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About Us


 
 
 
Max the dog with his tongue out

Max

Your Local Bike Shop

Mello Velo was founded by Steve and Sara Morris in 2009, in the Westcott neighborhood of Syracuse, New York, based on a simple premise: to create the best independent, locally owned, friendly bike shop around.

Sara had just graduated from Syracuse University and as part of her thesis research, she and Steve conducted bike repairs out of their college house garage. Throughout school, they felt there was a huge need for convenient, fairly priced, knowledgeable, and honest bicycle commuter services, and bikes too! They secured the only University area space budget would afford, on the 2nd floor of a commercial building on Westcott Street, and a small business loan from Syracuse Cooperative Federal Credit Union down the street.

After spending every single penny of our whopping $10,000 loan (a fortune to these college grads!), and 2 months of DIY-ing the heck out of the space, we finally opened our doors in November of 2009. It should've been a disaster for a new 2nd floor bicycle shop opening at the start of several months of Syracuse winter, but come Spring, we were spending 12 hour days fixing bikes 7 days a week! We slowly built up our store inventory, and after several band-aid space adjustments, it was clear we had already outgrown our space.

We blasted through the wall next door and opened the cafe in 2011 to not only extend our mellow vibes and expand our showroom footprint, but to be a cozy space to meet up, hang out, or just relax with a good book, comforting drink, and satisfying food. Years of operating in a kitchen the size of a master bathroom, the writing was on the wall—we need to move!

Thus began the nearly 4 year long journey of finding a new space and renovating it from the ground up. We moved to our new home on Canal Street in 2018, a vacant former waste paper and rag recycling warehouse from the days of the Erie Canal! We hope you love it as much as we do, and can't wait to continue to serve the community even better than before—for years and years to come. 

Ultimately, we want to build a Syracuse bicycle culture, and will strive to educate and inspire our customers. Whether it's advocating for more bike lanes, going for a fun ride, cleaning up the trails, or organizing one of our many educational efforts and repair clinics, our goal is to share our sales, service, and general bicycle expertise and passion.

Mello Velo is rider owned and operated. We believe that bikes offer a simple solution to many of our communities’ complex problems. Bikes are great for your personal health and for the health of our environment. Bikes can help you save money on transportation, and bikes can provide you with endless miles of fun with your family and friends.

We proudly serve all types of cyclists, including new and veteran riders, road and mountain aficionados, and recreation and transportation cyclists. Whether you prefer to shop on our website or to come visit us, we’re here to help you with all of your cycling needs. We welcome you to stop by and hang out a while—sip some brew, read one of our unique cycling magazines, try your hand at wrenching on your own bike at our Community Bench, check out our bike rental and demo program, or just pet our shop dog, Maxwell Smart.

Learn more about what makes us unique, and visit us today to meet our friendly staff and experience our incredible product selection.

—Steve and Sara Morris, co-owners

Why Shop With Us?

From professional bike repair and fitting services to top cycling products at exceptional prices, we've got you covered.

Quality & Value

We sell products from the best bicycle brands in the world. We offer great value to our customers through competitive pricing, quality products, and superior customer service.

Friendly Staff

We aren't your average bike shop. Our staff is helpful and crazy about cycling. We listen to your needs and work hard to help you find precisely the right products for you.

Low Price Promise

If you find the same product in stock locally for a lower price within 30 days of your purchase, we’ll happily credit you the difference. Get the best products at the best price.

Browse Our Bike Selection

Find your dream bike today and visit us for a test ride. We'll ensure that you're on the right bike to meet your needs and the right frame size for a comfortable, safe cycling experience.

Why Choose Our Bike Shop?