Firehouse Bikes

Tucked away discreetly above an old brick firehouse in West Philly is Firehouse Bikes. It has perhaps the worst possible business space for a bike shop (one carries the bike up and down a steel staircase to access it), but in an excellent location. In spite of the stairs, the shop has been thriving since the day it opened twelve years ago and I, like most people hereabouts, would not dream of going anywhere else for any bicycle purpose. They sell new and used bikes and do any repair that might be needed. They'll even build you a custom bike.

The average person could go there, buy a bike, maintain it and modify it for years without having any reason to know that this shop is an anarchist collective. There are no such indicators on anything, but everyone involved there is anarchist. In this neighborhood that's not unusual, but when a collective lasts this long it tells me that it's got smart, committed members and a serious work ethic. Once I brought in a bike that I got for free, with the idea of fixing it up and using it. The verdict was that it was too crappy from birth, and that they'd never let me invest a dime in it. They sell new and used bikes, but only bikes that were built right. They provide the official home of Luna the friendly cat as well. I've been a loyal patron since they opened their doors.

Every city neighborhood should have a place like this one to keep it rolling. In the picture, my old Peugeot is getting a look-see on account of a dead derailleur.