London Fixed-gear and Single-speed

...I'm in Berlin for the next week. I've never been here before, but i have a couple friends that can show me around. I was wondering if there was anything that youz all might suggest checking out. I didn't bring a bike with me, which i sorta regret now.

-miah

Bike related or just generally?

If its drinking, 45 Millimetre (in the East) didn't ever appear to close and sold one of the best White Russians I've ever had. Its in Prinzensomething

the Mitte neighbourhood is posh, but quite dull. Heaps of good bike shops, but the exchange rate didn't make a massive difference on price. But the Berlin standard of living is shockingly better than here.

looking for both general and bike related tips, but prolly more on the general side. like if you've been here before and there was something that you saw/did that was the shit. so far all i've done is found a graf shop, and got supplies. not so sure what to do with the daylight hours, and always lookin for a good place to drink/get hi/dance/chill/whatever else people do when they go out at night...

I did a walking tour there with an English guy. 12hrs! Great history lesson. If that floats your boat.
Depends how long you're there for I guess. I was there a week and just wandered around until I found stuff I was interested in.
Like 1.50 euro kebabs.. mmm... hehe :)

What music are you into? There's a cool guide they publish that has all kinds of clubs, rock gigs, etc. Tonnes of minimal techno.. :)

http://www.keirinberlin.de/

I went on a tour of a nuclear fallout bunker in west berlin under a car park. think it is attatched to some museum... can't remember where though...

postdamerplatz is a cool place just to walk around, also quite close to the berlin museum of modern art (or whatever it's called). If that sort of thing floats yer boat anyway...

Go say hi! to Mo at Keirin café Berlin and Dustin at Cicli Berlinetta

thanks for all the info... Jos, thanks for the keirn cafe link. I#m looking forward to seeing those stash and futura designed colnagos. they got ripped a new one on the SFFixed forum. It'll be good to see them in real life. Hopefully they have the matching forks in the shop...

I think the pictures on his website were from the La Carrera website. A shop in Canada run by and ex-messenger who set up the whole Colnago thing.

I have just come back from Berlin and had an awsome time.
the keirin shop is great as is their coffee.

White Trash Fast Food is a fun bar/music/food place.
Fuetermelder 9probably spelt wrong) is also good.
Panarama bar is just crazy.

It is so easy to find great places and parties though it just seems to be an amazing place.

someone else told me to check out panarama bar, but said to avoid the white trash bar cuz it's full of americans, and i see enough of those back home... it's refreshing to have an american friend say avoid a place cuz too many americans...

It's probably inevitable that you will end up in Prater Bier garden on Kastanianallee, and this is not such a bad thing esp. if you are vegetarian. Whilst in the area of Prenzlauerberg you should also find Dr Pongs for bad ass all night around-the-world table tennis drinking action. You will probably end up in White trash... it's not so bad, I know a few nice americans in berlin.

Kastanianallee is a good street for breakfast, try W imbiss (upsidedown McDonalds M).

P'lauerberg is generally fun, although any genuine berlin people (berliner is a kind of sweet pastry, JFK) will tell you its just full of families now. Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg are a bit more "edgy", but fairly impenetrable without local knowledge. Make friends. Berliners are lazy, so get in that mind set.

Have a good time man, I fuckin' love that city... don't know how people run track bikes on those cobbles, damn

Oh yeah and Treptower Park at sunrise is amazing after clubs!!!

I got side tracked there twice this summer for quite some time while touring to Ukraine. Recently gave a friend this list, some of which you might be interested in.

Get hold of a copy of stressfaktor (free, or they have a website), a monthly listings zine for alternative/punk/DIY/political type things.

Kreuzberg-
* Collective bike workshop- Admiralstr. Off Kotbusser Tor Ubahn.
* Workshop where you can work on your own bike- on Laußitzerstr I think.
* Maroush Lebanese restaurant- Adalbert str. (near the Kottbusser Tor
station end)- does the damned best falafel sandwiches for 2.50E
*Bethanien (aka New Yorck59)- Mariannen platz, n.2- social center on the
first floor (a really lovely squat, great people...)
* Tante Horst- collective cafe/bar on Oranienstr- makes good
cocktails, and does REALLY good all you can eat breakfast on
Sundays 3-7E.
* Turkish Market by kanal(I think it is tues and fri)- good browsing, but
if you go around 6pm- they get rid of tons of stuff, you can take a box and
go around the back and ask...
* Schwarzer Kanal Queer wagon platz- Micheal Kirchnerstr. Good bike
workshop with cake on Thursdays (might be possible to borrow klunkers they
have spare there). If you can get up on the roof of the old factory
behind= great view (especially at night), and the whole building is pretty
neat- broken down, lots of graffiti. They really aren't into 'tourists'- so the bike workshop would be a good time to go.
* Kopi- fun punk shows/parties/film nights. (Apparently not what it used to be though- gone
more the way of dirt than DIY)
* Cheap internet on Adalbertstr. red/yellow place on the corner.
* Kreuzburger- Oranienstr. Does really good Spinach burgers.

