Welcome to sister stores Mt Eden Cycles and Hot Cycles, the newest Bike Auckland bike shop partners! Here’s all you need to know about these two shops, the bike nuts that run them, and why they’re proud to support Bike Auckland by offering special deals for our members… What and who are Mt Eden Cycles and Hot Cycles? Owned by the affable Mark Taylor and wife Debbie, plus Louis Crosby and Tracey Steens, the two shops retail the established Specialized range, although they will happily build you up a bike from almost any brand you fancy. Known to aficionados as MEC, Mt Eden Cycles is, not surprisingly, located on Mt Eden Road, on the stretch …
Ross
It wasn’t long ago that bike retailing in New Zealand meant physical stores offering little for commuters beyond mountain bikes with city tyres. That’s now changed, in part thanks to online retailers like The Urban Cyclist. Owner Emma Jonsson is a Kiwi who was inspired by Euro-style cycling when visiting Copenhagen with her Danish then-boyfriend, now hubbie. She returned to New Zealand itching to ride the Danish way right here in Auckland, only to find that city riding was in its very early days and nobody sold the bikes and bits she needed. That was the catalyst for The Urban Cyclist. Now, we’re delighted to welcome them to our bike shop …
Electrify NZ is a proof point for the proliferation of electric bicycles across New Zealand. What started as a one-man, single-store business three years ago has grown into a retail chain with two Auckland sites, three more across the country, and further stores on the way. Founder Michael Tritt, a former Greenpeace staffer, started electrify.nz with a simple goal: get more people on bikes and out of their cars. Michael opened his doors for business at the beginning of the e-bike phenomenon and he says the business has thrived after a slow start. “In my first winter I was selling maybe a bike every month. But we rode the e-bike …
Great news for Bike Auckland members! In a long-anticipated development, we’re partnering with local bike shops and other merchants to bring you special discounts and exclusive opportunities as membership benefits when you become a Bike Auckland supporter. Meet the people backing bike advocacy in your city – this week, an ‘all-of-the-above’ emporium with two outlets in Auckland… EVO CYCLES Who and what is Evo Cycles? If you’ve rolled through Pukekohe along Manukau Road, or past Britomart on the Quay Street cycleway, you’ll have seen Evolution Cycles stores. Hard to miss them, really – they’re big, and they’ve got a distinctive black and neon green colour scheme. The two Auckland shops are part …
Great news for Bike Auckland members! In a long-anticipated development, we’re partnering with local bike shops and others to bring you special discounts and exclusive opportunities as membership benefits when you become a Bike Auckland supporter. We’ll be introducing you to our new partners one by one, so you can get to know who’s backing bike advocacy in your city. First up is… THE ELECTRIC BIKE TEAM Who and what is the Electric Bike Team? The friendly face of the Electric Bike Team (formerly the Electric Bicycle Hub) is longtime bicycle advocate Maurice Wells. Maurice and family arrived in Auckland in 2015, when his partner got a job at the university. Although …
Tim White is, not surprisingly, the owner of T. Whites Bikes, the indie bike shop in Symonds Street, as well as a rad dad, and (with Haimona Ngata) is aiming to bring a high quality pump track to Takapuna. Ross Inglis asked Tim three very good questions: I’m looking for a second-hand commuter bike and don’t want to buy a lemon. What should I look for? The most common problem is buying the wrong size. Have a look at a size chart to get a rough idea; it does not have to be an exact fit – something in the vicinity will still work for you. Also look for a tidy machine – a bike with clean …
Tim Welch runs Rode, an independent bike shop in Ponsonby that bills itself as ‘not your ordinary bike shop’. Think niche brands like Surly and Breezer, steel frames, touring bikes and custom builds. Oh, and lots of electric bikes. We asked Tim three questions. I’m shopping for an electric bike. What questions should I ask when I’m in the bike shop? Definitely look at, and ask about, the overall quality of the e-bike rather than just focusing on the size of the battery and the power of the motor. Just because a bike has more powerful motor does not make it a better bike. Also ask, are there parts available …
An occasional series in which Auckland bike mechanics tell you what they’re really thinking. Got thoughts, keen to be featured? Or, do you have questions you’d love to ask a bike mechanic? Get in touch – we’d love to hear from you. Wander into Rouleur Cycles in Onehunga’s Selwyn Street and there’s a good chance that the chap greeting you from the depths of the workshop will be Cam Baker. Cam, 22, is the lead mechanic in what is both a friendly neighbourhood bike shop and a Mecca for devotees of high-end road machinery. Ross Inglis asked him three quick questions… Which three most basic tools would you recommend to anyone planning …
Bike shops, like people, have personalities. T. White’s Bikes is how you might imagine an independent bike shop — a cheerfully scruffy hail-fellow-well-met kind of place, bikes old and new jostling for space with banana seats, bins of pedals and hubs, a row of recycled forks and, for no apparent reason, a collection of 80’s boom blasters. Ace the amiable Pug might greet you at the door. bFM will likely be on the stereo; if you’re unlucky it’ll be country and western. There’s a good chance you already know the place if you’ve been around bikes for a while. Tim White and his crew have been in the same shop …
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