RSD - What’s up with a Flat
Track race in the city somewhere, could it happen?
There are 6,000 miles of roadway within the 5 boroughs, but not
much dirt. You’d have to truck your own in, but anything’s possible. The
closest dirt track is in Cuddebackville, NY, about 100 miles away – we’re
planning a ride out and day at the races this season.
RSD - What’s your typical
customer looking for at the shop?
“Typical” is hard to pin down. We get a lot of new riders
coming in for their first helmet, and we spend a lot of time with these guys
(and girls, more and more) just going over all that goes into getting the right
gear.
We also get a lot of “milk and eggs” customers—people
looking for staples like covers, locks, gloves, rain gear, plate-pullers, an
extra helmet.
We get plenty of year-round riders too. If it’s hot they’re
looking for perforated jackets. If it’s cold they’re looking for lined jackets
and waterproof or heated gloves.
And people are always looking for coffee. We’re not a coffee
shop but we have a commercial espresso rig in the back and it’s always free. We
have shop-copies of all the magazines we sell and two giant leather couches in
the middle of the store. When it gets hopping during the season you get people
recommending gear to other people, hanging out, watching the different bikes
roll through.
And because so many people come to NYC for work or holiday
we see a lot of international traffic too—pilgrims who schlep all the way down
to Redhook from their hotel in Manhattan. We see customers come in from Europe
or South America all the time to shop brands they can’t get where they’re from.
It can be a fun place to work.
RSD - What’s the bike
culture in NY looking like, is it very segmented?
It’s segmented and it’s not. What I love about this city is
the huge melting pot aspect of having so many damn humans in one place. The
close mix of millionaires, working class guys, brilliant artists and bums in one-place
makes for a very honest, no-bullshit atmosphere.
For some people motorcycles are a defining feature of their lives. For some
it’s a phase. For others motorcycles are just one interesting aspect of many. We
seem to get all walks of life, but especially a lot of creative
types—photographers, artists, engineers, free spirits. Not too many subscribe
just to one sort of segment.
The metro area population is something like 25 million
people, and whatever tribes you’re in, or not in, we don’t discriminate. If you
ride, come on down. If you don’t, you’ll probably be bored. Or get inspired.
We carry a curated selection of gear and accessories to
improve the motorcycle experience. We’re always listening too. Like when we saw
enough people walk through the door wearing RSD jackets, we got on board and
became a stocking dealer.