Your experience with bike mechanics in NYC.

[johnmdesigner]

Looking for a good reliable mechanic with attention to detail in the NYC area.
I used to go to John Brittan ar Signature and he was fabulous but he seems to have vanished.
It's a bit of a haul to go all the way to Greenwich CT for repairs. Anyone had good luck with someone wrenching in NYC?

Thanks for reading.

[thegunner]

NYC Velo handles highend pretty well if you're looking in manhattan, i go to conrad's everytime i need wheels built.

[Bob Ross]

Definitely gonna pay attention to this thread!

I've gone through a lot of NYC mechanics. The ones who receive -- or received -- the highest accolades still managed to disappoint me at least once. And it's not like I have ridiculously high standards/expectations, but I think Three Strikes And You're Out might be a much too charitable policy when the guy is working on a vehicle that can get you killed even when it's working perfectly.

[johnmdesigner]

Originally Posted by thegunner

NYC Velo handles highend pretty well if you're looking in manhattan, i go to conrad's everytime i need wheels built.

John at Conrads fixed a 90s C Record wheel build that had been completely f'ed up by another shop.
It's the only place I know of that has the tools and know how to work on older Campy.

[NoMoreParagon]

Unfortunately in general quality of mechanic in NYC went down in my opinion. Many shops have closed and many more moved to Brooklyn.
In Manhattan I only go to NY Velo since they were the only one stocking Campagnolo parts. You also have to be lucky who is going to service ur bike there. Went there 3 times, the first two my bike was serviced by a senior mechanic and he did a great job. Last it was a junior and the quality of the job was average at best.

In Brooklyn there are many good mechanics. And when I say good, I mean real good.
The guy I trust the most is Tom at Maglia Rosa. He is bit expensive but he is really good. He is a former machinist so can easily do also frame modification if needed.
Equally good was Tijon at Deluxe. He seems to no longer work there but he was fantastic. Really nice guy.’

I heard great things about the peeps at Rover Cycle Co and I will definitely give them a shot. Same for Conrad but never been


Ultimately also depends what u looking for.
For Campy i’d say Tom at Maglia Rosa and NY Velo head mechanic.
For wheel building Tijon is really a master.
Frame modification Tom at MR

I don’t want to give bad publicity to other shops who actually ruined my bike but u gotta be careful who is going to touch ur bike. More than once I had terrible service especially when truing wheels by a selected number of shops in manhattan

[johnmdesigner]

Originally Posted by NoMoreParagon

Unfortunately in general quality of mechanic in NYC went down in my opinion. Many shops have closed and many more moved to Brooklyn.
In Manhattan I only go to NY Velo since they were the only one stocking Campagnolo parts. You also have to be lucky who is going to service ur bike there. Went there 3 times, the first two my bike was serviced by a senior mechanic and he did a great job. Last it was a junior and the quality of the job was average at best.

In Brooklyn there are many good mechanics. And when I say good, I mean real good.
The guy I trust the most is Tom at Maglia Rosa. He is bit expensive but he is really good. He is a former machinist so can easily do also frame modification if needed.
Equally good was Tijon at Deluxe. He seems to no longer work there but he was fantastic. Really nice guy.’

I heard great things about the peeps at Rover Cycle Co and I will definitely give them a shot. Same for Konrad but never been


Ultimately also depends what u looking for.
For Campy i’d say Tom at Maglia Rosa and NY Velo head mechanic.
For wheel building Tijon is really a master.
Frame modification Tom at MR

I don’t want to give bad publicity to other shops who actually ruined my bike but u gotta be careful who is going to touch ur bike. More than once I had terrible service especially when truing wheels by a selected number of shops in manhattan

Well I know the feeling.
My car mechanic is 50 miles away.
I wouldn't use anyone else.

[longlist]

When I went to the Campy Grand Fondo last year I went to Brooklyn and had Jonathan at Acme help me with something. He was really nice and did a great job.

[zzy]

Frankly the number of poor-to-bad wrenches in NYC is shocking. Finding talent in the city is amazingly hard, tho not helped by the fact that most shops won't pay a wrench much more than a sales person.

And some of the best wrenches in the city are kinda awful to deal with...

[NoMoreParagon]

Originally Posted by zzy

Frankly the number of poor-to-bad wrenches in NYC is shocking. Finding talent in the city is amazingly hard, tho not helped by the fact that most shops won't pay a wrench much more than a sales person.

