Trackstar
Neighborhood: East Village
Type of Place: Bicycling
Description:
If you're longing for the East Village's legendary guts and grunge but
finding them in current short supply, a visit to Trackstar should renew
your faith. Yes, it's a shop, but you'd never call it chi-chi; and it's
co-owners, Patty and Brad, would likely have some choice gestures for
you if you did.
Trackstar focuses on a kind of biking--track--that I'd never heard of
before I entered. Riding track, Patty explained, means that you can't
abruptly stop peddling and that you have no brakes on your front tire.
Stopping, if you must, generally means peddling more and more slowly
until you come to a halt. I stared skeptically at Patty, but she insisted
that this kind of biking makes her feel "more connected to the bike, and
even a little safer." Safer? Well, she's done it and I haven't (and,
given that I can be a total klutz, probably won't anytime soon), so what
do I know.
The shop opened two summers ago; in addition to selling biking gear and
accessories, they fix bikes and run a bike-messenger service, Trackstar
Couriers (hey--if your messenger cannot stop peddling, that's got to
cut down on pick-up and delivery time!). I browsed the clothes
(especially liked the t-shirts: one with a fairly fierce dragon design, $19.50,
and others at similar prices, including a new design snarkily reading
"Le Tour de Drugs"), admired a photography book that I've never seen
elsewhere: "Bike Messenger's Life in New York City" ($20), with vibrant
day-in-the-life shots by Eddie Williams; and listened to punk rock over
the sound system ("We don't care!" was one song's repeated chorus). Even
when I was closer to the demographic for this shop--early 20s or so,
I'm guessing--I never could pull off the toughness thing. But I'm glad
that Trackstar's owners and customers can, and that they're keeping this
neighborhood from growing entirely soft. AND ANOTHER THING: This is
also a place to come if you're looking for bike-related events--though, of
course, the events featured here will probably not be well suited to
the faint of heart.
- Pamela Grossman
Trackstar
34 E. 1st St.
New York, NY 10003
(212) 982-2553
Website
Map
Comments:
Sign up for our newsletter !