Retailer Spotlight: Pyörien Pyörä
Helsinki-based bike shop Pyörien Pyörä is best described by their motto, “steel frames and dreams.” They're known for their custom built bikes, handmade wheels, and a selection of quality products not readily available elsewhere in Finland. Helmed by two former employees of one of our previous retailers, Pyörien Pyörä is relatively new in name but backed by 15 years of experience in the industry. We’re proud to have a range of ILE backpacks, bike bags, and accessories represented in this awesome shop. Check out our conversation with the Pyörien Pyörä team below to learn more:
What’s the story of Pyörien Pyörä?
Pyörien Pyörä, roughly translated as “bike of the bikes” or “wheel of wheels”. We are a bike shop in Helsinki, Finland, founded after the bankruptcy of our old workplace Velobia. Two of the old employees decided that the story needed a second act and continued the shop. Name unfortunately had to be changed. The name Pyörien Pyörä comes from one of the owner’s old mobile bike services. That rolls nicely off your tongue, at least in Finnish, and we decided to adopt that to be our new name.
Pyörien Pyörä is run by Sebastian and Kaino. Sebastian is a long time bike mechanic and a wheelbuilding wizard, who has 15 years of experience in bike business and maintenance. Kaino is a fresh bird, who started cycling during COVID years, but got swooped in and is now on a tight learning curve to learn all about the cycling industry. Our story is just in the beginning, and we are closing in on the two year mark. We have enjoyed the time together with our customers and our goal is to offer quality and a little bit of niche to the Helsinki scene.
What makes your shop unique?
Our motto is “steel frames and dreams,” which describes us quite well. Almost all bikes that we sell and build are based on steel frames, and we love it. In a world of consumption and ecological catastrophe, we like the idea that the bikes we offer are robust and made to last.
There are three things we are known for in Helsinki: our custom built bikes, our handmade wheels, and our selection of goods you cannot get anywhere else in Finland. ILE is one of those brands. Other bike shops send customers to us in search of something unique, and we try our hardest to deliver.
One aspect that we also are proud of is that we try to be a safe space for our customers. It does not matter what kind of bike you ride, or how often, we try to offer the best service possible without prejudice or assumptions. Every bike has the possibility of being the Pyörien Pyörä, bike of the bikes!
What ILE products stand out to you and why?
There are two products that we (and our customers) love the most: the Porteur Rackbag and Default backpack. The Porteur Rackbag is loved by local commuters, who stuff their work clothes and laptops in and ride in the always changing weather of Helsinki. The fact that ILE bags are waterproof and long lasting is key for us and our customers. Especially in the winter, it gets quite wet here in Helsinki, and people need a bag that a) can fit their work clothes and b) keeps them dry while cycling to work. Porteur delivers on both.
Our customers love the Default backpack for the same reasons, but also because sometimes you don’t take your bike but you still need to get stuff (sometimes a lot) from point A to B. Default is also loved because it is just a good backpack to carry.
Check out Pyörien Pyörä online, on Instagram, and at their brick & mortar shop in Helsinki.
Photography by Aava Eronen.
