2022 update

Some changes for 2022. After the tough couple of years we’ve all had it’s good to see everything beginning to open up again and start to move back to something resembling normal. Unfortunately after closing for lockdowns but having to continue to pay rent for the space we’re no longer in a position to keep our current shop front. We are still going to continue servicing bikes and offering restorations, just without a walk-in shop. We are remaining in Northcote, on Arthurton Road for dropping off and picking up bikes, but now by appointment only. We will not be able to take walk-ins of any kind – all jobs must be booked in advance. Please contact us using the numbers provided on this page or email us to book. With regards to custom built bikes we are currently putting new jobs on hold so we can finish those we have on and also due to the ongoing difficulties sourcing complete new group sets! Restorations are not affected by this as much and servicing can still go ahead. We thank you for your ongoing support over the last couple of years and hope to continue keeping you rolling after we leave our current premises. Cheers, Mottainai Cycles

servicing contact number: O4 81254643

restorations contact number: O4 48628143

email mottainaivintagebikes(at)gmail.com

Online bookings available

Reopening Info

We hope this finds you all safe and well and enjoying life after lockdown! We are very glad to be getting back into the shop and on the tools again and are taking the rest of this week to get organised to be ready to take on new jobs from Tuesday 3rd November.

From next week we will be opening at 9 Tuesday-Friday and 10.30 on Saturdays, we do ask that you ring ahead of coming in as we will be working by appointment only so we can be more efficient and remain covid safe.

Thank you for your patience over the last few months and see you next week! 🙂

September/October update…

Just a quick update to say that we’re unfortunately going to have to remain closed for the time being. We were hoping that the restrictions being relaxed on Monday might allow us to offer non-emergency repairs and maintenance but so far this does not seem to be the case. As we do not offer online retail it is unfeasible for us to open during this time.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience and while it’s tough for us without work we must keep things in perspective – lives are far more important than economic activity. We hope that Victoria remains on a good trajectory towards ‘covid normal’ and that we can open late next month.

Please direct any enquiries to Mottainaivintagebikes(at)Gmail(dot)com

Thank you for your patience, we hope to see you safe and well on the other side of this! X

Lockdown Stage 4 Update [updated]

Well, here it is, stage four lockdown. Let’s hope that the next six weeks achieve good results at lowering case numbers so we can think about the return to some kind of semblance of normality!

In light of the new restrictions Mottainai Cycles will be closing for six weeks. We will return either on Tuesday 15th September or when it is possible to do so.

It’s been very difficult to make this decision but in the interests of our safety and yours we think it’ll be better to sit this time out. Hopefully the latest restrictions will have the intended effect and we’ll all be able to venture outside without fear of the virus or falling foul of the current rules.

Stay safe and sane out there and wear your mask!

Mottainai Cycles X

 

Coronavirus update

Hello all, hope you’re safe and well and still riding!
In light of the current crisis we will now be open by appointment only. Please call or email with any enquiries before coming in.
Email is mottainaivintagebikes at gmail dot com
Our hours will be the same for calls (Tuesday – Saturday). We are closed on Mondays.
We hope to keep you so riding over the difficult months that lie ahead so to minimise risk please do not show up without contacting us in advance – we are a small shop and can’t practise appropriate distancing measures if we have several people around at once.
That’s all for now, stay safe out there.
Mottainai Cycles x

PS. Contact details via the page listed in the menu above are current and correct, please check dates if you’re reading an old post to make sure the info is correct before calling or emailing.

We are in Northcote!

 
We have finally (just about) finished moving to Northcote from today! A massive thankyou to everyone who helped us today and over the last few weeks – we couldn’t have done it without you!

We will be open from Tuesday around mid day but will be setting up and only able to offer a limited service – we’ll announce a full launch once we’ve finished in the coming weeks so keep an eye on our social media and here for that.

New address is:
12/148 Arthurton Road, Northcote. You can also reach our shop from Woolhouse Street.
Hours:
Tuesday-Friday 8.30-5.30
Saturday 10.30-5.30
Please note that Tuesday 10th March we’ll be opening later at noon.

Ride safe, we’ll see you in Northcote!

[watch this space]

It’s a new year and new decade and a new home in the pipeline for Mottainai. We’ve had a great time here in Collingwood and sadly we must leave to make way for a new luxury apartment development (there goes the neighbourhood!). As of today (25th of January) we’ll no longer be booking jobs in, hiring bikes, or selling from the floor at 23 Johnston. We are planning a garage sale – time permitting – which will be advertised on Facebook and Instagram, so keep an eye out for that!
As for our next home, well, stay tuned for updates here and on the socials. We’ll be announcing a new address and opening day as soon as we’ve got it all locked in. And we will be staying in Melbourne’s inner north!
If you have a bike with us that needs to be picked up or have your eye on one from the shop floor then give us a ring, we will be packing up but still here for around a week.
Sorry for any inconvenience and watch this space for updates.
Thanks for all the good times in Collingwood and hope you all have a great 2020. See you in our new home!

November 2019 – not 2017!

