Gold Winner Cyclesmith Silver Winner Halifax Cycles Inc. Bronze Winner Ideal Bikes Some things are just like riding an old bike—comfortable, familiar, dependable. It’s the sort of feeling Cyclesmith must get this time of year, as the pedal-powered dynamos have once again earned their seat atop the BOH as Halifax’s Best Bike Store. As for […]
Idealbikes
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Bike Store
Gold Winner Cyclesmith Silver Winner Jack Nauss Bicycle Shop Bronze Winner Idealbikes When your business lives past a quarter century, you know you’re doing something really right. Opened in 1986, Quinpool’s Cyclesmith remains a hub for master and recreational cyclists alike. “We try to cater to everyone from entry level to the very elite,” says […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Bike Store
Gold Winner Idealbikes Silver Winner Cyclesmith Bronze Winner Jack Nauss Bicycle Shop Local bike expert Dave Schuhlein sold Idealbikes in September. The shop started in the north end and moved down to Barrington Street in 2004. Through the years its been known for its no-bullshit attitude and great deals on bikes, which should continue with […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Idealbikes changes hands
On September 30, Dave Schuhlein of Idealbikes ( 1678 Barrington Street, 444-7433) sold his store. The legendary bike shop, started on Agricola Street in 2003, is now owned by Troy MacQuarrie and Matt Canning, who Schuhlein says have a background in construction. “They’re completely revamping the store,” says Schuhlein, who agreed to stay on as […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Bike Store
Dethroning perennial Best Bike Store winner Idealbikes took some doing. We suspect the victory was at least partly due to Cyclesmith’s sterling service, as well as the fact that the store expanded into the adjacent space in the past year, allowing much more room for cycling accessories, clothing, gear and , of course, bicycles. Readers […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Idealbikes shifts gears
Dave Schuhlein, owner of Idealbikes, is hiring a management service to run his popular bicycle store. Come the fall (probably between October and mid-November) Schuhlein will be leaving town to be a chef on a yacht, which isn’t a sudden right turn of a career change given his past history working food services all over […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Bike Week bike store stuff
Cyclesmith (6112 Quinpool Road, 425-1756), which is sponsoring a number of Bike Week events, is currently enjoying their new expanded showroom at the corner of Quinpool and Vernon. “Every week is Bike Week at Cyclesmith,” says co-owner Mark Beaver. Downtown at Idealbikes (1678 Barrington Street, 444-7433) they’re offering a free maintenance clinic on Wednesday, June […]
Posted inLifestyle
Go local on Barrington Street
We’ve all heard about the problems on Barrington Street, but the real story might be how longtime retailers have managed to survive and even thrive downtown, despite the closure of businesses, which recently have included CD Plus, Carsand Mosher and Peep Show Girly Boutique. And at press time, we’re receiving word that locally owned outdoor […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Barrington Street blues, continued
Things are somewhat gloomy down Barrington way. With the closure in the past two months of Peepshow (1717 Barrington) and Tim Hortons (The corner of Barrington and Sackville) and with CD Plus and Carsand-Mosher planning to close their stores—the Baron of Barrington, Starfish Properties’ Louis Reznick is in the process of purchasing it—the image of the once-bustling downtown street is hitting a new low. “We’re obviously very concerned about the public perception,” says Paul MacKinnon, director of the Downtown Business Commission, though he is all about the silver lining in the dark cloud. “We’re seeing this in a way that
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Bike Store
The heart of downtown is in this bike store, where you can pick up a new or reconditioned bicycle for $100 and up. With a 90-day warranty you can put the thing through its paces and bring it back if it doesn’t meet your standards. The store accepts donations of bike parts, and as their […]
Posted inLifestyle
How to live for free all summer
It’s summertime and the spending’s easy. The temptations of big-name concerts, eating out, weekend getaways and cooling off with an ice cold beer—or more likely, beers—on a patio, are even harder to resist when the sunshiny weather has got you giddy. When you haven’t got much to work with, you’ve got to decide what’s worth […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Bike Store
Fixed-gear, single speed track bikes, are a new hot thing at Ideal. For a reasonable $300 you can get an extremely efficient bicycle, built in-house, with no cables or shifters, popular with professional messengers worldwide. And what else is going on with the multiple Best Bike Store winner? “Rentals have really increased, through tourism and […]