GLEN ROCK, NJ (BRAIN) Jan. 19, 5:20 pm MT — “When it comes to wrenching, I believe I’m number one,” Juan Mejia says. Well, if time spent in front of a repair stand is any indicator, that may not be boasting.
After more than 25 years as a shop mechanic, Mejia hung out the shingle this month for the first storefront of his own with Carrera Cycles in Glen Rock, New Jersey.
Mejia got his start in his teens working at BRAIN 5 Star Retailer Sid’s Bikes NYC, where he stayed 19 years before moving to Cyclesport in Park Ridge, New Jersey. “I’m really into service. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past 26 years,”he said. “From Di2 to 16-inch, I can do it all.”
His initial idea for Carrera was to do only service and accessories due to the shop’s limited space, with 1,000 square feet on the ground level and another 1,000 feet of basement storage. Friends in the bike world, however, convinced him he needed to also stock bikes to make his business more viable. Carrera carries Orbea as its mountain and road line along with Eastern Bikes for BMX. Mejia’s also looking to bring on some lower-end brands for children’s bikes.
Despite being open less than two weeks, Mejia says he’s already busy all day, having brought over customers from a side business he had servicing bikes at home after working a full shift at Cyclesport.
“Now I can go home and say, ‘I’m home.’ I don’t have to touch a bike. That was my goal,” he said.
