Roypercy

Going out to get some service this morning I was very sad to learn that my favorite local bike shop, Red Lantern Bicycles on Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn, has gone out of business, another victim of rising commercial rents in a gentrifying neighborhood. It was a cool place; they had a little bar where you could get a beer or a decent coffee and sandwich while you waited on your bike, and the mechanics there not only did good and reasonably priced work, they were afficionados of vintage bikes. I found Red Lantern when a Motobecane I used to have needed the helicomatic hub serviced, and two other bike shops I tried professed never to have seen or heard of such a thing. The guys at Red Lantern not only had the tools and expertise to work on a helicomatic hub, they were kind of thrilled to see the bike come through the door. I was always glad to bring my bikes there, and over the years they did all my service and even built a couple of wheels for me. A very sad loss of a good, local business.