KDB

I was in Toronto for Tuesday and Wednesday of this week (we went up to see Second City and the Queen tribute We will Rock You). We were walking around the Kensington market and China Town and came across a used bike shop; 100s of used bikes in so-so to excellent shape. I couldn't tell if any of the bikes had been serviced, none were repainted or anything along those lines.The owner seemed really nice and I could see myself picking up a bike or two from them. Anyone have any experience with them?

kensmerlin

That would be Uncle Jacob's shop. Please don't patronize it. It is one of two well known "shops" in Toronto that sustain the stolen bike market. The other would be Igor's on Queen St. West. Do a search for either of these names and stolen bikes and you will find countless anectodes of cyclists recovering their bikes from these shops. As cyclists, the best we can do is not to support these shops since the police really don't give a crap about shutting them down.

cooker

I bought a bike at Uncle Jacobs and I sold them one as well. I had no knowledge of it being a chop shop, but of course it could be. However they asked for ID when I sold the bike and wrote down my name and driver's license #, presumably so they would have a record if someone complained the bike was stolen.

It's very much an "as is"/" buyer beware" store - they don't tune up or clean the bikes as far as I could tell, just sell them in the condition they came in.

Interestingly, in the bike I bought the tires were soft when I test rode it, and when I got home and pumped them up they both went flat in a day or so. When I changed the tubes I discovered they had been booby trapped - there was a rusty nail inside one rim and a sharp piece of a fractured dorc disk in the other, right in the spoke channel. I can't see why the store would do that so I assume it was a nasty little gift from a previous owner.

KDB

It would be very hard for me to say whether its a chop shop, but I wonder if the police know and watch. I wouldn't want to deal with them if they buy and resell stolen bikes. I didn't get the feeling that repair or restoration was anything they were interested in. I wouldn't be surprised to find that they care little about the background of the bikes or their ownership. My sense was that they just wanted to move inventory. Still, it was interesting to find a pretty huge range of used bikes. I certainly didn't see anything outstanding. There was a Colnago hanging from one rack, but it looked to be fairly ordinary, as did the couple of Peugeots they had around. I only saw one Schwinn. They had a bunch of Bianchi's hanging from one wall, but again, nothing that stood out as special.

jet sanchEz

I don't think Uncle Jacob knowingly buys stolen bikes, but he has been in hot water a few times when stolen bikes have turned up in his shop. Obviously, this can happen to any bike shop that buys used bikes and it can ruin a reputation in a hearbeat, which is why so few bike shops in Toronto buy used bikes anymore.

It used to be very common practice to take trade-ins on new bikes or to purchase used bikes to re-sell in your store but this stopped in the '90s, if I recall correctly. I read a great article a few years ago about the down-sizing of the Toronto Police due to budget cuts. One of the departments that got axed during this downsize was the pawn-shop squad (I cannot recall it's official name), a small group of constables and detectives that would routinely check out all the pawn shops in the city (there were very few back then) for stolen goods. This meant of course that very few pawn shops would deal in stolen goods so it was an industry mostly on the up-and-up. Once the "pawn-shop squad" was dissolved, the crooks came out of the woodwork and boom!, pawn shops are now a haven of stolen items (moreso than before, at least).

So, yeah, guys like Igor and Uncle Jacob were no longer subject to the letter of the law, unless a citizen felt that one of the bikes was in the store and they filed a report with the police. I have been into Uncle Jacob's numerous times and have found his prices to be very high but, I guess that his rent is somewhat high as well.

Next time you are in Toronto, check out High Park Cycle on Dundas Street West....you will be blown away, I guarantee it. He is another guy who deals in used stuff but I believe he deals with teams mainly because it is top-notch stuff, truly incredible to see. There is a wall of Cioccs, Bianchis, Colnagos, Mosers, Bataglins, you name it, he has it. The owner seemingly doesn't like to part with his collection though and will name off a ridiculous price such as $500 for a mid-range Bianchi frame/fork only. I don't understand how he makes any money, probably repairs or something. He saw my Ciocc and offered me $150 for it and another time my Razesa for $140, heh.

OLDYELLR

Just like pawn shops, these places do the best they can to avoid stolen goods. I live in a small town and I know the first place to look after a break-in is the local pawn shops. Oddly enough, people who steal stuff don't volunteer that information. Even when the pawnbroker identifies them to the police, they make up a story about how they got the stolen goods. Cops have far more important stuff to do than investigate thefts under $1000, like catch speeders.

AEO

That guy on Dundas st W./Keele highpark cycles? or whatever... Prices are outlandish even for collectible classics. $600 for a Peugeot if I remember correctly
All the things he's selling is at the front, in the shop he has tons of frames and bikes that don't seem to be for sale, so they must be for repairs from other customers. Either that or they're there for show.

tuz

The high park cycle shop is truly remarkable. I'd say the owner really doesn't want to sell, yet keeps complaining he doesn't make money. It's too bad really. It's ok to want top dollar for any item, but at some point you should yield a bit when it doesn't sell.

Most bike shops that deal with used stuff will inevitably have to put up with stolen goods. Some will be careful, some won't care. The absolute least they can to do is take the name of the seller. A friend had his (quite expensive) stolen bike recovered by the police from a shop. The owner said he bought it in a garage sale at a public housing... At least he gave the bike back.

I believe the Uncle Jacob shop gets most of his his bikes from police auctions (hence some controversy about stolen bikes). He has a couple good ones, but most of it is quite ordinary and too expensive IMO.

The world of used bikes is weird. One day you find a gem for 100$, and then you see a rusty boat anchor bike for 300$.

