Exploring the Bike shops of Istanbul - London to Istanbul on a Recumbent Tandem - CycleBlaze

November 9, 2012

Exploring the Bike shops of Istanbul

What a beautiful custom bike with interesting graphics celebrating Istanbul.
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We went in search of a bike box. We found this area close to our hotel which had several tiny bike shops crammed with bike parts and bikes on a side street.
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We were looking for an Istanbul jersey in this small bike store, and while holding the store dog, the clerk handed Barry the phone. It turned out that the clerk, who spoke no English, had phoned the English speaking owner who was trying to find out what Barry wanted.
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Pistach (short for Pistachio), a smart and affectionate puppy.
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These small bike shops were filled with tiny cubbies and shelving containing an amazing quantity of bike parts.
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A rare sight in Istanbul - a cyclist. This young woman is a champion mountain biker and took us under her wing escorting us to the shops in the area. When we gave her our business card with our Crazy Guy info, she opened her pack and gave us a bag of fresh hazelnuts.
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The owner of the bike shop where we got a bike box. When we walked in it seemed impossible that he would have room for an empty box, but he sent a boy running down the street, and sure enough they had boxes in another location. In Istanbul, shops are grouped according to type and they are very quick to send you to their competition down the street if they don't have what you need.
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As we have grown to expect in Turkey, friendliness and a strong desire to help is a characteristic shared by everyone we encounter. This young woman spoke no English but this doesn't stop her from helping us.
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Another bike shop: the owner of the dog who spoke English and helped Barry get an Istanbul jersey.
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These tiny shops all have a winding staircase to a second level and a basement.
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Walking along a back street, we were surprised to see the Istanbul jersey in the window that we have been looking for. The owner shared our passion for cycling and showed us videos of a Turkish pro cyclist.
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In another bike shop, we saw these custom designed bikes with images of Tour de France champions and fans painted on the frame.
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We're wondering if they'll paint over Lance's image.
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Greg LeMond
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A Tour de France regular
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Success? This is the jersey that we have been looking for.
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We're wondering who rides these beautiful bikes as we saw very few cyclists in Istanbul.
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This bike has the same graphics as the jersey - but, it's easier to pack a jersey home on the plane.
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