The first bike part vending machine in Williamsburg—and the first in NYC, for that matter—is now in service 24/7 on South Sixth Street. Stationed outside Baruch Herzfeld's Traif Bike Gesheft (Yiddish for non-kosher bike shop), the machine is stocked with bells ($2 to $10), locks ($5), inner tubes ($6), lights, bicycle tire patch kits ($2), pumps, brake pads, etc. Watch the maiden voyage of the machine, narrated by an exultant Herzfeld, below:
According to City Room, vending machines for cyclists exist in other cities like Madison, Wisc., and Seattle. Herzfeld, who has tried to bridge the gap between Hasids in South Williamsburg and the cyclists who ride through their neighborhood, bought the used vending machine for $1,800. He installed surveillance cameras and stocked it, but he says he won't be upset if it isn't a financial success: "We’re not very commercial. You buy the machine and you figure it out."