Prenzlauerberg-
* Subversiv- Brunnenstr. great bar, does really good Voku (should say when
it is on the back of stressfaktor)
* Free Shop on Brunnen Str. opposit Subversive... has all sorts of shit,
plus interesting clientele.
* Morgenrot- cafe on Kastanienallee (no. 84 or something)- collective run cafe/bar. Does good all
day, all you can eat breakfast 4-8E (what you can pay).

*Rigaerstr.- tons of squats- I think XB might have open bar with pretty
good tunes on Thursdays. Samariter str- also has quite a lot of place,
Fishladen had pretty good VOKU (People's kitchen= big plate of cheap food cooked by cool people. Stressfaktor lists where you can get it most nights of the week).

I took my bike there on the train last Christmas, we had a loverly time. TOP cycling city

itinerary from a German

- Grillimbiss Konopke (underneath U-Bahn Kastanienallee ) oldest Snack Place for Currywurst in Berlin
- Erdbeer Bar (Berlin Mitte) - All Drinks are frozen
- Due Forni Pizzeria (Senefelder Platz) - huge crispy thin Punk Pizzas
- 8mm Bar (Schoenhauser Allee) - Drinks after Pizzas
- Kakao Cafe (Dunkerstr. P. berg) - Cakes !
- Cafe Burger (Russendisko) - Cult Russian Club with Rock & Vodka

take the 100 or 200 Bus from Alex.platz that goes almost the same route than the 20 EUR tourist ones

If your into some serious clubbing go to a place called Bergheim. It doesn't open till 1am Friday and closes sometime on Monday morning. Word of warning, expect the unexpected.

if the unexpected is 'minimal techno' :)

as long there also is non-gay darkroom too you will be ok.. :)
Panorama bar is a popular choice. check www.de-bug.de for event.
yes indeed I am into Minimal...

Just remember that panorama and berghain are the same place but different parts.

http://www.berghain.de/

You might be pushing it for 'non-gay ' darkrooms though

why would you want to develop photos in a club, gay or otherwise?

that's what all the kids do these days nimbhus, developing is what we do instead of dancing.

stupidpony: how was it going on the train?
I'm thinking of going (pref. with bike) at the end of january
or in february and can't decide whether to go easyjet or not.

thanks for all the good advise... wasn't able to get to a fraction of all the shit you guys mentioned... i guess i just gotta come back. :)
Pamorama/berghain was awesome... avoided the darkrooms, but met hella cool people there... Spending 17 hours at a club and popping pills like candy will do that though...
I <3 Berlin

-miah

i know this is about berlin... but has anyone been inter railing? and does anyone have any recomendations or advice? im not thinking of taking my bike seeing as im going with friends but anything would be good.

Hmmm.
Depart 7.pm Eurostar Waterloo, now St Pancaras, customs is delightful, no need to take your shoes off. Bike goes for free as long as in a bike bag. Change at Lille. Board mega efficient German train, deposit bike in luggage compartment, go to bar, drink beer. Retire to sleeper birth. Watch dvd on laptop. Sleep. Awakened with reasonably good filter coffee and croissant. Arrive Berlin Zoo station 7.30 am having had good nights sleep. Stick wheels on bike, deposit bike bag @ left luggage. Cycle to mates house. sorted.
I did this with my girlfriend, if you go alone you may have to share with as stranger, friend you have not met yet. Takes a day, so if time is of a premium then not for you. costs about £150, sounds like a lot but I'm cannot stand easyRyanJet™ & airports treat bikes worse than day trippers from Chechnya.
More or less door to door although we had to do a black cab to the station, they'll take a bike in the back in a bag.
I would highly recommend if you have the time and are good at train timetables. Plus you get to feel double smug about the ozone & riding your own bike in someone else's city rocks.

im going to Berlin in a few days, this info is awesome, nice one.
heres to using the search function!!

anyone got any updates to add to this list? im going to be there next week and although this list is good someone new might have some other recomendations.

Mrs Slain and I are there next weekend too... Can't wait, great city! :)

have you been there before? also, im goiong with a friend but neither of us have bikes with us, i know there are plenty of places to hire from, but does anyone know a particular place which is really good/cheap?

one more thing, i keep on seeing the word voku, but what does it mean?

voku is a cooking group, like in a squat

VoKü short for Volxküche (communal kicthen)

i'm taking a van to/from Berlin & Hamburg 5-11 Aug if anyone has large bits to transport - like bargin frames off ebay.

Yeah, I've been a coupla times but always on foot... Same thing this time, will be spending a lot of time at the Keirin Cafe tho', yes indeed!