Re: Visit to Kraynick's

On Sat, 22 Jun 2024 13:06:26 -0500, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

On 6/22/2024 12:40 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:

In Pittsburgh, Kraynick's bike shop has been a beloved
institution for 70+ years. The place is famous for helping
customers work on their own bikes, plus for having almost
any conceivable component lying around somewhere. When I
arrived, two guys were on the front sidewalk with quite nice
bikes - one a fixie - mounted in the shop's loaner workstands.
 
The shop is crammed into a narrow three or four story
building. There are hundreds of bikes and millions of parts
in heavy disarray. Bikes and components range from 1950s
kids' bikes to some pretty high end, if not bleeding edge,
items. Note the Kestrel and Pinarello in this photo:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/16972296@N08/53808893835/in/dateposted-public/
 
Everything is piled, scattered and at best loosely
"organized." It's an adventure - as in, will I be injured? -
climbing cluttered and unguarded stairs to the upper floors
where the "good stuff" lurks, buried among much other stuff:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/16972296@N08/53808662458/in/dateposted-public/
 
 
Anyone interested in a classic Campy took kit, 99% complete?
It's for sale:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/16972296@N08/53808662788/in/dateposted-public/
 
 
 

>
That's a level of clutter some people could not abide!
>
At least they are in business. In the other direction from
you, Fridrich's is no more:
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2024/04/after-141-years-a-familys-bike-shop-in-clevelands-ohio-city-is-closing.html
>
A real loss, they were exceptional but not exceptional
enough it seems.

It's sad that so many bike shops have gone out of business. I hesitate
with my clicker over Amazon whenever I need a bike part, knowing that
I should buy from the nearest local shop, but that always involves a
wait while they order what I want, and a second trip when it finally
arrives.