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Video: Bike Parts Vending Machine in Action
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 26, 2010
Modified Mar 26, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 26, 2010
Modified Mar 26, 2010
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The first bike part vending machine in Williamsburg—and the first in NYC, for that matter—is now in service 24/7 on South Sixth Street. Stationed outside Baruch Herzfeld's Traif Bike Gesheft (Yiddish for non-kosher bike shop), the machine is stocked with bells ($2 to $10), locks ($5), inner tubes ($6), lights, bicycle tire patch kits ($2), pumps, brake pads, etc. Watch the maiden voyage of the machine, narrated by an exultant Herzfeld, below:
According to City Room, vending machines for cyclists exist in other cities like Madison, Wisc., and Seattle. Herzfeld, who has tried to bridge the gap between Hasids in South Williamsburg and the cyclists who ride through their neighborhood, bought the used vending machine for $1,800. He installed surveillance cameras and stocked it, but he says he won't be upset if it isn't a financial success: "We’re not very commercial. You buy the machine and you figure it out."
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Baruch Herzfeld
bike
vending machine
williamsburg
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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