RIP: Duke's Cycle
 

It's a sad day for Toronto cyclists when Duke's is levelled by fire!!

:(

Oh... that was one of the places that got burned down this morning in that huge fire?

Yes, Duke's building collapsed around 7:30 this morning. Thought I caught a mention that they have every intention of rebuilding.

i saw the aerial shots on the news - JUST as the flames were poking out of the top of the building. the business next door was already engulfed and firefighters were just turning their attention to Duke's.

sad day, 94 years in the business. sad for all businesses involved, some of the buildings there dated back to the 1860s (old for Toronto). luckily no one was killed.

Toronto Star has Gary (?) Duke saying that they will reopen but probably not in the same location.

no kidding

Terrible thing hope he has good insurance. Good luck to them I’ve been through the front door a few times. Sad day. I think he owned that building as well.

As I get to TO infrequently, and always for family visits, visiting great LBS is necessarily low on my list.

Having heard about Duke's loss though, and having visited their website on the day that it happened, it seems that TO and the biking community at large lost a great resource.

It just reinforces the notion that we should always be on the lookout for new experiences etc - before they're impossible to realize.

So endeth my sermon.

Just another month or so to regular cycling. Whoo Hoo! :)

They have updates on their site and by the tone of the recent one something should be coming down the pipeline soon in terms of re-opening.

I just hope they reopen within reach of where I live/work. I was planning to take the bike I bought from them last year in for a tune-up as soon as the snow melts. If it ever does, that is.

But I suppose it could be worse. Just imagine if your bike was there for a tune-up on the night of the fire. Whose insurance covers that one?

Any new word on Dukes? I've heard of it before in the past but never actually got downtown to see it. Perhaps I probably walked by it without really noticing it (can't remember).

Really sad loss given it's age and history of the shop. I have been to Urbane Cycle once before last year and they also suffered a loss as well with thier founder passing on if I recall right in the same month Dukes went down. :( :(

However on the upside I wonder if Dukes will have a ( -no pun intended- ) fire sale for items that are still useable but just have stains from the charcoal and such for a good discounted price? It would help recoup some losses while also allowing some people on a tight budget to benefit while helping out at the same time getting some stuff they want/need.

Dukes were at the bike show this weekend with a fairly limited selection of bikes and clothing, presumably bought in, or from a warehouse somewhere. I don't think there's any firesale stuff -- there was nothing but rubble left there when I went past a week or so after the fire, and the fire trucks were still hosing down the hotspots. I guess you might find a few slugs of melted aluminum if you look hard enough.

But they say they aim to reopen on around April 1 somewhere around Queen and Spadina (ie not far from the old location), and will rebuild at the old location.

My dad bought my first bike at Duke's in the early 80's.

He bought his first bike there after emigrating from England in the mid-60's.
My brother and I have been there so many times over the years.

I still get goosebumps when I remember when I heard about the fire. Similar to the way I felt when I heard about the Trade Centre (not even nearly implying they were on the same level)

Yes, Toronto and area cyclists (even us Ebay shoppers!) lost a great thing with the fire. Even if they reopen in a new location, it won't be the same old Duke's...complete with the smells and sounds of cycling...

~Andrea

http://dukescycle.ca/ (for updates)

They'll re-open on Richmond, hopefully on April First!

I don't know if it was April 1, but they are now open, with mostly hybrid bikes for now, and the promise of road bikes sometime this week. They are on the north side of Richmond just west of Spadina. Dare I say it, but the atmostphere seems to be better than it was last year. Maybe it's relief at being back in business after a gap. Go check 'em out.

Check out this article recently posted: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl.../National/home

Looks like they are getting hit with a heavy bill from the City of Toronto for demolition to their building.

Yup, welcome to Toronto, a "World Class", city,

where BS reins supreme!

(and Miller & Co haven't even started yet!)


Regards,
J T

On the bright side, Duke can sell the land for a mint to a developer. That piece of property won't stay vacant for long and Duke's cycle has reopened on Richmond.

[QUOTE=That piece of property won't stay vacant for long and Duke's cycle has reopened on Richmond.[/QUOTE]

You'd think but there is plenty of property that goes undeveloped for years... right around Eatons Centre you got a number of OLD buildings that have been boarded up for at least 5 years without anything happening to them. Or take the various properties along the lake that are just decaying.

Everytime I hear some grandiose plan announced by the City I say to myself "I'll believe it when I see it"... for example the development of Downsview Park into an "urban park" has been going on for 10 yrs or so now?

The property in question here isn't the City's but I just have a hunch that it will be another one of those long drawn processes before we see anything on that property.