Mariel Alison L. Aguinaldo
When one is asked to name an “iconic duo”, cycling and coffee isn’t exactly what comes to mind. Celeste Cafe and Cycles aims to change just that.
“Cycling and coffee have had a long history together, from races to pit stops when riding your bike, so we decided to put a specialty coffee shop with our showroom to showcase both worlds the best we could,” said Andrew Maravillas, COO of Celeste Cycles.
The cafe is the latest experience offered by Celeste Cycles, one of the country’s largest retailers of top-of-the-line cycling products. Inspired by Hong Kong-style bike shops, businessman and biking enthusiast Paul Tan put up the first store in 2017.
While the cafe is a fun addition to the Celeste Cycles experience, older patrons can still enjoy the products and services that they’ve come to expect of the shop– along with a few upgrades.
They still carry familiar brands like Bianchi, Factor, and Dimond. But jumping in is Devel Project, a Filipino concept cycling brand that serves as the country’s foot-in-the-door to the international market. Devel Mach 1, the brand’s first concept bike, is already up for sale.
And aside from their mechanic area designated especially for repairs and maintenance, new tech-powered facilities help give cyclists their best biking experience. This includes an indoor training facility powered by Acer Xplova’s New Noza Smart Trainers and the Precision Bike Fitting Studio equipped with 3D Motionlogic Systems.
“We also created the space to serve as a meeting place for cyclists where we can just simply hang out and talk about our passions, adventures, and future rides,” Maravillas said.