Comstock's C Menu
Addison Quarles opened Addison’s Bicycle Reparium on S Street in midtown Sacramento in April of 2013.

Addison Quarles opened Addison’s Bicycle Reparium on S Street in midtown Sacramento in April of 2013.

Quarles has collected drawer upon drawer of vintage parts and tools that go back as far as the 1950s — still in their original packaging — making him a go-to for vintage bike repair (though he says he’ll work on anything “new, old or esoteric”).

Quarles has collected drawer upon drawer of vintage parts and tools that go back as far as the 1950s — still in their original packaging — making him a go-to for vintage bike repair (though he says he’ll work on anything “new, old or esoteric”).

But just because an old bike might look cool doesn’t mean that that Kmart Free Spirit you found at a garage sale is worth anything.

But just because an old bike might look cool doesn’t mean that that Kmart Free Spirit you found at a garage sale is worth anything.

“If they were crappy then, they are still crappy now,” Quarles says. But “nice bikes are like a kinetic sculpture. It’s like a functional piece of art that also has this history behind it.”

“If they were crappy then, they are still crappy now,” Quarles says. But “nice bikes are like a kinetic sculpture. It’s like a functional piece of art that also has this history behind it.”

Here, he works on a Motobecane French city bike circa 1960. Quarles estimates a bicycle’s age based on parts like derailleurs, wheels and the seat, as well as decals on the frame.

Here, he works on a Motobecane French city bike circa 1960. Quarles estimates a bicycle’s age based on parts like derailleurs, wheels and the seat, as well as decals on the frame.

Last September, Addison Quarles quit his day job as a “cashier and smoothie-maker” at the Sunflower Drive-In, a natural-foods restaurant on Fair Oaks Boulevard, to focus on his bike repair shop, Addison’s Bicycle Reparium. Since then, his risky move and additional effort has paid off. “I didn’t quit because the shop was doing well,” Quarles says. “The shop is doing well because I quit.”

Last September, Addison Quarles quit his day job as a “cashier and smoothie-maker” at the Sunflower Drive-In, a natural-foods restaurant on Fair Oaks Boulevard, to focus on his bike repair shop, Addison’s Bicycle Reparium. Since then, his risky move and additional effort has paid off. “I didn’t quit because the shop was doing well,” Quarles says. “The shop is doing well because I quit.”

The shop’s hours remain the same, open Thursday through Sunday, though now he can spend the extra time tinkering with repairs in peace.

The shop’s hours remain the same, open Thursday through Sunday, though now he can spend the extra time tinkering with repairs in peace.

Quarles credits the shop’s success to dedicated customers who sing his praises and the power of Instagram. “It’s a way to quickly share the goings-on in the Reparium — everything from getting my vintage stereo repaired in-house, to the cool new (old) bike I just built up to sell,” he says. “Instagram also gives me the opportunity to network with bike shops in far-away places, see how they do things, share ideas and just geek out on old bikes.”

Quarles credits the shop’s success to dedicated customers who sing his praises and the power of Instagram. “It’s a way to quickly share the goings-on in the Reparium — everything from getting my vintage stereo repaired in-house, to the cool new (old) bike I just built up to sell,” he says. “Instagram also gives me the opportunity to network with bike shops in far-away places, see how they do things, share ideas and just geek out on old bikes.”

A Vantage for Vintage

Addison's Bicycle Reparium offers character, cool bikes

Back SNAP Feb 13, 2015 By Allison Joy

 

Recommended For You

(shutterstock)

Green Grids

Transportation reforms throughout the region are changing the ways people live and travel in Yolo County

It’s been a year since Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation that created the Active Transportation Program to boost non-motorized transportation across the state, where one in four Californians are obese and more than 3.9 million are diabetic. And as California emerges as a national leader in transportation reform, Yolo County is finding itself at the forefront of the movement.

Oct 22, 2014 John Blomster