And some of the best wrenches in the city are kinda awful to deal with...

Where is 'sweet baby' Tijion working now? I heard had was thinking of leaving Deluxe last year..

Yeah..agreed with you...I see Tijon from time to time. Think he is working full time in another line of work..creative stuff.

Bike mechanic tasks are getting more and more complex. Components are lighter, easier to damage, therefore good hands should be paid accordingly.

Problem is that bike shop in NYC and Brooklyn have to deal with obscene fixed costs (rent and, if you will, online purchases tax free) so shop owners dont have an easy life at all. I think everybody doing their best to survive.

I admire few of them and will continue to support them.

[NoMoreParagon]

Originally Posted by longlist

When I went to the Campy Grand Fondo last year I went to Brooklyn and had Jonathan at Acme help me with something. He was really nice and did a great job.

Jon is great. +1 on him. Rover Cycle is using part of his space and they been partnering for over a year. Really good people there. Nice, knowledgeable and always willing to help.

[zzy]

Originally Posted by NoMoreParagon

Bike mechanic tasks are getting more and more complex. Components are lighter, easier to damage, therefore good hands should be paid accordingly.

The amount of stuff a mechanic HAS TO know to be competent at his job these days is staggering, and takes years of practice to learn. Then add in decades of vintage parts; Which are compatible with which and how to get the best out of them. There is no apprenticeship or practical training aside from online videos (which are no substitute for actual wrenching).

Ironically, there is PLENTY of money made by wrenches. A good, fast working NYC wrench can book over $200K in labor alone, not to mention literally everything else like bike builds and accessory installs. There are a TON of cyclists in NYC, and 10-11 hour days are common in larger shops. The problem is very little of that sees its way back to the person actually doing the work.

[NYCfixie]

Maglia Rosa
Signature Cycles (CT)

Everything else will be hit or miss.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by zzy

Ironically, there is PLENTY of money made by wrenches. A good, fast working NYC wrench can book over $200K in labor alone, not to mention literally everything else like bike builds and accessory installs. There are a TON of cyclists in NYC, and 10-11 hour days are common in larger shops. The problem is very little of that sees its way back to the person actually doing the work.

As others have stated rent and other fixed expenses make keeping a shop open very expensive so I don't think we should assume that shop owners are getting rich while underpaying their mechanics. I just wonder where mechanics and other workers in Manhattan live. In 1965 I was a beginner in the corporate ladder in NYC. My office was in Rockefeller Center but I had to live in a "Jr. one-bedroom (L-shaped room with a folding door to create a "bedroom") in Queens to avoid needing a roommate as almost all of my friends did. Heck, when "Friends" hit the TV I was very familiar with the depicted living arrangements.

[johnmdesigner]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

As others have stated rent and other fixed expenses make keeping a shop open very expensive so I don't think we should assume that shop owners are getting rich while underpaying their mechanics. I just wonder where mechanics and other workers in Manhattan live. In 1965 I was a beginner in the corporate ladder in NYC. My office was in Rockefeller Center but I had to live in a "Jr. one-bedroom (L-shaped room with a folding door to create a "bedroom") in Queens to avoid needing a roommate as almost all of my friends did. Heck, when "Friends" hit the TV I was very familiar with the depicted living arrangements.

I think it is still "Friends" except there are more roommates and the rent is higher.
I had 3 friends working in bike shops. Each had 2-3 roommates in 1-2br apartments on lower east side.

[zzy]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

As others have stated rent and other fixed expenses make keeping a shop open very expensive so I don't think we should assume that shop owners are getting rich while underpaying their mechanics. I just wonder where mechanics and other workers in Manhattan live. In 1965 I was a beginner in the corporate ladder in NYC. My office was in Rockefeller Center but I had to live in a "Jr. one-bedroom (L-shaped room with a folding door to create a "bedroom") in Queens to avoid needing a roommate as almost all of my friends did. Heck, when "Friends" hit the TV I was very familiar with the depicted living arrangements.

If you think those mansion-like apts depicted in Friends are at all representative of 3 marginally employed people living in the west village in the late 90s, you are more than a little out of touch. I know full well the realities of NYC bike shop life. My numbers above aren't just made up. A good service department makes or breaks a bike shop (as evidenced by the 3 bike shops in NYC that have closed in the last couple years) but done right, operating a bike shop in NYC can be surprisingly lucrative. I remember selling 18 bikes in one day for example.