Chris Fuller (left) and Jason Burke
Starting and ending a bike ride at a cafe has long been a tradition in continental Europe. But the concept of a cafe dedicated to cycling is a much newer phenomenon—just a few months actually, if you’re in Paris.
Australian Chris Fuller and Englishman Jacob Burke opened the first cycle cafe in Paris last February. While a few cafes catering to the cyclist lifestyle already exist, La Chouette is the first to tuck a full-fledged bike repair shop inside a wood- and brick-lined cafe. Fuller and Burke decided to open La Chouette after their online business selling custom-built, mostly steel-framed bikes took off. Both being certified bike mechanics and competent baristas, they figured, why not open an actual store? They picked a perfect time to do it, too.
While Paris lags behind its European neighbors in terms of bike-friendliness, a plan unveiled in April 2015 by Mayor Anne Hidalgo intends to see the city catch up: over a five-year period, €150 million will be invested in doubling the city’s current 700 kilometers of bike paths. Bike “expressways” running north-south and east-west, as well as a stricter stance toward misbehaving motorists, are intended to encourage more commuters to ditch their cars.
“Paris is such a tiny city, you can get across it [by bike] in 25 minutes. Why take a car?” says Fuller. “Our underlying philosophy is really to get as many people on bikes as possible.”
