Kindred Cycles is a full service bicycle shop, born out of a love for bicycles and the people who ride them. Pittsburgh’s strong community of cyclists is our family, and it’s our mission to support them.
Although our story as kindred is Just seven years in, Katharine and Aaron have both spent their Fair share of Time in bike shops, filling positions all over the map. We’ve always wanted something to call our own, but it wasn't til we shared our mutual ambitions that we gained the courage to try.
Katharine Jordan was born and raised in Pittsburgh. In 2002 she moved to Boston, where she began cycling for joy and transportation, and wrenching out of curiosity and obsession. After graduating college Katharine worked as a full time mechanic in Boston and then in Savannah, GA. In 2012 she returned to Pittsburgh to find that over the past 10 years her hometown had been busy developing bicycle lanes, trails and a thriving bike community. Since returning Katharine has felt warmly welcomed by cyclists in Pittsburgh and looks forward to supporting current and future Pittsburgh cyclists at Kindred Cycles. Katharine loves adventures by bicycle, problem solving, kickstands, and lubricating chains.
Aaron Stein is one of the founders of Kindred Cycles. Aaron moved to Pittsburgh in 2002 for a proper education and never left. Although the biology degree he came for has gained a good amount of dust, his bikes keep moving. Aaron rides any kind of two wheeled contraption he can get his hands on, whether it be mountain, cross, road, hybrid, etc... That said, Aaron is a bike commuter at heart and really wants to facilitate people riding their bikes all over Pittsburgh. He believes the best way to see Pittsburgh is by bike.
John’s biggest yearning is to get into mountain biking. Gee, those drops look fun. And logs? God put em there so we’d roll over em, amirite? Some potential’s best left untapped though, otherwise what’s there to look forward to? So John will NOT be getting into mountain biking.
Alicia’s been commuting daily for eight years in Pittsburgh. She loves building confidence in riders, and getting people geeked to tour and commute. She’s got a few bike dads and moms she’s grateful to - Aaron and Katharine, Rocky and Nate - for letting her hop on their shoulders to see what bikes had to offer her. She dreams of infrastructure and a culture for bikes continuing to gain ground in Pittsburgh. She’s very hopeful for the future, loves press freedom, and carries anti-war sentiments.
Jenny is from State College where she first started working on bicycles and found her affection for recumbent bikes/trikes and other weird bi/tri/quadricycles. She's an avid commuter and loves adventures by bike. She moved first to Philly before finding her way to Pittsburgh. After years in the 'burgh secretly rooting for Kindred's success she finally found herself working here in March 2020. She loves any chance to work on a weird bicycle, tricycle, quadricycle or handcycle, and any chance to clean a well-loved bike!
Richard Owens is from Virginia Beach, VA, but became a permanent Pittsburgh transplant in 2019. He loves his adopted city and all of the cycling opportunities it presents, as well as the cycling infrastructure within the city. The GAP trail was one of the reasons he moved to the area, and he loves spending time exploring and enjoying the trail, as well as many others. Richard has worked in bike shops for 15 years, and looks forward to spending many more at Kindred.
Jesse is writing to be a pedicab pilot. (That's me!) I'm writing to be biking. I already have done a few shows and a couple more bike showings. As far as I know you're still here? OK, I hope so. (This is a story for the fans.) Thanks to Mike for the tip. Hey guys, I know this is just a short update, but it's about time to begin a blog post. For those of you who don't know, I'm from Minnesota and my father was my great uncle who was also the chief of staff at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (where I ran school!) who was the chief bike inspector here in the early 90s. Like you said, I did bike running in college and eventually got my license from a medical professional named Dr Michael Cottier while living in New York City, and still, riding is still my favorite sport.
Paint Can has been hard at work holding the front door open for seven years - all the years Kindred has been in existence. Paint Can also still houses paint - the gold stuff on the front face of the shop. Here pictured, enjoying some leisure time. MVP. Paint Can, out.