Ah, Paris! Climbing the Eiffel Tower, walking into the Notre Dame, eating escargot on the Left Bank and carrying a baguette on the Right, petticoats at the Moulin Rouge. And of course, Cycles Laurent, a classic bike shop in the heart of Paris.
I'm an aficionado of independent bike shops that serve the cycling community. I can think back to Ed Lynch's Westwood Cyclery, in the 1960s, and today Sound Cycles, both in Los Angeles and the wonderful Pullin's Cyclery, in Chico, California, and several shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Cycles Laurent reminds me of those shops.
The store has been in operation through three generations of the Laurent family. I learned about the shop while cycling in California, when I saw a cyclist wearing a classy jersey, with the name of the shop emblazoned across the back. The cyclist told me a little about the shop, and as I would be in Paris in a few months, I vowed that I'd have a Cycles Laurent jersey of my own.
So on my visit to Paris, in early July, 2014, I made sure I had time to visit Cycles Laurent. Located on the very busy Boulevard Voltaire, the shop is not in a tourist part of town. Although the metro has a stop across the street, I got there, of course, by riding a bike. Warning: it helps to have some genuine skills for city cycling, because the shop is located in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, on the Right Bank of the Seine, which is an extremely crowded part of the city. This is a part of Paris where people live and work.
Like the busy surrounding streets, crammed full of people and cars, the storefront window was crammed with bikes and bike frames and tires and helmets and handlebars and a lot more, all of which was replicated inside. I don't think I've ever seen a window of a cycling shop more colorful or more crowded with cycling items.
From outside, the shop doesn't seem that large. And it's not, although it does have a basement crowded with more cycling gear. Walk inside and you're in the first of two, small rooms. The front room is filled with all things cycling. And so is the second room, although there's also a counter where you can pay for your purchases or repairs. A door leads to the third room, where repairs are made. There was a cool mural of the Laurents in cycling action, too, on one wall. The shop carries road bikes and fixies and city bikes and electric bikes, etc.
When I was there, the staff was busy with customers. Someone was buying a bike, someone was waiting to pick up a repaired bike, cyclists in their lycra outfits were talking with the staff, and someone - I think she might have been one of the Laurents - was helping me find the jersey I wanted. Her skills with the English language were about as good as my French, that is to say, non-existent. Even so, she and I persevered with unintelligible words and silly hand gestures, until she located the desired jersey, one of many, many jerseys in the shop.
I've noticed other negative Yelp reviews of the shop. I think they are unjustified and possibly bogus reviews. If you're a dedicated cyclist who wears lycra, or if you are a city cyclist, if you're looking to see something in Paris that doesn't cater to tourists, or you want a distinctive jersey, like I did, then make Cycles Laurent your destination. read more