This last January Cycle Therapy finally closed its doors, after months of speculation. Cycle Therapy was just one more east Toronto bike shop that couldn't. And now Velotique is also up for sale, though it appears to be for personal reasons not a bad market.
Why does it seem that so few bike shops can survive in the wilds of East York, Leslieville or Scarborough? Well, it makes sense for Scarborough, few people bike there and if they do they are likely to just get a crappy Canadian Tire bike, but Leslieville? Lots of people bike around there. It's a relatively bike-friendly area, much like Toronto's west end.
Things might be looking up somewhat. The other day I happened upon the sign "Hello Velo" on Carlaw, south of Dundas. Turns out that Hello Velo is a spacious bike shop tucked away inside the courtyard of a converted factory. The location, as comfortable as it looks, isn't all that retail friendly. There isn't a lot of foot traffic. That may explain Hello Velo pushing their bike mechanic workshops. From their website they seem to be focused on road racing and triathalons, not so much the average commuter.
So it seems that East York, eastern Toronto and Scarborough will continue to be mostly served by only a handful of bike shops, department stores and boutique-type shops.
Comments
jeremy (not verified)
Please explain...
Mon, 03/16/2009 - 13:16Please explain this:
Well, it makes sense for Scarborough, few people bike there and if they do they are likely to just get a crappy Canadian Tire bike...
Is it because Scarborough is full of welfare cases and immigrants?
Steeker
I see lot's of peeps on
Mon, 03/16/2009 - 17:08I see lot's of peeps on different bikes out in scarborough (not just canadain tire ones) ,,,, =8^) (Steeker)
dash (not verified)
Perhaps the population of
Tue, 03/17/2009 - 13:59Perhaps the population of the suburbs largely consists of drivers who view cycling as a more casual activity, thus not really seeing the need to spend money on higher end bikes, since they wont get the same use.
I'm offended by your bigoted comment.
AnnieD
Irony never seems to go over
Tue, 03/17/2009 - 16:20Irony never seems to go over too well on message boards. :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irony
spudbuddy (not verified)
Scarboro-kickers
Wed, 06/10/2009 - 09:03Actually, you hit the nail right on the head -
of course in the deepest darkest suburban motorized lovefest
that is Scarborough (and historically cheek by jowled with that
Oshawa general-motored history) it is an absolute fact that bikes
would be looked upon as strange alien things - it only makes good
sense / a bike ride from St George campus to High Park is a luvly thing.
Try luving Guildwood to Scarboro Town Centre sometime...
true, as an intrepid teenager I did Parliament and Wellesley to West Hill
on regular bases...loved the downhill return trip -
but that was then / this is now.
I see no reason to be offended by such a quip - it's dark little bit of truth
should be no reason for high anxiety (actually, I have a Cdn made tourer...
and the fact that it's built for comfort and not speed pleases me well enough)
ah....all that good bike money wasted on Lexuses....pity.
jp
E. (not verified)
You must be a very ignorant
Fri, 03/20/2009 - 22:15You must be a very ignorant person. Scarborough is not full of welfare cases and immigrants!
Most immigrants come from countries where cycling is a means of transportation.
Scarborough streets are not cyclist friendly. Which is why few people bike here.
By the way I am not an immigrant nor am I on welfare, I do cycle and my bike is not from Canadian Tire!!!!!
Tom Flaherty
Respect
Sun, 03/22/2009 - 23:30Jeremy,
I hope your white hooded cloak gets caught in your chain.
Bob (not verified)
Because it's the truth
Sat, 05/16/2009 - 13:12NO it's because riding in scarborough and any other suburban area designed for automobiles really sucks. Most main roads are like hiways and all drivers aren't used to seeing many cyclists and treat them accordingly. Besides that I've seen just about every bike store in scarborough close down in the last 10 years. I live and have ridden in Scarborough for over 20 years, I still prefer the city where traffic and buildings are condensed and slower. Yes Scarborough is filled with a lot of different races and a lot of poor people but I'm more proud of that then ashamed.
Random cyclist (not verified)
Scarberia
Sat, 05/23/2009 - 11:39Yes. It is because we don't ride bikes. We steal them, repaint them and send them to Eastern Europe. Moron.
Steeker
,Cycle solutions is still
Mon, 03/16/2009 - 17:05,Cycle solutions is still there and busy , excellent shop at main and kingston road ( both locations are excellent),,, =8^) (Steeker)
Darren_S
Is this...
Mon, 03/16/2009 - 17:26Biseagal or is that the shop next door.
AG (not verified)
COGS at Gerrard and Logan is
Mon, 03/16/2009 - 19:06COGS at Gerrard and Logan is an excellent (yet could be friendlier) shop targeting your average, 4 seasons commuter. Great website too
http://cogscycle.com/intro.html
I'm really surprised there is no shop on Queen E, especially in Riverside (Broadview/Queen) as so many cyclist have to cross the bridge there or on Dundas.
