Editor's note: This story was originally published on July 27, 2022. We're resharing the story on Aug. 3, 2022 because Hello Bicycle's cafe is now open.
Bike shop Hello Bicycle is opening a cafe on Wednesday, Aug. 3!
Theyβre adding an espresso bar with Houldenβs Rise Above vegan pastries to their original bike shop location near Fort Lowell Road and Dodge Boulevard (and the Chuck Huckelberry Loop!).
The Hello Bicycle team, Sam Lettes, Jordan Lewis and Marc Padilla, grew up riding bikes around the Shadow Hills neighborhood near Tucsonβs north side.
βIt was pragmatic at the time: you don't have a driver's license but you have friends who you can ride with,β Sam said. When Sam moved to Seattle, he noticed the combination of bike shops and cafes across the city.
βThereβs something about bikes that you just develop a natural community,β he said. βSeeing cyclists around, youβre kind of part of the same thing. A coffee shop also has that. They both have the same atmosphere of people hanging out under one shared experience.β
βWeβre not trying to create a pretext of a certain kind of community as much as a space where people can bring their experiences,β he said. βThe second youβre in it, you start to get it.β
While the espresso bar will offer a range of traditional drinks: lattes, mochas, espressos and cappuccinos, theyβll also have pour-over coffee and a limited selection of teas. The beans will be locally sourced from Yellow Brick Coffee.
When it comes to the vegan pastries from Houldenβs, βWeβre not sure what our regular menu will be,β he said. Theyβll keep some favorites on regular rotation alongside a chefβs choice from baker Hannah Houlden.
βThe cruffin is so good!β Sam said with conviction. βMorning buns are amazing. The chocolate chip cookies are on regular rotation in my belly.β
Sam opened the original iteration of Hello Bicycle, which also does bike repairs, in Seattle. When it came time to expand, he wanted to bring the bike shop β and cafe combo β home to Tucson.
βAs a small business in Seattle, it was hard to expand. When I moved there it was a different city. I always knew Iβd come back to Tucson and I didnβt know when,β he said.
βWhen youβre in Seattle, you miss the sun. I missed Tucson because it always has that small city feel, but a big city vibe to it. Itβs hard to explain. Itβs home.β
Hello Bicycle + Cafe
Location: 3702 E. Hardy Dr.
Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The bike shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
For more information, check out their website.