Red Lantern Bicycles

Red Lantern is an adorable, multi-​purpose staple in my neighborhood. Never did I imagine I’d live near a commercial establishment where you can do SO MANY DIFFERENT FUN AND USEFUL THINGS! Cheap drinks with friends in an uncongested space? Of course. Morning coffee? Yep. A delicious lunch? Sure. Work on my laptop with access to outlets and free wifi? You bet. Bike tune-​up or bike accessories? I wouldn’t go anywhere else.

What a cool, cool concept: get your bike fixed/​upgraded while you get some work done or drink a beer or latte. Sold.
Sam at the bike section was super helpful and friendly, and answered all my noobie questions. The overall vibe I get from the team is awesome. A few kids came in with flat tires/​basketballs and they were more than happy to help for free. I got a small neighborhood vibe where everyone knows each other.
I highly recommend this shop and the surrounding neighbors do too! As I was towing my bike to the shop, a few kids pointed in the direction of Red Lantern and recommended I go there. Little did they know, I already was :)

This is a bike shop + café + bar. Casual + pleasant! Good for some peace and quiet if u are looking to just hang out in the café. It seems busy mostly with customers going in /​out with their bikes which I did bring my bike in a few times and they were very helpful. I had my handle bars replaced and tires checked etc Great coffee too! I usually order the cappuccino or americana. And occasionally I stop in for their caprese sandwich during lunch hours with a glass of their deliciously fresh squeezed OJ. Also, I forgot to mention that the sandwiches come with a nice fresh salad on the side too. This is definitely a great spot to hang out in this part of the neighborhood. I dont find it hipsterish at all like some reviewers describe it. Its a very neighborly crowd with a mix of different people and ages. Music is pretty good in here also. They were playing classic rock from the 70s the last couple of times I was in there. Overall a very laid back and friendly neighborhood spot.

My bicycle tire caught a flat on my way to school. I was going to go home, but then I found this place and was able to get my bicycle serviced right away and at a reasonable price. While I was waiting for my bike to be fixed I got a Blood Orange Iced Tea which was refreshing and a grilled cheese was very good. Overall it was very worth it to stop here and I will definitely come again.

This is a cool spot. The whole place had a good vibe on a Thursday afternoon. There’s a cute and very indifferent cat roaming around.
However, I didn’t come here to eat or drink or play with the cat — I stopped in while I was in the neighborhood because I noticed some wobble in my wheels. I dropped my bike off around 4 expecting to need to come and get it the next day, but the guys were kind enough to let me hang around in the back while they diagnosed the bike, and offered to have it done around 7. The wheels were pretty near true, it turned out the problem was that the tubular clinchers that were on the wheels weren’t solidly attached. The mechanics told me the tubular clincher was a weird old design and probably dangerous, so I took their recommendation to have them replaced with some mid-​range clinchers and also asked them if they could tune the bike up, to which they agreed.
Came back at 7, bike was ready. I took it out, and as soon as I cranked the pedals, the rear hub slipped out of the dropout. Not cool. I took it back inside and they tightened it down, but come on… that seems pretty careless and doesn’t inspire confidence in something I ride to work most days. I came to find that the shifting is pretty messed up, too, as after I got it back from them, the chain frequently shifted off the front chainring. These are all pretty easy home fixes, but I can only assume they didn’t make sure the bike was still working after putting it back together. To their credit, they had it done within a few hours, but I’d rather wait overnight and have it done right.
After some research I also found out that tubular clinchers, while not the most popular design, are fairly well known, and there’s no reason that they can’t be remounted correctly on my wheels. I guess these dudes just weren’t familiar. Won’t be returning.

Nice spot… mixture of bike maintenance which is essential and a nice coffee and food service. Also conveniently in fort green

If you ever wondered what a bar and bikeshops love child would look like, this is it! :D

If you have a half an hour and nothing to do you than this is the sort of place you can hang, taking in the hipstery scene and sipping on a pretty satisfying coffee drink. I like the hybrid idea of a bike/​coffee shop, it lends itself to creative musing and is a magnet for all kinds of community advertising (for example, I didn’t know there was a Christmas tree lighting in the neighborhood until I came here). Another solid option is to take your coffee from here and go to Fort Greene Park down the block, you’ll be at least equally happy as long as it’s a nice day.

This place was great. I came here just for the coffee and wifi (which were both good and it wasn’t overly crowded), but also got a delicious sandwich for lunch, since they have some vegan options, and spent lots of time petting the cat, Landshark. Definitely want to come back to grab drinks. I don’t have a bike, so I can’t comment on that part of it, but it was cool to see people getting their bikes tuned up at the same time.

Want to pet a cat? Want good coffee? Vegan and meat food? How about a bicycle? Yes, all of this is located in one industrial clad renovated warehouse, which means there’s plenty of space to hang out. There is a distinct friendly, I’m not a hipster, hipster vibe.
The coffee is smooth. If you want an iced decaf, you’ll have to settle for an Americano; but it’s one of the best I’ve had. Plus, add fresh cashew milk for an extra buck. There are several iced teas (caffeinated and herbals), hot teas, and even alcoholic beverages.
Can’t wait to come back and try the food.

