Like many industries in the ‘hood, it seems like we’ve gone from desert to oasis. Case on point: bike shops. Bicycle Station has moved from Prospect Heights to Wallabout, while Bespoke opened a few months ago on Lafayette in Fort Greene.
A reader recently emailed me endorsing an east-side bike shop:
I ride a bicycle…I think bicycles are the most efficient means of transportation in the city…And bike shops should be our hero’s. All too often we walk into bike shops and are met with cocky owners and mechanics who once realize you’re not REALLY going to spend any money ignore you or give you some lip. I take pride in my purchasing power as should everyone when penny pinching becomes the standard…anyway…Lit Fuse Cyclery is located on Willoughby and Walworth right across from the Home Depot…The owners there are the most down to earth guys I’ve ever met…It’s the only shop that has couches everywhere to just hang out…and they can fix any bike you can possibly get your hands on…not to mention if you hang out while they fix your bike they’ll most times coach you on proper bicycle repair and SHOW you what’s right and wrong…that may seem counterproductive on their part but these guys aren’t in it for the money…they are all about self sustaining and believe in empowering everyone to fix their own rides they’ve invested money in…like I said…they actually care…
Bike shops come and go….and these guys don’t deserve to go. If you ride a bike you should stop in yourself.
The services are cheap…product installations are almost free…and they have all the cool stuff you need…fenders, baskets, accessories, etc.
Has anyone checked out Lit Fuse? If so, is it as heavenly as my tipster reports? Anyone with a bike on the eastern end of the ‘hood might want to check it out. Per their website, they also rent bikes, which is pretty cool. Not sure if any of the other local shops offer this service – and what a great thing to do locally when you have out of town guests visiting!
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7 Comments
oh!! i have a wonderful 1986 BMX in need of some serious love. That should be a good test to their skills. Will update with my experience.
Great shop. Good people who work there who are very helpful. We wanted a bike and got ours there, when something happened to it, they were more than happy to help us fix it as soon as we brought it in. They have alot of bikes in the shop (old and new) and also sell helmets and tons of accessories. One downside, they’re a new shop, so they only accept check/cash right now.
Their website is: http://www.litfusecyclery.com/
They only accept cash/check, but recently I was in to buy something and was cashless/checkless and it was raining outside. They lent me their umbrella and gave me instructions to the closest ATM. Nice folks.
These guys are right down the street from my house, and I stopped in when I saw their sign. I’ve been back a couple of times since, and every time my experience has been fantastic. As a girl (even though I know my shit when it comes to bikes) there are a lot of shops that treat me like I’m an idiot right off the bat. I’ve never had that problem at Lit Fuse, and they have always been super nice and honest to me. These guys were totally willing to answer all my questions, and they are really patient with explanations. When I bought a rear rack for my peugeot, they gave me some extra hardware to fit the different sizing on the frame, and specially drilled out new holes in the rack to fit. Give these guys your business and you won’t regret it.
They’re super nice and knowledgable — I took my bike there for a simple tune-up, and they took me behind the counter and explained exactly what they were doing and why (and hence why they were charging me), which I thought was super legit. The only catch is the turnaround time — they get really, really busy, and bless ‘em, they seem pretty easily distracted. My tune-up took two weeks — but craftsmanship is craftsmanship, right?
Lit Fuse was so kind to put me on a weekly payment plan for my bike.
sure, they are chill and have couches, but they made me wait two weeks to get brakes adjusted and a kickstand and basket put on my bike. also, my bike was brand new and they returned it to me covered in gouges in the frame and handle bars. of course my bike will be scarred eventually, but from a repair shop??? i think they are so relaxed they don’t care about details, or the customer.
this is my first bike and first foray into biking in the city. i am so unhappy with my lit fuse experience, i really hope to find they are not the standard in the biking community.
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