Svend
I'll miss Velotique, they
Tue, 03/17/2009 - 09:25I'll miss Velotique, they were close by and had friendly staff. They didn't sell or fix bikes though, I always thought that was odd - it would be great if someone bought the place and offered repairs.
I'll vouch for Cycle Solutions as well with their reasonable rates but you're right about a lack of good bike shops out here in the east end.
herb
props
Tue, 03/17/2009 - 13:04Yes, yes. There are actually a handful of other bike shops. The fact remains that there are far fewer than between University and Dufferin (which might have too many for all I know). It is also a fact that there are far fewer people who chose cycling as a way to get to work or to the store as their regular vehicle in places like Scarborough. I think Leslieville has a much higher modal split on the other hand. I've seen the Statistics Canada numbers.
As far as I know, Hello Velo is not Biseagal. I believe Biseagal is still doing custom building and welding/brazing repairs but isn't a general service bike shop.
Paul from Hello Velo informed me that they, in fact, do commuter bike repairs too. So if you're in the area and in need they sound like an excellent option.
jamesmallon (not verified)
Biseagal
Tue, 03/17/2009 - 13:24Biseagal needs a much better web presence: only found a dead link.
herb
department store bikes
Wed, 03/18/2009 - 10:02From the perspective of small bike shop owners, Canadian Tire and Wal-mart bikes are crappy. They are badly made and people often find that it's cheaper to just buy a new department store bike rather than try to get it repaired.
This is nothing against the people who ride them. I fit into the "poorer" category myself, but I've a used bike from the 80s that should last me longer than anything new from a department store.
All the people riding Canadian Tire bikes deserve better; they may even enjoy biking more and thus use them more often. The bikes are very heavy, have crappy shocks on them, and bike shops hate to repair them b/c they are basically made of cheap metal and the repairs often cost more than the original purchase price.
I'm all for riding cheap bikes, but the department stores stopped making quality bikes about 20 years ago.
Darren_S
What does this really mean?
Wed, 03/18/2009 - 18:12There are stats that will tell you how much population you need to support a certain type of commercial endeavour. More density downtown, both living and transient (those who come into the core during the day to work/play/go to school) so more bike stores. Scarborough cannot support a MEC/Urbane which is where a lot Scarborough commuters go for gear. Simply a price point/ volume thing.
It is rather hard to judge the health of cycling in Scarborough merely by the bike stores it has. You would probably see an inverse correlation if the numbers of kilometres traveled per trip were compared. Everything is farther in the suburbs. Why aren't people in the downtown core taking advantage of the great grocery stores along Lawrence Ave E? Some terrific deals to be had.
I am willing to bet that 90% of the 900 000 plus people the city says cycles have bought their bikes at a big box store. While Herb's assessment of these bikes is dead on, what exactly are the people who buy them looking for? Willing to bet that low price comes up first on their list and weight is rarely considered.
I will let you in on a little secret. Us folk in Scarborough do not like to spend too much time being consumers but rather ride our bikes.
herb
tragedy of dollar store bikes
Tue, 06/16/2009 - 15:43It's too bad, Darren, that Scarborough consumers buy disposable bikes at department stores rather than invest in a bike that will last.
From talking to bike store mechanics it seems that they're often confronted with Canadian Tire bikes that may be only 2-3 years old and are not worth fixing up. Even recycler bike shops like Community Bicycle Network or Bike Pirates cannot do much with these bikes. Some may go to Africa where labour costs are low, but it's not worth paying a mechanic in Toronto to repair a bike made of cheap metal.
It also doesn't help that the assemblers in department stores do a terrible job. Even Canadian Tire's website recommends you take the bike somewhere to be professionally assembled.
Department store bikes have never great, but their quality has dropped significantly in the last twenty years. Even more outrageously bike mechanics have told me that they've begun to see bikes with odd wheel sizes that don't match anything currently on the market. The bike stores don't have access to tires or tubes to repair them. Reportedly these bikes are created solely to circumvent Canadian tariffs on imported bikes.
So if you don't want to be a consumer, but just want to ride a bike, save your money a bit longer and get an affordable from a local bike shop (if you've got one).
Erhard
The premise about no decent bike stores is not quite right...
Thu, 03/19/2009 - 13:36... as you can spend some serious money at http://www.dornellas.com/
(on Lawrence Av E, near Warden)
But in general it's true, Crappy Tire etc is the mainstay for the frugal suburbanite.
Tom Flaherty
Benjamin Sports
Sun, 03/22/2009 - 10:39I have to plug my local bike shops, like Benjamin Sports on Donlands near O'Connor - great personal service, and you can spend anywhere from $129 to 12,999 on a bike there - easily my first choice.
