Warwick Williams Real Estate recently had a chat with friend and local bicycle mechanic in Balmain, Marios Elles. He is known for his business, Balmain Bicycle Mechanic, where he repairs and restores all kinds of new and old bicycles on the peninsula and surrounding suburbs.
In our interview, we talked about his love for his profession, how his business works and some of the places he enjoys riding to in Balmain.
How did you start your bike mechanic business? Where did it come from, and how long have you been doing it?
A few years back, I was having mechanical issues with my own bike and I took it to a few different local bicycle stores for help. While I appreciated their technical expertise, I didn’t feel they genuinely cared enough about quality and about me as a customer. So I decided to have a go at carrying out the repairs myself. I turned out to be quite handy and soon I was helping family and friends with their bike repairs. At the beginning of last year I decided to go into business and the response has been very positive from locals. My customers are quite busy and they really appreciate how I come to them, quote and fix the bicycle on the spot, or take it away if necessary, and bring it back working like new.
So, that was just before COVID struck, right?
Yes. It’s one of those timing things. I had already thought about going into business pre-COVID. And then suddenly the pandemic hit Sydney, and there was a huge concern around social distancing and getting around safely. Lots of folks started pulling their bikes out from the shed and the phone was ringing off the hook.
Do you think COVID helped your business since many people are looking to go out or get some exercise?
Yes, totally. As unfortunate as COVID-19 has been, it’s made people reassess how they exercise and travel, so I have been able to meet that need by getting their bikes up and running again.
I know that one of your passions is restoring old bikes. Can you talk a little bit about how that started and where did the fascination come from? I know you have a lot of knowledge of old bikes. Did you do a lot of research to restore these bikes to their former glory, or was it always something you’re interested in?
I just like the way older bikes look. It’s a personal thing. They are classy and have all these really nice details like lugged frames, polished steel, peculiar-looking head-badges and friction shifting where selecting gear is an art in itself. I also like to walk in the shoes of the mechanic who originally put the bicycle together. Did they put enough grease on the seat post, Did they take care when building the bottom bracket? How did they adjust that old caliper brake so well? That kind of thing. I love the look on a customer’s face when I return their bike, and their machine is all shiny and new, and the mechanicals are just as good as when they (or their parent) bought it from their local bicycle store, way back when. In fact many of these stores stopped trading decades ago, so in a kind of wistful way, these old bicycles are a living memory of a forgotten era.
Do you take great satisfaction from taking these old bikes and giving them new life?
Absolutely. I really put myself into it, especially if that bike has sentimental value. It makes the work much more pleasurable for me because I naturally like to make people happy. I’ve always loved working with mechanical things like technical lego for example, which taught me the value of form and function, making things that look nice where all the moving parts work smoothly together.
You now have customers that sometimes will call you and say, “Hey, I’ve spotted an old rundown and abandoned bike in a park somewhere,” and you’ve gone over there and basically picked it up and then started working on it to find a new owner for it. How has that word of mouth spread around there?
Well, sometimes folks will bring me bikes they found at council clean-up or bought off Marketplace. They just want me to make sure the bicycle is safe to ride and mechanically reliable: replacing punctured tubes, worn tyres, frayed cables and so forth. And some of my customers will tip me off about a bike they’ve seen that I might be able to use, which I always appreciate. I have limited space, so I can’t collect everything. But I will always make room for bikes that are quirky, classic-looking, or useful for spare parts.
Have you had a restoration project or a favourite bike that you loved working on?
Yes. The Bianchi mountain bike (pictured above), I really enjoyed restoring to its former glory for my partner, and a recent project, a Raleigh Grand Prix 10 speed that a father and mother purchased for their son in the late 1970s. Now, the son is a little bit older than me. I have restored that bicycle to its former glory. It’s really beautiful, and he was really happy with how it turned out. So while I’m not fussy with what bicycle I’m working on, as I mentioned earlier I really enjoy restoring a bicycle that has a sentimental connection.
When you’re restoring bikes, can you talk a little bit about how much detail you go into? You’re not just stripping back paint and repainting the bike frames. You’re actually doing some heavy-duty mechanical work to it as well. For instance, in the last bike you mentioned, what in particular did you change in that bike?
If it’s an old bicycle and the customer would like a complete refresh, I disassemble all the parts and sub-assemblies, Everything is meticulously cleaned and reassembled with what ever new parts that are required. It’s a time-consuming process. Basically, the aim is to retain the historical integrity of the bicycle but make it feel like it walked out of a bicycle store yesterday. The bicycle should work like clockwork despite being 40 years old and so on. You want the customer to get on that bike and go ‘wow this feels really nice. I’m really enjoying riding this bicycle again!’ With the Raleigh bicycle we talked about earlier, I stripped the bicycle frame, cleaned all the parts, reassembled the bike, replaced the chain, cables, bar tape, brake pads, tyres and tubes. But I’m not a bike snob! I will work on almost any bicycle, old and new, whether it’s just a quick tune up or a full service.
Do you mind if I ask you about the accident you had recently, and do you have any tips for the riders out there, such as a safety exercise?
Sure. Last last year I was cruising along a main thoroughfare in Balmain on a bicycle that I was delivering to a customer This bicycle had mountain bike tires (the knobby ones), which are suited to rough terrain, but not necessarily paved surfaces. As I was mounting a driveway, there wasn’t enough traction between the surface area of the front tyre and the pavement, and I fell heavily on my left side and then landed on my right hand. Unfortunately, I ended up fracturing the wrist on my right hand which took a few months to heal. My bicycle helmet, which I cracked, probably saved my life. I must have done a good job because the bicycle was still in perfect working order after the crash!
I believe that adults should be allowed to decide whether or not to wear helmets. But given a choice, I would choose to wear one every time. Accidents happen, and it happens in a way that you least expect. If you bump your head even at low speed, it can be catastrophic. That’s something to be mindful of. Pun not intended.
As a Balmain local, are there any places that you like to visit, cafes, restaurants or other places that you enjoy going into?
I like riding around to Ciao Thyme in Balmain for gourmet food, Victoire (in Rozelle and Balmain) for fresh bread and delicious patisseries, Little Ethel’s in Rozelle for the coffee and attentive service and the iconic London for decent pub grub. I enjoy riding around Balmain in general because it has a lot of narrow streets which helps calm the traffic, making it safer for cyclists, children and pedestrians to share the streets. There are also bicycle stencils on the streets and way-finding signs which provide a helpful and relatively safe guide for navigating the peninsula and connecting suburbs.
Indeed, it was a great chat with one of the interesting locals of Balmain. If you want to have your bicycles serviced and looked after, you can reach Marios Elles at his official website at www.balmainbicyclemechanic.com or follow him on his social media channels. For Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balmainbicyclemechanic/ and for Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balmainbicyclemechanic/.
As Drummoyne real estate agents, we at Warwick Williams Real Estate can’t wait to talk more with more of the locals from the surrounding suburbs like Balmain. So, if you’re a local with a story to tell, we would love to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!
