# Best shot redux - bike photos - faber's cyclery



## Balloonatic (Sep 20, 2014)

I wanted to start a new thread under the previous one of "Take your best shot" with some photos I think you will all appreciate. The first are photos of the oldest, longest running bicycle shop on the west coast, Faber's Cyclery in San Jose, California. 

The building started out as a saloon/speakeasy in 1884 with a brothel on the top floor, and by 1912 became a bicycle shop. It stayed a bicycle shop until April of 2013 when it very sadly burned down. I went to visit Faber's only months before it ceased to exist and shot the following photos. It is believed the black and white sign on the north side of the building is the original from 1912, but I was not able to confirm. The owner, Alex La Riviere was extremely nice to me and was quite knowledgeable about bicycles. He was excited to hear what vintage bikes I had, and eager to show me the underbelly of the place. I got the feeling he didn't give in depth tours too often but knew I was in love with vintage bicycles so he took pride in showing me the place. 

One of the first things I noticed was the old wiring around the top of the walls at the ceiling. This was earlier than knob & tube wiring from the 20s, this was the very first wiring used when electricity came into use... bare, energized strung wire! There were also many old signs and the tool/parts drawers dated back to the teens. Also notice in some of the shots the _original_ wall paper! 

Outside were huge racks of frames, rims, and parts of all sorts, and inside were several vintage bicycles from the teens through the 50s, almost all in as found condition that had been in the shop since new, or nearly new.

I bought a set of Higgins rims, and a prewar seat from Alex and spent the day absorbing the vibes of a bicycle shop like no other. It makes my heart ache that it's gone now, but I'm grateful to have met Alex and seen Faber's in person with my own eyes before it disappeared forever.  Please enjoy the photos. 

Ballonatic O-O


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## Balloonatic (Sep 20, 2014)

*More Faber's*

More Faber's photos...


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## Balloonatic (Sep 20, 2014)

*Last shots..*

Some final shots of Faber's...


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## rollfaster (Sep 20, 2014)

*Amazing!!!!*

Great old bike shop. It had to have been like a kid in a candy store feeling for you. Love that prewar schwinn and silver king. Great pics and thanks for sharing. Rob.


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## barracuda (Sep 20, 2014)

People always referred to Fabers as "the oldest bicycle shop on the west coast," the implication being that there are older shops east of San Jose that might lay claim to the title of "oldest in the US." And I guess that's so. There's Bishops in Milford, Kopps in Princeton, Bumstead's in Ontario… these and other shops can certainly lay claim to being older than Fabers was, and in continuous running for over one hundred years, it's true, they can. But should you visit any of these storied establishments today, you'll find yourself gazing at maybe a commemorative plaque or photo on the wall extolling the history of the place, and then turning to look at lines of neat, new, pastel bicycles straight off the assembly line in Taiwan, the same bland, featureless experience you can get in most any neighborhood dealership across the country. I don't know about you, but my eyes glaze and my mind goes blank when confronted with rows of Giants and Specialized and Chinese Schwinns. I can think of few things more dull. I can get that in a WalMart sporting goods aisle or at the bland, local, placeless strip mall dealer. Personally, I'd much rather happen across a rust-eaten carcass in the woods than walk in the door of most bicycle shops. 

Bicycles, for me, constitute a treasure hunt, a history lesson, and a cultural archeology on two wheels. I want cadmium. I want American steel. I want to see weird, discarded things I've never seen before, even a nut or a bracket, technological cul-de-sacs, outmoded old things that eat away at my insides til I know where they came from, what they went on, and what they did. And that's what Fabers offered, and more.

