Bike mechanic and machinist Malcolm Munro doesn’t simply spend his days changing tires, oiling chains and scrubbing rust off old bikes.

He has built his business on a philosophy of saying “yes” to every job, no matter how difficult or seemingly impossible.

“I’ve never said no to a project,” the soft-spoken Munro said. “People bring me jobs that other shops have turned away.”

Munro (along with his wife, Milen) is a co-owner of Biseagal Bikes, a small bike repair and machining shop located in 262 Carlaw Ave., one of the few remaining industrial buildings in downtown Toronto. The location is home to an eclectic group of commercial tenants ranging from welders and florists to eco-friendly bakers and traditional leather craftsmen.

Munro and his bike shop fit right in.

He says his fascination with bike repair originated in an unlikely location: his kitchen. As a former bike racer, Munro would regularly tune other people’s bikes at his home. When his kitchen quickly becoming overtaken, he decided to rent out space in a unit on Carlaw Ave. in 2002.

A little over a year later, joined in his shop by a local machinist, Munro was off to the races refurbishing bikes that other mechanics had deemed unsalvageable.

“It doesn’t make sense for other shops to have machining tools for problems they might see twice a year,” explained Munro, whose machining skills make him more than just a wizard with a wrench.

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