KDB

The couple of prices he threw my way were in the $150.00-200.00 range for bikes I would think I could find at garage sales for a lot less. Still, I'd have to be lucky enough to find them, so in terms of saving time it could be worth it. He didn't have anything that would interest me when I was there other than the Colnago, but it looked a bit rough and I couldn't tell what the tubing was. I will probably stop in when I am back in Toronto as I always like to look at bikes. The high park shop sounds like fun and i will make an effort get there as well.

AEO

you should also take a look at Bikes on Wheels if you haven't already. They're on Augusta/College and have some nice classic frames hanging around too. Some of those are sitting on the floor in SS/FG but the shop is smart enough not to destroy the braze-ons or dérailleur hangar.

J T CUNNINGHAM

"The high park cycle shop is truly remarkable. I'd say the owner really doesn't want to sell, yet keeps complaining he doesn't make money. It's too bad really. It's ok to want top dollar for any item, but at some point you should yield a bit when it doesn't sell." QUOTE.


Yes, there are many "stories", about John at High Park Cycle, some true, some not. The thing is,

after he retires, where are we going to buy what he used to sell that could be held in the hand?

(the web beckons)


Regards,
J T

virtualian

Hey, I know this is an old thread, but I just had to chime in with support for John (Jan Bunco) at High Park Cycle and Sports. Yes, he's a bit surly. Yes, perhaps some of his stuff is a bit over-priced. But holy crap is he an awesome mechanic. He built me a set of Open Pros that haven't needed truing in over five years.

Once I needed a not-so-standard stem for an old GT Karakoram. I was all over this city and nobody seemed to know the standard much less have one or know how to order one. He took one look even before I told him the diameter (can't recall what it was) and pulled something out of one of his crazy-stuffed-full-o-crap drawers and it was exactly what I was looking for.

The place looks like a war zone--I can't for the life of me understand how he works in there--but the man is one of Toronto's bike shop gems.

Citoyen du Monde

High Park Cycle has been there forever, I used to pass by there in the 80's. Never did buy anything there, nor would I ever consider buying anything there. Ask any of the old-timers in the bike business in Toronto and they will all be able to tell you of the hijinx that Jan has pulled...

virtualian

Hmmm...that's odd, because as I recall he wasn't at his present location in the 80s. Wasn't he on Bloor St. near the rest of the shops there? My memory isn't quite what it once was, but isn't that why it's called "High Park" cycle and sports, not "Junction" cycle and sports?

I'm no spring chicken myself, and I've never heard of him practicing any shady sort of business dealings. What exactly would these "old-timers" say?

J T CUNNINGHAM

"Hmmm...that's odd, because as I recall he wasn't at his present location in the 80s. Wasn't he on Bloor St. near the rest of the shops there?" QUOTE.

+1, you are correct, he then moved, and moved again to his present location.


Regards,
J T

jet sanchEz

Jan was on Roncesvalles when I was a kid and we never never never went there for bike repairs as he was scary. We would rather walk up to the Canadian Tire which at that time was at Keele and Dundas.

Citoyen du Monde

I haven't lived in Toronto in over 20 years now. When I left, Jan was on the North side of Bloor Street to the West of Bloor Cycle. I remember accompanying Joe Gardin once when he went to collect money from Jan, that was quite a sight, two business-people educated in the school of hard-knocks arguing. If I remember correctly, Joe ended walking out of the shop with a few bikes under his arm. Jan didn't complain too too much either...

Dominion

I'm not sure, but you may be referring to George's place in Kensington market. It's just beyond a white gate and he has lots of bikes.

He's a really nice guy. Always willing to help me out.

J T CUNNINGHAM

Wonder of wonders!

I was at High Park Cycle today and John had actually found the Campy freewheel wrench

that he had promised me during the winter last. Not the "best price", but a "good price",

none the less; available in Toronto in the hand! The store is even more crammed than

the last time; still more perusing to do but will need a flashlight!


Regards,
J T

jet sanchEz

Heheheh, I think one of us Toronto C&Vers needs to sneak a camera into Jan's shop and take a couple of photos. I think the forum would be pretty amazed at some of the stuff he has in there.....

J T CUNNINGHAM

TORONTO SUN - JULY 13, has an article on bike theft in Toronto. IGOR KENK is interviewed and

things are not as they appear from the above posts! Read the article from his perspective.

(Igor is being very sarcastic when describing himself to the interviewer.)


Regards,
J T

virtualian

Ha ha! I'm on fairly friendly terms with him, but you couldn't pay me enough to try that. My guess is that he'd flip out. I can understand why you used to walk the extra way to Canadian Tire: he *is* a little scary--even to adults.

Now, I've never been inside Igor's. Those of you who have been to both, which of the two establishments is crazier?

TRaffic Jammer

Igor is crazier by a factor of 1,000,000 , at least Uncle's has light and windows. I've heard that Igor has dug across Queen street from his basement. I cannot conform that but nothing would surprise me, as far as I know he's got Bond-style lair down there. That said Igor, while crazy, does give off a certain Joker like brilliance mixed with his insanity. If I had to have one in my end-of-world camp it would be Igor hands down.

U.J. has some nice stuff in his shop though. I will never set foot in Igor's after liberating my ride from there, and getting my pedals back a week later from him.

J T CUNNINGHAM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS!

July 17/08. Toronto Sun.

Igor Kenk charged in bike theft sting.


Regards,
J T

jet sanchEz

Sound like he may go away for awhile, depending on his priors and whether the allegations can be proven or not:

https://www.torontosun.com/News/Toron...81516-sun.html