IN Sewickley Spring 2016 | Page 36

Vintage Bikes p are Enjoying the Afterlife in ‘Bicycle Heaven’ Ben Avon’s Craig Morrow’s worldrenowned shop, Bicycle Heaven, is one of Pittsburgh’s best-kept secrets. By Pamela Palongue 34 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Sewickley B icycle Heaven has been rated #4 on TripAdvisor’s list of things to do in Pittsburgh, beating out tourist heavyweights like Heinz Field and the Pittsburgh Zoo. So what exactly is Bicycle Heaven? It’s a bicycle museum and bike shop — but it also features antiques and artwork. To put it simply, owner and founder Craig Morrow says, “There’s something here for everyone.” Still, 80 percent of Morrow’s visitors are from out of state and out of the country. One major draw is the quality and quantity of rare vintage bikes. One model in particular, the Bowden Spacelander, is worth somewhere between $8,000 and $48,000. Originally designed in the 1940s, the first bike rolled off the assembly line in 1960. It had an unusual rounded design, reflective of its name and was made of relatively fragile fiberglass parts. A fairly expensive price tag of $89.50 resulted in only 544 bikes being made before production was halted. There are less than 40 of the originals still in existence today, and Bicycle Heaven has 17 on display.