Vintage Bike-Shop Photos
01-10-10, 07:22 PM
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Vintage Bike-Shop Photos
Was looking through a collection of old photos from my hometown (Fort Wayne, IN) and stumbled across this one. Rather evocative of a different era.
If you guys have other vintage shop pictures of any kind I'd love to see them
If you guys have other vintage shop pictures of any kind I'd love to see them
01-10-10, 09:51 PM
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Looking around on google:
Hey look, it's the compact frame - new for 1899 ;D
Hey look, it's the compact frame - new for 1899 ;D
01-10-10, 10:04 PM
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If that Valley Cyclery is in the San Fernando Valley, that's where my very first Varsity came from.
EDIT: Just Googled - yup, that's the place. Valley Cyclery in Van Nuys CA.
EDIT: Just Googled - yup, that's the place. Valley Cyclery in Van Nuys CA.
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01-10-10, 10:39 PM
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it looks like a car dealership, oh the glory days haha
01-11-10, 04:28 AM
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Shorpy is a blog that has a lot of photos on it. I have seen a couple of bike shops in the past.
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Webshots is bailing out, if you find any of my posts with corrupt picture files and want to see them corrected please let me know. :(
ISO: A late 1980's Giant Iguana MTB frameset (or complete bike) 23" Red with yellow graphics.
"Cycling should be a way of life, not a hobby.
RIDE, YOU FOOL, RIDE!"_Nicodemus
"Steel: nearly a thousand years of metallurgical development
Aluminum: barely a hundred
Which one would you rather have under your butt at 30mph?"_krazygluon
01-11-10, 05:07 AM
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One thing that is really cool about the Valley Cyclery photo from Van Nuys, is that the photo was taken at night - not sure what time, but it is very dark, so clearly it is past say 6:00 PM.
How cool is that - a BIG brilliant bicycle shop open into the evening for you shopping convenience. Most (all?) of the bicycle shops around here close promptly at 5:00 PM.
There are still some big bicycle shops around today, but it is neat to see the automobile showroom designed bike shop all glistening and shiny new!
How cool is that - a BIG brilliant bicycle shop open into the evening for you shopping convenience. Most (all?) of the bicycle shops around here close promptly at 5:00 PM.
There are still some big bicycle shops around today, but it is neat to see the automobile showroom designed bike shop all glistening and shiny new!
01-11-10, 07:33 AM
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George Garner cyclery in Northbrook, IL is the same design as the Valley Cyclery. I drive by George Garners frequently and have always liked that design, its modern but tasteful, and defines the 60's style of retail architecture.
The Schwinn "look" was clean, white walls and brightly lit. Designed for mom and pop operation and family friendly bike sales. Along comes the Boom years of the 70's and small independents started popping up everywhere. The boom era bike shop was usually less than tidy, dimly lit and operated by young hippy types. And they sold European 10 speed bikes that very few had heard of. It was quite a contrast between the two types of shops. One of my early bike shop memories was buying a bike from Turin bike shop in Chicago when they were located on Sedgewick St. I used the bathroom there, a disgusting mess, but on the back of the bathroom door was a girly calender. Quite a thrill for a 10 year old boy.
The Schwinn "look" was clean, white walls and brightly lit. Designed for mom and pop operation and family friendly bike sales. Along comes the Boom years of the 70's and small independents started popping up everywhere. The boom era bike shop was usually less than tidy, dimly lit and operated by young hippy types. And they sold European 10 speed bikes that very few had heard of. It was quite a contrast between the two types of shops. One of my early bike shop memories was buying a bike from Turin bike shop in Chicago when they were located on Sedgewick St. I used the bathroom there, a disgusting mess, but on the back of the bathroom door was a girly calender. Quite a thrill for a 10 year old boy.
Last edited by big chainring; 01-11-10 at 08:34 AM.
01-11-10, 10:12 AM
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01-11-10, 10:22 AM
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And, now an example that is the opposite of the Schwinn LBS cleanliness, here are a couple of pics of the Kalamazoo Cycle Company.
Unfortunately, it closed in 1988 when the owner was murdered, in the shop.
The Showroom
The Office
Bonus pic. This is a copy of a newspaper advert for the KBC. Note that they sold more than just bikes.
Unfortunately, it closed in 1988 when the owner was murdered, in the shop.
The Showroom
The Office
Bonus pic. This is a copy of a newspaper advert for the KBC. Note that they sold more than just bikes.
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01-11-10, 10:36 AM
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My first ten speed was a Turin. They had their own label on a french built bike. Had the Picasso "head" on the headtube. Rockhound(on the forum) has the headtube badge as his avatar.
01-11-10, 10:54 AM
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Here are some that a member at Ratrodbikes posted of a shop that his family started and operated for 50 years. The thread includes nice history.
https://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/vie...226998#p226998
https://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/vie...226998#p226998
01-11-10, 02:27 PM
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That is the place. I bought a Windsor Carerra Sport from him in 73. Worked all winter saving for the bike, about $175.00 I then sold my Schwinn for $80.00 and took off on a 500 mile road trip that ended up the the Emergency Room in Beaver Dam WI.