Do you see those racks of frames and wheels in the pictures above? Alex and Anthony almost never bought bicycles, you know. They could rarely afford to, and frankly did't need to. Nearly every morning for decades, when they awoke hungover and mostly broke, there'd be waiting for them outside the door on First Street a pile of bikes some local had decided they wanted out of their backyard. It was a well-known dumping ground. Around 1990 they had a pile of assorted bicycles in their yard which was literally three stories high. The pile was, for a time, a local landmark of it's own, a tumbling, gradually built sculpture that would stop foot traffic in amazement at the sheer massiveness of the thing. The pile was so dense it became a sort of ecosystem, populated by several species of indigenous _Rodentia_ which sought refuge there from the urban crumble that was San Jose north of highway 280. It finally got so bad (or so good, depending upon your perspective) that the city cited them for the mess and they had to clear it away. So Alex found a Vietnamese gentlemen willing to give him one dollar per bicycle, and the Larivierre brothers and their drinking buddies spent several weeks loading the bicycles into what wound up being four large shipping containers - train car size - and the Vietnamese gentleman sent the bikes overseas to his village in Nam and set himself up a very nice local refurbishing and sales business. The rats, of course, simply went to ground, many of them finding a home in the labyrinthine Faber compound itself, particularly during the winter months of rain.

One wet October evening, not too long after the clearing out of the pile, Anthony and I were drinking whiskey late into the night in his part of the building complex. He lived in a squalorous room in the upstairs of the old, crumbling and smallish barn at the far western end of the structure, basically taking up there because it was as far away as he could get from Alex's place in the main house fronting First. (The brothers didn't alway get along well, most notably when they were in their cups, and the younger brother had been banished to the hinterlands of Fabers long ago during some especially rancorous period. He liked it that way, really.) The barn had long been notoriously rat-ridden forever, and to cope with it Anthony had strung wires across the beams of the high wooden ceiling and punctuated these wires with hanging rat-traps of a size big enough to handle the city rodents which were fairly constantly in evidence. The theory was that the rats would scuttle across the wires - which they did - and wind up snapped in the traps - which they were, much to the startled surprise of anyone who happened to be engaged in some activity (such as drinking or sleeping or looking at bike parts) in the room below. It could be unnerving, to say the least, to be awoken in the dead of night by the sound of a sprung trap just over your head and look up to catch the twitching death-throes of a two pound animal with bared teeth. 

Anyway, as I was saying, we were drinking. And Anthony was showing off one of his guns to me. It was, if I recall correctly, a large caliber Colt, loaded, and he was as fond of it as gun aficionados are prone to be of their favored weapons which might be kept near the bedstand for security or other reasons. Anthony had a very large head, and it was perched necklessly on a short, stout body the shape of a whiskey keg. At times like these, in moments of pride or interest in a gun, or a rare bike part, or a stash of old rye, his eyes would gleam and a wide, crook-toothed smile would fill his expressive face. At that moment, as we looked at the gun - not the only one in the room, by far - we heard a rustling noise coming from above a forkless, chainless Pierce cushion frame which had always been stowed there, crammed between two wide spread framing members on the opposite wall. And crawling, about twenty-five feet from us, was a very large rat moving up towards the ceiling. The smile fell from Anthony's face, and without hesitation, instinctively it seemed, his hand holding the gun swung up and a shot cracked off, all in a mere moment of our registering the creature on the wall. I flinched at the unexpectedness of his response and the loudness of the report, I'll admit it, I did. But that was nothing to compare to the sheer revulsion we both experienced when we realized that not only had he hit the creature squarely mid-crawl, killing it, but that now, on the floor of the room, the contents of it's former belly were writhing in a pink and wet mass. The thing had apparently been pregnant. We looked at the mess with huge eyes, then we both turned and looked at each other and laughed our asses off. It was a good shot, and that called for another drink.

I do believe I've gotten a bit off the track of what I set out to say, something about the rare allure and historical presence that Fabers held in its dirty piles of ancient cycle detritus above other, perhaps older, bicycle shops. Ah well. Don't get me started.


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## halfatruck (Sep 20, 2014)

What became of the inventory (was it lost in the fire?) and the owners (are they still in business?) ...great photos, especially the large Skip Tooth sprocket display..


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## barracuda (Sep 20, 2014)

The inventory was sold to a collector (I don't know who) a few months before the fire when Alex finally gave up trying to get support from the city and the owners (the surviving Faber family) for his idea of making the place a landmark-status museum. Once Alex and Anthony left (they moved to Fort Jones, a small town in Northern California) the now-deserted place became a squat, hence the fire.


