The World Needs More Bicycle Shops Like Barney's Bikes in Worcester

I was driving back from the South Shore, where I work, to Worcester, where I live, and got caught in that enormous traffic jam that went on for most of the day while a tanker truck full of methane lay on its side surrounded by public safety personnel understandably concerned about what to do. When I myself release even a little methane, many grow quite concerned ("What the hell is THAT?" is usually what is asked), so with that much methane ready to go abroad into the atmosphere, I was glad that there were emergency personnel on hand to deal with it. Anyway, while they were figuring out what to do about the methane truck I was stuck in traffic that spread for miles in both directions on the Pike.

While thus stranded, my little red Subaru wagon was struck from behind by a very apologetic Irishman in a van. The car was fine, but the bike on the back, a 20-year-old Trek 10-speed (hey, remember when 10-speed meant "fast bike?), bore the brunt of the blow. It was time for another visit to Pete Howard, whose mechanics by this time had worked on my Trek a number of times.

Pete Howard, who is "my" bike guy, owns Barney's on Chandler Street, which is the only bike store around that takes trade-ins. It's also my first choice of bike shop. The local snobby bike store that is Pete's main competitor would have gotten a good laugh out of working on my Trek instead of some fancy-pants Italian bike ridden by some fanatic that shaves his legs, so I prefer to go to the folks at Barney's. I still wasn't sure if I was going to keep the Trek or not; if not, I wanted to trade it in. Pete's mechanics could then work on it and sell it used to someone who needs a good bike for transportation.

It turned out that there was apparently still life left in my old Trek, but after years of riding it, I was ready to be convinced that I needed to upgrade. Apparently there are bikes with more than 10 speeds now, not to mention numerous other improvements that an aging baby-boomer like me can appreciate. Also, while investigating these improvements the week before,I had left my driver's license at Barney's, so I really needed no excuse to go back to Barney's (tell that one to my wife). I don't spend all my hours on a bike; much of the time I'm stuck in traffic like everyone else at rush hour (see above), so I still needed to pick up my license.

After looking it over, Pete explained that while his mechanics could put the Trek into working order, it would not really be the same. I've had accidents on bikes before (hint: always wear a helmet), and the Trek has been no exception. So I let his team put the Trek into working order for someone else (it has really nice components, some of which I'm really going to miss) and bought a Giant OCR3 with not 10, but 24 speeds (now I can go REALLY fast). The Giant is a nice "entry level" road bike, but rides much better than the Trek did at even its best, since the frame is aluminum and the fork carbon-fiber. The components are nothing to write a blog about, so I will probably upgrade those in a year or so, when my wife is either not looking or convinced that I'm riding it enough to make an upgrade worthwhile. My wife found it amusing that I bought a bike named "Giant." I can't imagine why.

While talking to Pete, I noticed that Barney's sponsors the Major Taylor fundraiser, a timed trial of George Street in downtown Worcester that raises money for a memorial to Taylor, the greatest cyclist in Worcester history and the Lance Armstrong of his time (who was African-American and also owned a wallaby, if those kinds of things matter to you). See http://www.majortaylorassociation.org/events/coe04.shtml for more on Taylor. Pete got involved in the George Street ride and showed the folks who were running it a few of his ideas, such as raffles, etc. and they've made more money and gotten more interest as a result. Pete's also president of the Seven Hills Wheelmen, a worthy organization that sponsors many local rides, including the George Street ride. The George Street ride has become a local tradition, sort of like the Summer Nationals, but without the tire-squealing and excessive exhaust.

It doesn't surprise me that Pete Howard can get more attention paid to the Major Taylor Association and make the George Street ride what it is now. He's been selling bikes in Worcester for a long time, when the snobs in Webster Square actually had some other competitors to deal with right around the corner. And as Pete remarked to me, though they probably sell more (and more expensive) bikes than he usually does, there is still room for a bike store like Barney's in Worcester. By the way, the snobs run a good bike shop; I just don't like snobs generally. Plus, bike snobs dress really stupid, like wearing someone else's logos is REALLY COOL. Right. Like NASCAR drivers; way cool.

I was glad to hear that Barney's still carries on the tradition of selling good bikes to folks who need them -- including good used bikes to folks who need a cheap ride -- and you should be, too. Especially if you're in the market for a used Trek with some really nice second-tier Campy and Dura-Ace components. Or maybe if you just want to see how fast you can get up George Street on a single-speed road bike like Major Taylor used to ride.