A Biker’s Dream Comes True in Gowanus
If you’re a biking enthusiast, 718 Cyclery is a biker’s heaven. Owner Joe Nocella was former bicycle messenger who started building bikes three years ago when he stumbled into the profession. A friend’s bike had been stolen and he put together a replacement one for a friend, and realized how similar the field was to his architecture background.
Detailed Work
As Nocella explained about their work,
“We build all our customers’ bikes, essentially. We’re not a Specialized dealer; we’re not a Trek dealer. We don’t have any new bikes off the wall.”
Nocella started his bike business in the fall of 2010 in a tiny space in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood. When that lease was up, he jumped at the chance to enjoy a 2800 square foot storefront right on a popular bike commuting line. The shop enjoyed a grand opening on November 5th.
A Dream Come True
For biking enthusiasts, it’s a dream come true. Nocella explained that the process starts as he sits down with a customer to discuss their dream bike and the desired function that they are looking to achieve. He works on a shareable spreadsheet on Google Docs, adjusting the specs together with the customer. As Nocella said,
“People love that they’re involved in the estimating process and they can send it out to their biking friends.”
He’s built a total of 250 bikes this way so far, ranging from an $800 single-speed commuter bike to the $4000 BMC carbon road bike. A measly $100 fee covers the consultation, the spreadsheet and the bike building.
Now that’s service, the Gowanus way!