Haven’t tried their coffee, which everyone raves about, but their happy hour special is great.
And the main attraction — the bike shop is awesome. The staff has been really helpful and friendly and lent me basic tools if I needed a quick fix or given spare parts instead of charging a couple of bucks for it (tip jar, tho!).

Not a fan. Too hipster-​y.
I realize it’s the only or one of the only bike shops with a liquor license in the area, which is why it’s so revered…
I used to live very close to Red Lantern (when they opened a few years back) and would go to the store to pump my tires, tune my bike… I knew it wasn’t necessarily my vibe, but its location was very convenient.
However, last year they ordered a special bike seat for me (A.R.S.) due to a coccyx injury that I had. Let’s just say it was a hot mess of a situation. Weeks went by, then *months* went by… I would go to the store or would call to inquire about the seat and there were no records or the employee looked at me like I had two heads because my name wasn’t in the system… Then weeks later someone calls and says my bike seat came in. I ended up ordering the seat online and got it installed at Bike Slug — which quickly became my local, favorite, non-​hipster bike shop.

Great people, great vibes.
Isn’t it great that you can have a coffee while they’re fixing that unexpected flat tire for you? Also the classical music in the background is very peaceful!
Definitely a recommended place to let your bike fixed or to just get a good coffee!

For new customers: definitely step inside and try their DELICIOUS coffee selection (with yum but milk) you won’t regret it. See my initial review**
For previous regulars:
When you walk into the same establishment the cool, chill vibe courtesy of Bradford and his old crew disapated into thin air.
New barista/​manager is just as nice, a bit more frantic getting used to being a barista since he’s a previous personal chef, and just not old staff.
I will say cold brew and nut milk remain unchanged. But I will probably not be back– it’s an extra 10 min walk for me and the specialness is gone.
Yes, coffee is good but my philosophy is that the people always make ‘em great.
Not sure what happened with the scurrying of employees but as a customer, when it shows and affects our service and experience… :/​
Best of luck to Brian and RLB. Still super cool concept :)
PS– No CUPS app anymore, for now

The bike shop here is so great… definitely my favorite place in NYC. Chombo and David were super helpful — I came in looking at new bikes because I wanted to switch to a cruiser, but they showed me how I could get all the things I want with a few modifications to my beloved Fuji. I like this better than any bike I could have bought, and it saved me a lot of money. Plus they fixed up some broken things for free and gave me a lot of great advice. I will definitely give them all the business I can. The coffee/​beer options are also great while waiting.

The café is leaving and moving to another location on the 28^th!
Going to miss the homemade nut milks and board games and wonderful servers.

This shop combines two of my biggest loves: bikes and coffee. It doesn’t hurt that they also have beer (and helpful staff) on tap.
I went looking for a new used bike and was told by a lovely gentleman in the back that they now only deal in new new bikes. But I couldn’t even get sad about it – I’d been hypnotized by the chill vibes of this joint from the moment I’d walked in. Just knowing this place exists makes my little cranking caffeinated heart sing.

Bikes. fixing, selling, and customers riding them
Coffee…with unusual vegan milks — sunflower, maple, almond… all super good
Chai tea
Beer…I didn’t partake but just saying
lots of table space, people using laptops, etc. it wasn’t hard to find a place to sit to kill an hour I had.
Vegan bakery. One sticky point, I asked if they had bagels– no, we’ve never had bagels, and then my question and answer was relayed to another employee. I don’t know if they thought I was an out of towner looking for the «perfect new york bagel» or if bagels are nonvegan, but its just what I ALWAYS order with my coffee wherever I am.
Anyhow…enjoyed my coffee and cookie. Sunflower milk was good… even better than almond.
Sadly if there is a «shop cat» I didn’t see him hanging out.
Cash only, at least for food and drink.
I’d return.

Recently relocated to Brooklyn and trying out all the coffee shops and cafes.
Red lantern is a warm and inviting coffee shop.
A cool, laid back place, where you will enjoy a hot cup of coffee and free wifi.
Surrounded by hanging bikes and bike nostalgia galore it’s a place you got to check out.

Coffee Shop meets Bike Shop = Portlandia in NY!
The minute I came to this spot I knew it was going to be a morning spot for me. I like swinging by here in the morning for a cup of coffee that they roast themselves and grabbing a muffin or breakfast sandwich. I am not too adventurous when it comes to alternative milks but this is the place to go if that’s your schtick. I do love soy milk and almond milk. I have yet to venture here to the sunflower but maybe some day.
I enjoy the atmosphere in this spot. It’s pretty large, there’s a cat laying around, a bike shop in the back and a wrap around coffee bar covered with neighborhood regulars. I love it when you can tell people know each other so well that they might not even get their order out before the barista has it poured and a plate with their fave treat is ready for consumption. I also like the bike gears on the wall serving as art.
I highly recommend coming here to fulfill your hippie/​rocker bike messenger side!
Personally, it helps me feel that NW morning hug!