by Niko Triantafillou

Last year, after 16 years as the chief mechanic at Toga, Imbert Andres decided to break out on his own and open a shop on the Upper West Side.

@##=#<3,L>@##=#At first glance the shop, which has been open since March 2005, looks too small to be in the class of a Sid’s or a Toga. It’s one thing to have 3 bikes in a 400 SF studio (come on I know I’m not alone here) it’s quite another to service, sell, and rent bikes out of the same sized space. Once inside, however, you see how many bikes Imbert can cram into his square footage. And these aren’t just any bikes left by residents who simply went to the closest shop. These blinged out machines make the bikes parked outside the Runcible Spoon look like the Huffy section at Sears. There’s a Time VXRS with Campy Record Carbon and a Colnago C-50 with a pair of Lightweight carbon wheels, just to name a couple. Clearly, riders trust this guy.

Two things seem to endear Imbert to his regulars: The first is his vaunted turn-around time. On many repairs, he will have you riding again the next day. The second is his meticulousness. When I visited him this weekend he called a customer before continuing work on headset after seeing that his stem was damaged and looked unsafe to ride. He didn’t give the customer a hard sell or tell him he would face certain death, he simply suggested that he get a new stem.

@##=#<1,r>@##=#His casual and respectful manner must score points. Although he focuses primarily on repairs, Imbert sells at least two bikes a week to loyal locals who would rather wait for him to special order and build their bikes than go to another shop where they might have the model they want in stock. He also does a brisk rental business ($30 for a 24 hour rental, $20 for 4 hours), thanks to a hotel across the street and Central and Riverside parks 2 blocks away.

At least one member of my team swears by Imbert’s skills and after a recent crash she insisted that only he check the bike out. The bike received a few minor adjustments and its owner received peace of mind. One Tri-geek I spoke with would only let Imbert install his brand new $80 (Tufo?) tubulars. When I asked whether he would consider another mechanic for the work he looked at me like I suggested he add more Velcro straps to his bike shoes. These repairs seem to be where Master Bike shines.

It’s not a shop, however, where you can compare and contrast a pair of Assos and Castelli shorts or where you can see if a pair of gold Sidi’s look as good on you as they do on The Cricket. For starters, there would be nowhere to sit down!

@##=#<2,L>@##=#Interestingly, even though Master Bike caries very little inventory Imbert knows just what riders like. I noticed a complete selection of high-end road tires from Vredestein, Continental, and Vittoria – better than most large shops.

Bottom line: If you want a shop where you can watch Paris-Roubaix on a 60 inch plasma TV and test ride six different manufacturer’s bikes and then buy one, this shop is not for you (and you should probably move your ass to Colorado). If however, you want a mechanic whose skills are second to none and worry free repairs of the most advanced kind, then Master Bike is your place.

Mention NYVelocity when you visit Master Bike and you’ll get squat – the man’s gotta make a living you know!

Master Bike 225 W 77th St, (Broadway and Amsterdam) New York, 10024 – (212) 580-2355