01-11-10, 07:32 PM
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kalamazoo
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Thanks so much for posting the pictures of Kalamazoo Cycle and Electrical Supply and the owner if I recall correctly his name was Earl. I had heard that he was murdered in the store.Do you know any of the details? Was it a robbery?Did they catch who did it?Did you ever visit the shop before it closed?
I made numerous visits to the shop staring in 1980 sometimes on my way to the Ann Arbor swap meet.Earl was one of those strange old guys who really did not seem interested in selling the old stock.The first time i visited he tried for an hour to sell me some sort of used bike in one of the showrooms.Finally he allowed me to go upstairs where i spent hours looking through the old inventory and loaded up my el camino with parts.When i paid I paid in cash something around $1000.00. He scurried off to the front portion of the building where I suspect he lived, I assumed to stash the cash.I remember thinking that that was not a smart thing to do, practically broadcasting there were large sums of cash on the premises.
I remember he had lots of young people working for him who he ordered around while sitting in the chair in the picture.When I heard he had been murdered I always wondered if one of his employees may have done it. The last time and every time I saw him he was sitting in the same spot as shown in the picture.He looks younger in the picture then when i was there.He did not have much in the way of quality lightweight stuff, but he had tons of balloon and middleweight stuff. The upstairs was littered with empty alcohol bottles.
At one point i believe there was a fire and I was able to salvage lots of good parts from a large dumpster.
Boy I had lots of fun there and I never saw most of the stuff.
Thanks so much for posting the pictures of Kalamazoo Cycle and Electrical Supply and the owner if I recall correctly his name was Earl. I had heard that he was murdered in the store.Do you know any of the details? Was it a robbery?Did they catch who did it?Did you ever visit the shop before it closed?
I made numerous visits to the shop staring in 1980 sometimes on my way to the Ann Arbor swap meet.Earl was one of those strange old guys who really did not seem interested in selling the old stock.The first time i visited he tried for an hour to sell me some sort of used bike in one of the showrooms.Finally he allowed me to go upstairs where i spent hours looking through the old inventory and loaded up my el camino with parts.When i paid I paid in cash something around $1000.00. He scurried off to the front portion of the building where I suspect he lived, I assumed to stash the cash.I remember thinking that that was not a smart thing to do, practically broadcasting there were large sums of cash on the premises.
I remember he had lots of young people working for him who he ordered around while sitting in the chair in the picture.When I heard he had been murdered I always wondered if one of his employees may have done it. The last time and every time I saw him he was sitting in the same spot as shown in the picture.He looks younger in the picture then when i was there.He did not have much in the way of quality lightweight stuff, but he had tons of balloon and middleweight stuff. The upstairs was littered with empty alcohol bottles.
At one point i believe there was a fire and I was able to salvage lots of good parts from a large dumpster.
Boy I had lots of fun there and I never saw most of the stuff.
01-11-10, 07:45 PM
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01-11-10, 09:45 PM
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cb400bill
Thanks so much for posting the pictures of Kalamazoo Cycle and Electrical Supply and the owner if I recall correctly his name was Earl. I had heard that he was murdered in the store.Do you know any of the details? Was it a robbery?Did they catch who did it?Did you ever visit the shop before it closed?
Thanks so much for posting the pictures of Kalamazoo Cycle and Electrical Supply and the owner if I recall correctly his name was Earl. I had heard that he was murdered in the store.Do you know any of the details? Was it a robbery?Did they catch who did it?Did you ever visit the shop before it closed?
https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/..._convicte.html
Seems like the police may have got the wrong man.
The shop closed about 10 years before I moved to the Kalamazoo area. The building is still there but the business is long gone.
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01-11-10, 10:56 PM
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Helotes Bicycle is one of the more unusual vintage shops around. If you are in the San Antonio area, a trip to Hank Cunningham's shop is worth the time.
01-11-10, 11:51 PM
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Man, that shop looks exactly like Shull's Cycle, the old Schwinn and Raleigh dealer in Coeur d'Alene, ID, where I bought my Grand Prix in 1976!
01-12-10, 07:59 AM
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Exteriors: 1936...1935...1908.
Interiors: early 1900s?
Interiors: early 1900s?
01-12-10, 08:24 AM
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Wonder what the shop owners were dealing with in June 1971?
Time Magazine from June 14, 1971:
https://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...909901,00.html
Time Magazine from June 14, 1971:
https://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...909901,00.html
01-12-10, 08:33 AM
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1971 Schwinn advertisment from Time Mazazine
01-12-10, 08:38 AM
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If the above thumbnail doesn't work, my apologies. It actually is on page 66 of the April 4, 1969 issue of Time Mazazine with Eisenhower on the cover.
01-12-10, 09:05 AM
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Here's a shot of my favorite local bike store.....they know the value of their vintage stuff, but they're a good bunch of folks
Mark
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01-12-10, 09:16 AM
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There's snow outside and people have jackets on, so it could be 4-5 PM and still be dark enough for the photograph to look like "late."
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