicycle Odyssey, so I thought of it like a continuation of ABO in a way - though with an entirely different vibe and focus.

He carried some interesting brands like Chumba, and I really appreciated how he catered to people who worked on their own bikes - it was the only store I could find in the Bay Area with a weird T47 bottom bracket tool (in stock! for sale!) when I found myself in a mechanical pinch. He would walk you through wrenching topics step by step without any attitude or impatience. Also a godsend for people looking to get their old 26ers restored.

If you live in the area, he's got some very nice looking metal bikes for sale at deep discounts. I'm pretty sure the painstakingly restored vintage mountain bikes on the rack are not for sale, though.

Community bike shops are just really hard these days. One-man retail, doubly so.

[weaponsgrade]

I happened to be in the area last week and stopped by. The owner, Lee, hosted a vintage mtb ride many years back and Chris Chance showed up as part of relaunching the brand. Very cool. Lee said he's planning on one last weekday night shop ride so I'm hoping to make it over. As far as whether he's selling any of his personal collection, I know that he's got a Wicked for sale. We chatted for a bit and he seems to be done and done with running a retail bike shop.