By Randall Beach, Community Columnist
rbeach@nhregister.com / Twitter: @rbeachnhr

If you’re traveling through New Haven’s East Rock neighborhood some morning, you might see a man pulling a red wagon loaded with bicycle tools.

That’s Joel LaChance, the Goatville Cyclesmith, who also painted on his wagon: “a shade tree mechanic.”

He really does work under the shade of a tree, at the corner of Orange and Cottage streets. But LaChance also wears a straw hat to shield his face from the sun.

From 1979 to 1995, LaChance plied his trade like most other merchants, working out of a store with a roof and walls. His shop, first on Whalley Avenue, then on Chapel Street, was called Cycles LaChance.

What a perfect name for a bike guy: LaChance! It evokes Pierre Lallement, the mechanic and inventor who in 1865 brought the makings of a wrought-iron bicycle from Paris to Brooklyn and obtained a patent, the first for a bicycle. One fine spring day in 1866, Lallement turned many astonished heads when he rode his creation from his adopted town of Ansonia to New Haven.

Anyway, here in 2011, you can see LaChance fixing bicycles on that corner. He’s out there Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Saturdays, he sets up at the farmers market on State Street.

“I started doing this at the farmers market last summer,” he said. “It seemed very promising.”

He was encouraged enough to start a steady gig a few weeks ago next to the popular outdoor gathering spot bordering P&M’s Orange Street Market, the Orange Street Liquor Shop and Lulu’s European Coffee House.

LaChance first got permission from Pino Ciccone, who owns the food market; Gary Robinson, co-owner of the liquor store; and Lulu de Carrone. Then he got a vendor’s permit, insurance and a tax I.D. number. And he went to work.

He restricts his hours on the corner to three days a week in order to allow time for running errands and volunteer tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Continued...

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“I try to be here by 10 a.m., after I walk my dog,” he said. “We do the trails to the top of East Rock. I usually stay here ‘til around 5.”

Doesn’t he get hot? Not really. “This isn’t that strenuous,” he said. “And I’ve got that shade.”

“I’m having a lot of fun,” he added. “I’m getting reacquainted with old friends, meeting a lot of people in the neighborhood and learning a lot about Goatville.”

He chose the Goatville name because there really once was a section of East Rock that people called Goatville. “This is the heart of it,” LaChance said. “I call it Goatville Plaza.”

Then a man drove up in a station wagon, unloaded his bike and asked LaChance if he could give his gears and brakes a once-over.

LaChance told me, “I fix quite a few flats and pump up tires. Many people are riding around on underinflated tires. That can lead to flats.”

Noting all the kids and parents in the neighborhood, he said, “I find myself keeping their baby stroller tires inflated too. It’s handy having a pump in the neighborhood.”

The corner also makes good sense for a bike repair guy because a bike lane runs right past the curb. Orange Street is chock-full of bicyclists all day long.

LaChance has enjoyed getting back to this business after a 15-year career change. After he closed his store because of the mid-’90s recession, he got a master’s degree in education and taught at Benjamin Jepson School in New Haven until January 2010.

“This is my retirement plan,” he said with a smile, pointing to his red wagon. “It keeps me out of trouble, I can make a little money and I get to visit with people, be out in the community. It’s almost not like work.” Continued...

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“He’s awesome!” said Ciccone, standing outside his market. “This is something you don’t find anywhere. It’s great for the neighborhood and the corner.”

“I love him being here,” said de Carrone inside her coffee shop. “I bought a bike from him about 19 years ago. I still have it.”

LaChance, now 59, grew up in Detroit, where as a teenager he apprenticed as a tool and die guy. “Tools came easily to me, understanding how machines worked. When I discovered bikes, it seemed like the perfect machine.”

He came to New Haven in 1978 because, “I met a girl who lived here. I wanted to get acquainted with her. She moved on, but I found someone even nicer.”

He got married, raised a couple of kids and still lives on Bishop Street, a few blocks from his work corner.

These days, he doesn’t even need to use his car very often. “It’s nice to see so many people riding bikes. The more riders, the safer it is for everybody.”

Contact Randall Beach at rbeach@nhregister.com or 203-789-5766.

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