SE2 EP5 CycloPlus is Priced Right for Bhanis Cycles

CycloPlus Dealer Tour

SERIES 2: Episode 5

#WeVisit Bhanis Cycles, Orange Grove, Sandton

Bhanis Cycles first opened its doors 35 years ago in 1983 on Loius Botha Avenue, three doors down from it's current position at No. 280. It is owned and run by the brother and sister pairing of Vimal Daya and Jyoti Daya, whose grandparents arrived from India two generations ago.

The retail component of Bhanis is absolutely crammed with an almost indescribable array of random bits and pieces, most of which is bicycle related.

For some, entering into this whirlwind could be claustrophobic as the mountains of cycling paraphernalia piled to each side of the shop only allows access via a narrow channel down the shop's centre.

After asking Vimal how he and his sister manage stock in such a cramped space, he led us up the road to what appeared to be a vacant shop front. On entering, the rows of bikes and well stocked tool rack clearly indicated that this was Bhanis storeroom as well as the primary workshop where adult bikes are built up and serviced.

Bhanis' mechanic is Welcome Ncube. Depending on the nature of the task at hand, Welcome shifts between retail and workshop spaces, saying that, given the narrowness of the retail space, he can only really work efficiently on kids bikes there.

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"It's all gone, they took it all!"

~ Vimal Daya explaining that a few years ago, when classic bikes became fashionable, collectors swarmed the shop, buying all of their vintage stock over the course of a few weeks.

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In the mid 90s freestyle BMX was a big deal for us says Jyoti, we stocked everything from bikes to pegs to protective gear. And then all of a sudden the scene tapered off and we went back to focusing on consumables.