The essential individuals of cycling series, Budapest: Joss Alcantara

Hi Joss! Can you tell me a littIe about yourself? 

I was born in Venezuela, in a port city called puerto la Cruz, since then I lived in many different places: Aruba , Caracas, margarita island then Grenada  and now Hungary.I always loved vehicles and machines. Specially cars. I even have1966 mustang convertible.  Back in Venezuela. Sadly back there the general situation has been exponentially worst for the last 15 years that made me decide like many others.to leave the country  Now I have lived in Budapest since 2010, I came with my suitcase and a scholarship to study Hungarian. I chose Hungary because of my Hungarian Heritage.

Here's Joss trying his new invisible, horizontal submergable bike, one handed...

What do you do now in Budapest?
Now I am studying to later work as a hotel or restaurant manager, I work with bicycles on the side.

Joss's workshop in downtown Budapest

How did you become so well known in cycling circles?
I have become pretty well know in Budapest in cycling circles because I simply love what I do, in one side I fix, renew, and restore these old city bikes. So many people know about me because of that. On the other hand I also work with high end exotic collectible bikes. Many bike stores know me for showing up with a different cool bike every time I go.

How and why did you develop your love of cycling?
I developed my love for cycling and bicycles very much since I arrived to Budapest. Before that I always loved motorbikes, cars and any mechanical machine or vehicle.   But I arrived with no money for any of these things. After a couple of months of being in Budapest I managed to save some money to buy a bicycle, I bought it for 13.000ft. I did not know anything about bikes back then.  The bike turn out to be a piece off junk and I had to fix many things on it, or at least try to fix them. Of course I needed to do it myself because I had no money to pay a mechanic.

I actually never managed to fix the bike. One day I find this other used bike in a bike store that was 15,000 HUF and I was able to buy it using my current bike as a part of the payment.  I definitely lost money But now I had a bike that was working very well. Later I switched bike again, and slowly upgrading, fixing, and selling. I started to make a little profit that helped me to buy the parts that I needed for the next bike. And in the process I developed a personal taste for bikes.

How could the cycling experience in Budapest be improved?  There is many things to do to improve cycling in the city, the biggest problems are: theft, rules of the road that not everybody knows and a society that grew up with the car as the main mode of transport.

If someone, new to the city would like to get hold of a cheap bicycle, what's the best way to go about it?
If you just arrived to Budapest and want to buy a bicycle, and you don't know Hungarian, the best options are: to find bike stores that also sell used bikes. The (Budapest) used bikes for sale on Facebook,. The Szimpla bike market, and other students that are selling their bike.I would not recommend normal markets to buy a bicycle, because there is a big chance that the bike is stolen. And even if you don't get in trouble, you will be supporting the thieves.

Another important thing is: always use a good lock, I will say one costing no less than 5000HUF. It is also helpful if you have some form of documentation as proof of purchase for the bike. And if you know nothing about it, have it checked by a bike store to make sure you a riding one that is safe.

Can you give me some thoughts on the cycling culture in the city?
Just like in college, there are many different groups of cyclist: The mountain bikers, the road bikers, the "Fixie" riders, the BMXers, the commuters etc.In the last few years the culture of cycling has been growing a lot. I see every day more and more people cycling, and I am happy about that. It has become not only a mode of transportation, but a cool trendy thing