Apologies for any confusion but our ‘fantastic’ WordPress website has some serious issues! It decided to put a very out of date post on the home page, which despite being dated 2017 has caused considerable confusion relating to our opening hours!
Our hours and location can be found on the relevant page above or via Google etc. but to make it simpler I’ll put them here, too.
Tuesday – Saturday, 8.30-5.30 weekdays and 10.30-5.30 Saturday
Anyway, with that out of the way please check our Facebook and Instagram pages for more up to date info (who uses a blog in 2019, anyway?!)…

Mottainai Cycles wants to help you. Nov 2017 Melbourne the riding city.

When you think about it, there is really no downside to riding bikes, in many ways it is the future and reclaiming/recycling bicycles makes perfect sense.

We intend our shop to epitomize old-world charm, our workshop is open, so everyone can see how we work and can chat with the mechanics, we are happy to explain anything and everything about your bicycles. We also help to train mechanics. We believe intensely that good quality vintage bikes are wonderful both aesthetically and functionally and are still very relevant today. We believe in preserving and using beautiful vintage bikes by restoring our own collection for sale and also customers’ bikes that they bring in. We can also upgrade a vintage frame with contemporary parts as a “best of both worlds solution”.

 

Mottainai Cycles is a bicycle workshop, we service and repair all bicycles and specialize in restoring and building vintage steel lugged bikes. We sell restored bikes and love to build custom bikes for you. We are closed on Tuesdays. We are open Monday, Wed, Thurs and Fridays from 8.30 to 5.30 and open weekends Sat and Sundays from 10.30 to 6.00. Find us at 23 rear Johnston Street Collingwood, down the lane-way and opposite Jim’s Greek Tavern.

Contact:    mail:    catrethowan (at) yahoo.com or mottainaivintagebikes (at) gmail.com,

PH: (zero four)66670316 or (zero)448884051

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dawes Mixte reynolds 531 tubing, perfect touring bicycle.

Unknown (probably Italian) lightweight frame built up with full Campagnolo groupset Sti shifters etc, pretty pimp bike!

Peugeot single speed conversion and a zippy Shogun

Guerciotti track frame, Columbus tubing, Campy cranks, hubs etc. super light.

Vintage Oakley sticker, Shimano 105/rx100 groupset

Peugeot singlespeed conversion

Classic restored 80’s Ladies stepthrough DeCarlo

Superlight Repco build, Shimano 105 groupset

Lawrencia single speed resto build.

Blurry arty pic, floating bike, single speed custom build

One of the regular characters that frequent Mottainai

Cool touring custom bike with canti brakes etc Shimano deore/105 groupset

Colnago Super late 70’s with Campy groupset Nuovo record, original paint

Lovely burnt orange Gitane (Gypsy women) French late 70’s all original restoration.

 

If you like our blog site please donate bitcoin, using above address or QR Code below, much appreciated…

 

 

Spring time, riding in style! Mottainai Cycles 2017

Life is way too short to ride shit bikes! Ride with style…… I believe Melbourne in general has a vintage consciousness that evolved through both, Eco awareness and a focus on aesthetics. We are not necessarily bedazzled by the new and recognize that vintage objects often are far better quality and stylish than new things. Mottainai offers an alternative to buying a new bike pumped out of Chinese factories with no regard for the environment nor passion for cycling.

We intend our shop to epitomize old-world charm, our workshop is open, so everyone can see how we work and can chat with the mechanics, we are happy to explain anything and everything about your bicycles. We also help to train mechanics. We believe intensely that good quality vintage bikes are wonderful both aesthetically and functionally and are still very relevant today. We believe in preserving and using beautiful vintage bikes by restoring our own collection for sale and also customers’ bikes that they bring in. We can also upgrade a vintage frame with contemporary parts as a “best of both worlds solution”.

 

Mottainai Cycles is a bicycle workshop, we service and repair all bicycles and specialize in restoring and building vintage steel lugged bikes. We sell restored bikes and love to build custom bikes for you. We are closed on Tuesdays. We are open Monday, Wed, Thurs and Fridays from 8.30 to 5.30 and open weekends Sat and Sundays from 10.30 to 6.00. Find us at 23 rear Johnston Street Collingwood, down the lane-way and opposite Jim’s Greek Tavern.

Contact:    mail:    catrethowan (at) yahoo.com or mottainaivintagebikes (at) gmail.com,

PH: (zero)481254643 or (zero)448884051

 

French Vichard frame, Columbus Tubing with Shimano 105 groupset sti shifters, Nito stem, very light.

Lovely Wheeler frame with RX100 Shimano group sti etc.

Pretty sweet nude, bare metal clear coat race frame, Sturmey Archer 3 spd rear hub shifting, bull horns, Velocity rims, Sugino cranks, Schwalbe tires

1950’s Cecil Walker frame, custom build, coaster rear brake, Shimano 105 cranks, very stylish whip.

Gazelle frame, Full Shimano 105 group, Velocity rims. It’s alive!

Malvern Star restoration, full ground-up resto keeping the original paintwork with a clearcoat over it. Amazing 5spd Sturmey stick-shift. Happy childhood memories rekindled.

Gazelle custom-build, Sugino cranks, arx mechs, bar shifters.

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If you like our blog site please donate bitcoin, using above address or QR Code below, much appreciated…