Inside The Bike Shed Motorcycle Club

The Bike Shed began behind Anthony "Dutch" van Someren's keyboard, snowballed into an annual motorcycle meet, and evolved into a legitimate brick-and-mortar business in the Shoreditch neighborhood of London. (Think England's take on Brooklyn's Williamsburg.) Equal parts bar, restaurant, and lounge space, the Bike Shed occupies four giant brick railway arches that have been converted into moto-oriented spaces.

A paved corridor leads you off the busy, and aptly named, Old Street, and into the Shed proper. Motorcycles of every variety roll in, sometimes solo, but often in packs. An old Honda Africa Twin, modern Ducatis, and of course, the local Hinckley-stamped trumpet are all there, barking at the brick. The sound of their engines reverberates off the walls.

Navigating a motorcycle through this skinny corridor is trickier than you think, especially after dark—an audience on both sides judges your entrance while sipping their drinks. Since it’s a school night, the patio isn’t too crowded, and there is plenty of room in the garage for another 30 bikes. The space is so flexible, and aesthetically pleasing, that Bike Shed rents it to folks who want to host private shindigs of their own.

The first two arches are devoted to food and libations. Tucked around the corner is Thy Barber, an old-school, full-service men’s groomer.

“We do a bit of everything,” says Pauly Harmer, manager and chief hair clipper. “Anything that someone wants as they walk through the door, we can hopefully do. I don’t say we’re amazing, but we do all right.”

Modesty aside, Thy Barber does more than just all right; its three-chair shop is booked solid six days a week.

“I love working here,” Harmer says. “It’s so diverse. It brings in so many different people. So it’s not just the same old, same old, one after the other.”

Nestle up to a table next door with a pint of tank-fresh Meantime London Lager, and you’re almost guaranteed to strike up a conversation with someone. An Irishman next to me introduces himself as Gary Greenberg. He works a double-duty day job, splitting time between the stunt side of the movie business and running Titanic City Cycles, a custom bike shop in Belfast.

“I actually don’t believe that motorcycles are really why we’re all together,” he says.

“We’re all together because of our passion for life,” he says. “The motorcycle is just one part of that. It could be a piece of art, it could be anything, the way you dress. But realistically, it’s just the way you feel. It’s what you feel about life. And the motorbike does that for me.”

Although the Bike Shed empire has evolved considerably from its humble roots, it hasn’t given up on its love for content. Van Someren and company regularly publish interesting and eye-catching articles, gear guides, and road tests, keeping you connected to the lifestyle, anytime, anywhere. Whether you check in online or in the flesh, it’s the fun-loving sense of community that makes Bike Shed a unique commodity in the motorcycling world. A mean set of beef ribs and an ice-cold brew certainly don’t hurt either.