Gnana Kumari Cycle Repairs

The shop is located at house number 2-59 in Relakunta. It is a small space where we spend most of the day surrounded by bicycle frames, rubber tubes, and the smell of grease. There is always a pile of old tires in the corner that we need to sort through eventually. Kids from the neighborhood come by when their chains fall off or when they get a puncture on their way to school. We have a few old stools for people to sit on while they wait for us to finish fixing their wheels. The floor is concrete and has some dark oil stains that have been there for years. Our hands are almost always black from the soot and oil, and it takes a lot of soap to get them clean at lunch. We use basic tools like wrenches and pliers that have been used so much they feel smooth in our hands. Working on cycles in Nallabelly is steady work because everyone uses them to get around the village and the fields. Sometimes people bring in really old bikes that need a lot of care to get them moving again. We keep small parts like valves and bearings in little plastic bins on the shelves. It gets hot in the afternoons, so we usually keep the front wide open to catch any breeze. It is just a regular cycle repair spot where we help out the locals and keep things rolling along.