My friends from the San Francisco leather scene didn’t know this, but I had a big place in my heart for riding bicycles. I spent a lot of time in Silicon Valley riding a Murray Baja 5000. The only reason that bike didn’t come with me to Richmond and San Francisco was lack of space for the wheels. It did however, make it down to Los Angeles for a long time until swiped from the back of my truck at work one day.
The biking bug hit my friend Maija pretty hard a few years ago, and she turned me on to a swap meet at Atomic Cycles on Saticoy in Van Nuys. The owner, Paul, has a love for lowbrow customization. He’ll repair and modify about anything, and is a big fan of BMX and coaster brake bikes.
Here’s Paul spoofing car sales on Youtube for Atomic Cycles
So twice a year, Paul drags out all the spare parts, literally. In April, he hauled out crates full of goosenecks, sprockets, brakes, cranks and derailers, all marked to move fast. He invites his friends and anyone with a love of bikes to join him. Last time, I saw electric bikes, trikes, minibikes, a dozen or more Schwinn scramblers, and bunches of bike fans show up to shop and show off. This is the kind of place where you can walk out away with a fully assembled bike, or all the parts to build a custom of your own on the cheap.
Last Sunday, Maija, Leticia and I finished the brakes and shifter on the bobber/chopper bike. So I’m riding that over. Maija will be there selling her extra parts, and on the lookout for new stuff to put together.
To recap, the Atomic Cycles Bicycle and Minibike Swap Meet is Sunday, September 2nd, 8am to Noon at Atomic Cycles, 17322 Saticoy, Van Nuys, California 91406. The shop opens right after the swap meet ends. So if you want to have something fixed, or buy one of Paul’s bikes from the shop, come for the swap meet and stick around after. Check out www.atomiccycles.com for more details on the shop, bikes, and events!
Dungeon Net
Hogspy
