Vintage Hub Re-Cyclery rolls into Clifton with style and substance

For roughly four years Vintage Hub Re-Cyclery managing directors Greg Sulfridge and John Tittra collected European style bikes and parts that all started with the purchase of a triathlon bike gone wrong. Sulfridge remembers purchasing the $1,500 bike that he did not end up using for the triathlon he had intended on competing.  Instead the bike got limited use until Sulfridge found a vintage European bike that he found to be just as good riding-wise, but much better stylistically and environmentally. “What we’re trying to do is recycle older bikes,” said Sulfridge who went on to say that Vintage Hub Re-Cyclery is trying to create an affordable way to bring nostalgia back. Suflridge also described how important the design of a bike is for its rider who said, “we really look at it as the bike picking you.” The 900 square-foot store located at 3230 Jefferson Avenue (map) in Clifton just made perfect sense for Sulfridge and Tittra who saw the built in customers from the nearby University of Cincinnati that now has close to 40,000 students. The store has four employees and does a buy/sell/trade operation that also includes the famous $40 tune-up; which according to Sulfridge is the cheapest in town.  Vintage Hub Re-Cyclery also works with the MoBo Bicycle Cooperative in Northside on parts that they donate to the group – parts that Sulfridge says have become more available thanks to the internet. On average, the vintage bikes sell for around $165 at the store.  Vintage Hub Re-Cyclery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm to 7pm at the Clifton location and is located along several bike and bus routes.  To find out more information call the store at (513) 281-VHUB. Writer: Randy A. Simes Photography by Scott Beseler Stay connected and follow Randy on Twitter @SoapboxRandy