Goes Around, Comes Around

In the gritty alley behind Sex World, in downtown Minneapolis’ notorious Warehouse District, you can stumble upon a whole microcosm of vibrant activity. We’re not talking about the inebriated college kids pissing in corners after a night of drinking, though there is plenty of that, nor any of the unseemliness you might hope to encounter in such a nefarious block. No, the action here is the steady hum of One on One Bicycle Studio, getting ready for business. Gene Oberpriller is preparing to open the enterprise this spring. But unlike most shops who try to be all things to everybody, Oberpriller says he wants to serve the thriving subculture of urban cyclists who eschew the image of a typical bicycle “enthusiast.”

Anyone who passes through downtown Minneapolis these days can’t help but notice that the city is increasingly a bike town. Sideburned messengers, service-sector workers riding department-store clunkers, workaday folks with their pants tucked carefully into their dress socks; they all descend upon the city on their bikes. People seem to be catching on to the simple reality that bicycles are the best way to get around the city, especially the downtown area.

Oberpriller has lived in the warehouse district for more than 10 years, where he’s known to some for his raucous late-night parties and bike rallies. Among local cyclists he’s a colossus; he’s been a pro-level racer in BMX, mountain, road, and cyclocross disciplines. And now he’s become something of an economist. “Downtown is the fastest growing neighborhood in the city,” he says. “The Riverfront housing developments have the potential to bring in 10,000 new residents. And the recreational trail corridors, such as the Cedar Lake Bike Highway and the River Road/Stone Arch Bridge see as many as 3,000 people a day.”

That kind of increase in the downtown biking population will naturally mean more people needing a place to fix flats and replace chains. Until now, there really hasn’t been a bike shop downtown. (Several years ago, a small shop called Downtown Bikes tried, but didn’t make it.) Oberpriller’s shop will offer new and “recycled” bikes. In the spirit of Sanford & Son, One on One will also be a salvage operation, much like an auto parts junkyard, for people who need cheap parts. The basement of Oberpriller’s studio is brimming with wheels, handlebars, and general bike detritus gathered over a decade of trash-picking and dumpster diving. “One on One will provide the cheapest and most efficient means of transportation downtown,” says Oberpriller. “We want people to realize, especially in the urban environment, that there is an alternative to automobiles. It’s simple, really. Ride, don’t drive.”