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## SJ_BIKER (Sep 20, 2014)

*i couldah been a contendah....*

I had a shot at buying that 1936 motorbike a few years ago for under 1500.00.....doh....any how the new owner is rebuidling....


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## bike (Sep 20, 2014)

*Great story!*



barracuda said:


> ...
> 
> 
> ... But that was nothing to compare to the sheer revulsion we both experienced when we realized that not only had he hit the creature squarely mid-crawl, killing it, but that now, on the floor of the room, the contents of it's former belly were writhing in a pink and wet mass. The thing had apparently been pregnant. We looked at the mess with huge eyes, then we both turned and looked at each other and laughed our asses off. It was a good shot, and that called for another drink.
> ...




PLEASE DO!

You can't buy this with money!


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## 37fleetwood (Sep 20, 2014)

when we stopped by there, (before the fire) I was afraid the building was going to collapse on us!
it had cables and turn buckles running from corner to corner! we visited it again shortly after the fire and were discussing the probability of it being an insurance type fire. you could tell they were kind of sick of the place and the brother who was there most of the time would trade you anything for a dime bag's worth of cash.
I was looking through my photos of the first stop by and apparently I was so un-impressed I didn't even take any!
here is one of it after the fire.


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## bike (Sep 20, 2014)

*How much*

is a "dime" bag these days?


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## 37fleetwood (Sep 20, 2014)

bike said:


> is a "dime" bag these days?




one ND brake arm, and two headbadge screws.


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## bike (Sep 20, 2014)

*Freaking*



37fleetwood said:


> one ND brake arm, and two headbadge screws.




inflation...


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## 37fleetwood (Sep 20, 2014)

bike said:


> inflation...




you're tellin me! you don't even get the brake strap for that!


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## cyclingday (Sep 20, 2014)

Fabers was like most of these bike jumbles that had been around for a hundred years or so.
At first glance, you see a lot of 80s road bike stuff. So, you're thinking, there's not much here. But, as you kick around a bit and let your eyes focus, you start seeing stuff from the turn of the last century and everything in between, all mixed together in one big chaotic mess.
You had to dig through boxes and stumble in the dark basement. You would bump your head on what was hanging in the attic. Pretty soon you realized that just by kicking the dirt out in the yard, you would uncover bits and pieces of American bicycle manufacturings glory days.
The drawers of the old chests and cabinets were stuft to the gills with literature and more bits of the past. The tools of the trade for over a hundred years were scattered about everywhere you looked. 
Overwhelming is an understatement. All things must pass, and I guess that's even true about Fabers Cyclery. The most prized thing I took from Fabers, was the memory I have of a warm Summer evening spent digging through the jumble with a bunch of good friends and cycling buddies. We didn't know it then, but that was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Then next time we would see the place, it had been gutted by fire.


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## 37fleetwood (Sep 20, 2014)

cyclingday said:


> We didn't know it then, but that was a once in a lifetime opportunity.




you're sentimental, we're lucky to be alive!


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## Balloonatic (Sep 20, 2014)

*Yes!*

Yes! This is precisely what I loved about it. It was the difference between finding a survivor Panther with well worn patina and surface rust vs. a glossy, over restored Panther where you can't tell if it's a 50s bike or a new reproduction.... Faber's, for it's rats, exposed wires, top floor brothel, piles of bike parts as far as the eye could see and no-neck, rat shooting proprietors was the real deal... no mistaking it for anything else. Those types of places are disappearing at an alarming rate and all we are left with is the memories and stories about them. 

When the folks who remember them are gone, I dread to think what we will be left with... but I'm thankful to have seen it, felt it and smelled it with my own eyes, fingers and nose before it disappeared forever, and thankful to share it with folks who remember it or at least respond & resonate to it. To me, it represented everything I love about vintage bicycles, and indeed everything old. It had that flavor that just cannot be reproduced at any price.

