Town Bike Pitstop opened last week on the previously ghost-town end of Abercrombie Street. It’s a commuter bike shop/cafe and DIY fix-it spot.

The space was once a butcher shop, and its uncovered tiles show paintings of cow landscapes and an obscured slogan, something about getting “your weekend orders early”. It’s just a block from Anthony Mundine’s boxing gym and, yes, two from Redfern’s once-infamous Eveleigh Street, but TBP is a sign of creeping gentrification, an extension of Darlington’s café strip. Inside you’ll find a groovy tribute to Dutch cycling culture – the co-founders, barrister John Azzi and interior designer Grahame Rowe, lived in Amsterdam for five years.

That includes a chalkboard inscribe with brekkie items like ei, haam & kaas: baked egg, ham and cheese. No, we haven’t noticed any hash brownies on the menu just yet (we’ll keep you posted), but we did chow on some addictive, homemade jam donuts generously sprinkled with sugar, and will be back for the choc and vanilla milkshakes. There’s a focus on ethically produced food, so think local, organic and sustainable.  And for the spirulina set, there are vegan Funky Pies, such as the ‘funky chunky’: shiitake chunks with creamy mash and gravy. There’s well-poured Di Gabriel coffee and free wi-fi to boot.

The bike business is the other focus, and there are zippy 24-speed Bronx commuters and classic Bobbin town bikes for sale, with panniers, baskets and racks coming soon. A rear barn door gives access to the ‘Redfern Bike Depot’, an initiative with Sydney City Council that allows anyone to come in and use the tools to maintain gear, fill water bottles, and fix a flat. Just log onto their Facebook page for a free membership.

So hop on your fixie bike and come to refuel for your next bike lane expedition. This is the kind of bike shop to get pumped up about.

Where: 156 Abercrombie St, Redfern
Hours: 7.30am-6pm, 7 days (subject to change)
Phone: (02) 9699 0096
Details: townbikepitstop.com.au or facebook.com