On a recent trip to Singapore, my wife discovered a little tourist spot I had not heard of before. Located in the Balestier area of Toa Payoh, Wheeler’s Yard made its claim to fame as a bicycle-themed cafe and workshop inside an industrial warehouse.
We dropped by after filling our bellies with a dinner of high-quality bak kut teh from Founder Bak Kut Teh, a short walk away along Balestier Road. Sure enough, among the warehouses of Lorong Ampas, we found the brightly lit gate that served as Wheeler’s Yard’s sign, festooned with a few bicycles.
Entering the “bicycle atelier” itself reveals quite the treasure trove.
A row of mixte-like women’s bikes, with heavily sloped top tubes. (True mixte bikes have their top tubes running all the way to the rear dropouts.)
A pink fixed-gear bike looms over the clock.
A couple of cargo bikes and a trailer.
A chocolate brown mini velo with mustache handlebars.
The atelier is chock-full of bicycles that would make a retro-grouch blush. Some of them are fixed-gears, others are mini velos, and some are cargo bikes. What’s amazing is the collection has lots of bicycles meant for utility and transportation – a nice shift away from competitive riding.
Wheeler’s Yard is also a fully functioning bike shop and mechanics’ station. Tires, bells, and Brooks’ leather and vulcanized rubber saddles are just a few of the wares they have on sale.
These foldies were the most modern bikes present upon my visit.
Last but not least, Wheeler’s Yard is also a cafe. My wife and I were full when we dropped by, but we decided to order a slice of key lime pie with chia seeds to cleanse our palates of the rich bak kut teh we had partaken earlier.
I’m a sucker for sour things – the tartness of key lime pie fits the bill
Living up to its heavy use of the bicycle theme, the cafe is decorated accordingly. Up on the mock pegboard walls are a smattering of helmets and a disassembled fixed-gear bicycle in exploded view.
If you’re wandering around Singapore and itching for bicycle nostalgia, you could do much worse than dropping by Wheeler’s Yard and having coffee and a bit of cake on the side.
Wheeler’s Yard. 28 Lorong Ampas, Singapore 328781.
+65 62549128 (cafe) | +65 97261183 (bike)
the accidental randonneur 