Bernie’s Bicycle Shop

At the rate I’m going, I will NEVER have to leave the Dot for anything! I wanted to FINALLY ride my bike after letting it sit in storage for about a year, which meant that I had to get the tires inflated. After the GF scared me with horror stories that dissuaded me from going up the street to the gas station and inflating them with the air hose, I called Bernie, who is located right around the corner on the backside of the Codman Square Health Center. Well – he used to be in this nice old house that was his bike shop but since the health center is about to raze his building, he’s set up shop right on the street in front of the old Bernie’s in a small UHAUL crammed to the gills with bike parts, tires and all and sundry things bike related.
I brought my bike by and Bernie told me there was nothing wrong with it other than I needed to ride it. I left it with him for a couple of hours and when I returned, he’d inflated the tires, installed a water bottle holder and those wire baskets to the side. He is so pleasant and smart, and his humor is gentle in a way that encourages you to ride off into the sunset on your bike with the perfectly-​inflated tires while thinking of something else you can bring your bike back for in order to hang out with Bernie again. He tuned up my bike, installed the water holder and the baskets for $ 41.
I don’t know how long the shop’s been there, but surely someone in Codman Square can find a new place for him to call home? It’s a shame that he’s working out of a repurposed UHAUL, but I admire his ingenuity and refusal to leave (the sign on the old house says «We’re Still Here.») Just how long he’ll be in Codman Square is uncertain, but as long as he is, this is the best place to have your bike fixed up and back on the road.