Or, I can also go to Cyclepath or Cyclemania on Danforth, each is less that 3km from my front door.
If I need my gear repaired - the Sport Sewing Shop on Gerrard near Woodbine is not too far either.
East York is just fine in my books.
Tom (not verified)
not satisfied
Sun, 03/22/2009 - 00:31Velotique was a mystery to me. A bike shop that didn't sell bikes was just wierd. It wasn't as if they sold anything you couldn't get elsewhere either, just more expensive! - made me wonder how they kept going as long as they did. Great sign though and good location. Hope someone takes it over and replicates something from the west end. Cycle Therapy in its latest form was friendly enough, but blatantly not a viable business.
With the big growth in bicycle demand, surely any shop that sells a good selection of stock, at reasonable prices on a well used bike route with proper servicing should be able to make a go of it. Maybe one will appear on queen east in time for summer.
person man (not verified)
What curse?
Wed, 03/25/2009 - 17:081) Cycle Therapy was simply mismanaged, in spite of being in a rather bikey part of town where it could have done well (I'm surprised Polly's has lasted and it didn't, actually). I really liked the latest version but they didn't have anything I needed to built up my new bike last fall, so there you go. Velotique is successful, but Saul and Bev want to retire, and the timing is coincidence. For all the other east end bike shops I remember closing in the last 10 or 15 years, I can think of one on the west side too.
2) As far as number of shops, you're lumping Toronto east of the Don in with a whole lot of suburb, and comparing that to downtown west, which makes no sense. Parkdale to High Park (plus Etobiccoke and Mississauga if we're lumping- because even North York is more bike friendly than Scarborough) would be a more reasonable comparison. In that light, I think we're doing OK. There's still a decent bunch of shops east of Broadview even if the former Coxwell/Danforth bike shop nexus is down to just the Cyclepath, and most of them are friendlier and better for practical stuff than the racer-snobby High Park shops. Cycle Solutions is 4 blocks away from me, and they're happy to order what they don't carry.
East York actually supports a few bike shops too, and used to have Toronto's best (Bicycle Specialties) until Mike decided to concentrate on framebuilding and then to retire.
It's a bit strange how the downtown east side is such a dead zone for bike shops, but it has all the camera stores, so it balances out.
RyanM (not verified)
Cogs on Gerrard
Wed, 04/29/2009 - 19:05I had the worst retail experience in memory at Cogs Cycle on Gerrard.
The attitudes of the two staff members, particularly the man, went beyond unfriendly - he was hostile and rude. I have never before experienced treatment like that. And I never will again, at least at that establishment.
Random cyclist (not verified)
Cogs Is Crap
Sat, 06/06/2009 - 01:26I advise NO ONE go to Cogs for bike repair. Not only is the attitude of the bozo who run it just terrible, they did such a crappy job of tuning up my bike the rear wheel and coaster brake failed today -- as I was flying down Queen St. This so-called tune up and new rear wheel was only six weeks ago.
They are THE WORST BIKE REPAIR SHOP I have ever encountered and hope no on else ends up risking their life by doing business with these crooks.
Random cyclist (not verified)
Recommendation for bike repair in Leslieville?
Mon, 06/15/2009 - 10:31I see COGS is getting a real bad rap so can anyone recommend a place in Leslieville to get a regular old commuter bike repaired?
Anonymous (not verified)
Try Cogs
Thu, 08/20/2009 - 12:25Try Cogs cycles, it's a good shop actually you shouldnt trust reviews like that, consumers skin gets much thinner while their indignation is way overstated on messege boards. For all we know the first guy was upset no one told him goodbye or somehow failed to hold his hand, the next guy could be tipping scales at 180lbs or more and not realize that flying down queen street especially around the bridge isnt really a good application for a coaster brake ride no matter what you weigh.
i have been there they were nice without hovering and they had some nice inexpensive entry level bikes. sometimes its nice when a shop leaves you to make up your own mind on the stuff they carry
Ryan
Not quite Leslieville...
Mon, 06/15/2009 - 12:02... but I've generally had good experiences at Cyclepath at Danforth/Coxwell.
PedalPowerPat
lol @ the trolls. No reason
Mon, 06/15/2009 - 12:06lol @ the trolls. No reason to get your panties in a bunch about a canadian tire quip, herb did not mention anything about scarboroughs culture, class or wealth demographic. He simply stated that scarberians prefer big box bikes rather than indie shop bikes or smaller scale bike shops with quality products.
Everyone getting angry @ herb is filling in the blanks with their own prejudices about class and wealth. I kind of find that .... ironic.
i.e.:
lol...
This quote sums up what herb's comment was about (in my opinion).
We do have alot of indie bike shops and high quality bike stores in the west end dont we herb?
Its a odd thing.