Simply put, there’s no better place to find a bargain bike than The Bent Spoke. The shop is known for buying “blem” bikes (bikes with cosmetic blemishes) from manufacturers on the cheap, so they can undercut the prices of the fancy stores. A few weeks ago, for instance, a $1,500 Bianchi road bike was found at The Bent Spoke’s larger University Avenue location for $950. The problem? Seems Bianchi painters sprayed the gloss a little too thick for their specs. Only the Six Million Dollar Man could tell the difference, and only under bright light with the help of a magnifying glass. If price lures riders into The Bent Spoke, they won’t wheel away disappointed. At the Telegraph location, repairs and service are done on the super-quick by master mechanic Old Man, who’s been oiling chains for nine years — that’s an eternity in the bike biz. If shop knowledge is based on employee tenure, then The Bent Spoke rides rings around its competition.
