En Selle Marcel

Status symbol, work of art, fetish object—the bicycle (bicyclette or vélo, from vélocipède) is no longer just something to get around on. A half-hour on the Marais’s chic rue de Bretagne is sufficient to see the entire spectrum of the newest, coolest vélos come and go. Of the slew of new shops catering to the bespoke bicycle craze, En Selle Marcel is the latest and most stylish. Opened in June, it’s a showroom for the most coveted names in cycling, along with top components for customization. Behind the main showroom, the boutique boasts its own workshop for repairing, restoring and building tailor-made bicycles, with a private space in back for haute couture bikes. Along with the Brompton folding bicycle in lacquered candy colors, and the coveted Italian ABICI models, the boutique specializes in the pignon fixe, or “fixie”, a nostalgic fixed-gear cycle that hearkens back to a time when most bikes had only one gear and backpedal brakes. The Italian version from Bianchi is a best seller, and a more beautiful bike would be hard to find. Many of the bikes at En Selle Marcel (selle is saddle) are vintage-inspired; if you prefer the real deal, there are also refurbished original models from European manufacturers such as Motobécane and Peugeot, dating as far back as 1959. Along with custom-made leather saddles, handles and almost any other accessory, there are buckle-on leather wine-bottle carriers.

40 rue Tiquetonne, 2nd, 01.44.54.06.46. website

Originally published in the November 2011 issue of France Today