Balloonatic O-O


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## Balloonatic (Sep 20, 2014)

*Stay tuned!*

Stay tuned, I stumbled upon photos I shot at a well known collector's house in So. Cal who was one of the most prolific collectors of turn of the century bikes in the country. Sadly, he passed a year or so ago, but he is legend in So. Cal and you will all enjoy seeing what I saw at his place, I promise. I am off to Tuscany for a week but I'm excited to share this experience with ya'll, so check back in October.

Balloonatic O-O


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## Livmojoe (Sep 22, 2014)

*Fabers*

Had the opportunity to go there a few times.  Recall in the 80's/90's seeing piles of bikes in the yard, and even up on the back roof when passing by on the freeway.
Stuff there was kinda hit and miss there.  Here's some pics from a visit in 2003.  I ended up with the three middleweights pictured below.


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## sm2501 (Sep 22, 2014)

Balloonatic said:


> More Faber's photos...




I want the giant Racycle crankset!


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## willswares1220 (Sep 22, 2014)

ME TOO!!


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## SJ_BIKER (Sep 22, 2014)

*you just never knew....*

I never knew what would pop up in the show floor....one day there might nothing but 1980s bikes...and then an aerocycle showed up, motorbikes, other high eend prewar bikes.....a handful were on display in the local childrens museum.....and i saw them there when i took my girl to the musuem some years back.....it was always a treat to visit that shop....most times though really cool stuff was hidden away.....from the masses....but other days it was on display and i never did figure out when the swap meet/sale days occured....apparently lot of hard to find stuff left that place.....oh the treasures to be had


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## Wcben (Sep 22, 2014)

As usual... Me three! That thing was cool!


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## SJ_BIKER (Sep 22, 2014)

*tough.................*

it was a tough fire to put out.....here is video that someone captured..... a voice in the video said the recycling center was on fire....make no mistake.....this is fabers... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5L9lyB51BQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player


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## SJ_BIKER (Sep 22, 2014)

*san jose CA bike scene*

yay....Alex! ...........Fabers toward the end  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufHstLPFRXI&feature=youtube_gdata_player


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## Dale Alan (Sep 23, 2014)

Great story and pics,sad it is gone. I would have loved to check out all those relics,rats not so much. Those beasts freak me out.


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## barracuda (Sep 23, 2014)

The corner of South First Street and Margaret, San Jose, circa 1890's:


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## willswares1220 (Sep 23, 2014)

It would be cool to do up a couple of rooms for a workshop of your own, similar to Fabers for an interesting atmosphere. 
Hang up what ever old bike stuff, tools, signs, and other bicycle treasures you might have packed away and then pop in a few old classics here and there on the floor in the "unorganized mess". Just so there's some room to work on your projects and you can locate your tools if you need them. 
I do know some collectors that have workshops that way with their collections surrounding them and everything strewn about, but they seem to know where everything is though and it creates quite the enjoyable atmosphere to be in. Heaven??

RATS ARE NOT ALLOWED HERE!


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## barracuda (Oct 6, 2016)

To all you friends of Faber's, I am saddened to report that Anthony LaRiviere passed away this summer. Rest in peace, brother.


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## cyclingday (Oct 6, 2016)

I'm sorry to hear about that.
The last time I saw him, he was three sheets to the wind and stumbling over bike parts in the yard.


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## island schwinn (Oct 6, 2016)

Sad news.had a few trips there in the 80's/90's and one thing for sure,them boys loved their liquor.


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## sccruiser (Oct 6, 2016)

There is a cat in Santa Cruz that bought out most of the leftover inventory. He was selling some stuff at local flea market about 6 months ago. He had killer paper Stingray banners and n.o.s Krate atom brakes and chrome springers still in sealed Schwinn bags.
l He had  some really Nice Stingray spedometers still in box too. Super chill guy but you could tell he was just testing the waters to see what people would pay or just check out. Claims to have a lot of heavy hitter bikes and parts in storage but not ready to bust em out just yet.


