Ichi Bike owner Daniel Koenig says he picked Nutcase Helmets for his shop because they most resembled his business: A beautiful confluence of art and function. If you aren’t in the Des Moines, Iowa area where you can drop by and say ‘hi’, go to Ichi Bike’s website to check out the bikes, the custom seats made from recycled skateboards and the bike art he has created to fully understand this shop. “Ichi” means “number one” in Japanese, and that’s why Daniel named his bicycle “Ichi Bike”. So, naturally, when the shop opened on May 8, 2010 by Daniel and his wife Amy, they christened their creation with the same words and intent.
Ichi has vintage bikes, some that Daniel has repaired or restored. He grew up in Beaverdale, Iowa during the 1970s, a time when he and his friends “did cool things to their bikes,” he said. “We’d rework and give new life to them.” He continues to this day. And if you’ve been to Ichi Bike, it feels like an Art Show all the time! As you walk in, it’s 1/3 urban art gallery, 1/3 old-school custom car shop and 1/3 bike shop, all in one well-defined space. There is just as much ‘Art’ as there is ‘Bike’. As a recent visitor to Ichi Bike put it on their Facebook page: “I discovered a bike store today that has so much integrity and imagination…it almost hurt.”
