Fred Sztabinski passionately believes Toronto is a bicycle city.

So much so that the married father of two young children has decided to switch careers in a big way.

He’s gone from working at Metrolinx as a transportation planner, to owner and proprietor of the newly-opened Fix Coffee + Bikes at 80 Gladstone Ave., north of Queen Street W., in Little Portugal.

Fix, with its clean lines and modern look, the result of a just-completed, six-month top-to-bottom renovation of a former corner grocery store, is modeled on the bike cafes Sztabinski and his wife, Ruth, a psychotherapist, encountered in their biking tours through Europe and on the west coast of North America, in cities like Vancouver, Portland and Seattle.

Bike cafes, common elsewhere but rare in Toronto, are businesses devoted to bike lovers and bike culture, serving everyone from recreational bikers, to those for whom a bike is an indispensable form of transportation.

As Fix explains in its mission statement on its website at www.fixcb.ca, “We bring you local, ethically-sourced, inventive products. We support a lifestyle that impacts the Earth as little as possible. We love riding bikes, love to look good doing it, and most of all we love that riding a bike is good for our planet.”

In order to ensure the Little Portugal neighbourhood was comfortable with his new business, Sztabinski spent many hours speaking to scores of local residents to inform them of his plans, resulting in the community welcoming Fix into its midst.

At Fix you can buy a bike, get it repaired (any brand), and pick up inventive biking accessories ranging from wearable locks, to magnetic lights, retractable fenders and “the world’s smallest bike rack”.

But Sztabinski doesn’t want your relationship with Fix to end there.

Bike lovers can discuss biking culture and history with Sztabinski and his staff, take in its gallery showcasing ground-breaking bike manufacturers and enjoy fresh roasted coffee, teas and homemade pastries created in Fix’s on-site kitchen by its resident baker.

Two bike repair technicians and four baristas round out Fix’s staff.

Sztabinski (readers should know Fred and Ruth are my cousins) first got the idea for Fix about five years ago and for the past year and a half has been working towards its official opening earlier this month.

He’d like to follow in the footsteps of another Canadian entrepreneur who succeeded in the bike business after starting out in a different career, and who is now a key part of Fix’s business plan.

That’s Zak Pashak, owner and president of Detroit Bikes, the brand Sztabinski sells at Fix, describing them as North American-made “steel-framed, no-nonsense, everyday bikes for getting around town” that are “solid and look great.”

Pashak is a Calgary-born former DJ, club owner and music festival promoter, who moved to Detroit in 2012, where his family first settled generations ago, to start up his popular brand of affordable bikes — 8,000 sold last year — in a 50,000-square-foot-warehouse on the city’s west side, staffed by former auto engineers.

Sztabinski is selling three models of Detroit Bikes at Fix, ranging in price from $800 to $1,150.

Charges for repairing bikes (any brand) are $15 for fixing a flat;$20 for wheel truing; $15 each for gear adjustments; $20 for small part installation; $70 for tune-ups and a labour rate of $70 an hour for bigger jobs.

Another source of inspiration for Sztabinski is Steven Bock, a clay sculptor of full-sized, prototype cars for the Big Three automakers, whose Detroit Bicycle Company, also located in the Motor City, produces world famous, high-end, hand-crafted bikes costing $4,000 to $8,000 apiece.

Bock’s one-man company — he hopes to expand eventually into a commercial operation selling a $1,000 version of his hand-crafted bikes — is the first bike manufacturer featured in Fix’s bike gallery, in what Sztabinski plans as a series of rotating exhibitions of renowned craft bike makers and their stories.

Fix is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

It you love bikes, and bike culture, you might want to drop by.

lgoldstein@postmedia.com