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## barneyguey (Sep 1, 2018)

Balloonatic said:


> I wanted to start a new thread under the previous one of "Take your best shot" with some photos I think you will all appreciate. The first are photos of the oldest, longest running bicycle shop on the west coast, Faber's Cyclery in San Jose, California.
> 
> The building started out as a saloon/speakeasy in 1884 with a brothel on the top floor, and by 1912 became a bicycle shop. It stayed a bicycle shop until April of 2013 when it very sadly burned down. I went to visit Faber's only months before it ceased to exist and shot the following photos. It is believed the black and white sign on the north side of the building is the original from 1912, but I was not able to confirm. The owner, Alex La Riviere was extremely nice to me and was quite knowledgeable about bicycles. He was excited to hear what vintage bikes I had, and eager to show me the underbelly of the place. I got the feeling he didn't give in depth tours too often but knew I was in love with vintage bicycles so he took pride in showing me the place.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the very interesting history on Fabers. Barry Gray


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## SJ_BIKER (Oct 10, 2021)




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## cyclingday (Oct 11, 2021)

sm2501 said:


> I want the giant Racycle crankset!



There was a thread on here a couple of weeks ago, about a photo album that had been unearthed, and one of the pictures showed a bike shop that had a giant Racycle crankset.
I don’t remember if the bike shop was in California, but it definitely was not Fabers.
I just wonder, if that one in Fabers could’ve been the same crankset?
How many of those beasts could’ve been made?
Interesting thought to ponder though.


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## cyclingday (Oct 11, 2021)

It was here in California,
It looks like it might have been in two locations, around 1910.
One in Sacramento, and one in Stockton.
Here is the thread on the photo album.







I’d be willing to bet, that the crankset in Fabers was one of these, or, this one, if only one was ever made.












Pretty fricken cool!

Where is it now?


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## barracuda (Oct 11, 2021)

cyclingday said:


> I’d be willing to bet, that the crankset in Fabers was one of these, or, this one, if only one was ever made.




Looking at the photos, it's seems clear that we're seeing three separate wooden display cranks, a different one in each picture.










The display crank at Faber's (first pic) was quite large, over six feet in diameter, and you can see the hole pattern near the center was different than the much  smaller version in the middle pic. The last pic is a four-hole model, completely different than the other two. This suggests there may have been many of these made for Racycle shops all over the US.


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## cyclingday (Oct 11, 2021)

Agreed.
Interesting that these were all in north/central California bike shops.
Any around the rest of the country?


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## barracuda (Oct 11, 2021)

cyclingday said:


> Agreed.
> Interesting that these were all in north/central California bike shops.
> Any around the rest of the country?







Here's an even different one ^^^


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## cyclingday (Oct 12, 2021)

Ok,
Now this is getting interesting.
The quest for the giant crank collection.
It seems that each one was unique, which seems odd.
The logical thing to do, would have been to make a pattern, and replicate them for your dealerships.
So far, each one found has been a slightly different size and pattern.
I’m sure it wasn’t an easy thing to keep around all these years, and being made of wood, and easy thing to get rid of.
So, how many still exist?
I’ve heard, the one from Fabers was saved from the fire, and is now safely residing in a private collection.
So, that’s at least one.
Anymore?


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## corbettclassics (Oct 20, 2021)

Translating French to English ..... this is what "stevenaa" wrote >

"I think for cycling, the bicycle lights can ensure that you can see the dark road clearly, which is a good guarantee of safety"


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## SJ_BIKER (Mar 28, 2022)

.


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## jesus (Mar 28, 2022)

SJ_BIKER said:


> .
> 
> View attachment 1597209


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## jesus (Mar 28, 2022)

For those of you who lived in the Bay Area and especially in San Jose this was the place to hang out I bought my first schwinn there when I was going to San Jose State in 1977


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## jesus (Mar 28, 2022)




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## SJ_BIKER (Mar 29, 2022)

jesus said:


> For those of you who lived in the Bay Area and especially in San Jose this was the place to hang out I bought my first schwinn there when I was going to San Jose State in 1977



I used to go there when I went to San Jose state too to buy and hang out too....haha


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