Three brothers. Two wheels. One mission: Get the Bronx riding

“You grow up in the city, you need a bike,” said Robert Hued, who was out getting his bicycle fixed by Bronx Messenger, a grassroots business started in 2017 that repairs bicycles at competitive rates and hosts free outdoor pop-ups. This was their first such event since April 2020, where they were offering chain and break adjustments and air service on a recent Sunday. 

“The Bronx is a desert,” said Dewitt Ortiz, one of the founders and mechanics of Bronx Messenger, when talking about where to buy bikes and get routine maintenance.

In fact, there are less than a dozen bike shops in the Bronx — which has a land area of approximately 42 square miles — as opposed to Manhattan, which is about half the size of the Bronx with more than double the shops.

Standing at the entrance of Jay Hood Wright Park in Washington Heights, Hued had learned about Bronx Messenger because his brother, Kristian Hued, was out walking his dog and stumbled upon them, like many people did on an unseasonably warm April afternoon. The two grabbed old bicycles they had at home and brought them out.

Soon, people started to crowd around.

Started by three brothers from Highbridge — Darriel, Dewitt and Henny Ortiz — Bronx Messenger delivers the message of community, a healthy lifestyle and aims to empower people through bicycle maintenance education. They first started by hosting pop-ups near Yankee Stadium. But they realized they needed help with getting their message to a wider audience and began a five-month training program at Green Worker Cooperatives. Started in 2003, the South Bronx nonprofit is a business development service that assists environmentally sustainable worker cooperatives run by immigrant communities and/or people of color. They provide greater visibility of one’s brand and legal assistance related to the business, amongst other services.

Darriel Ortiz is the logistics man and the youngest, he is eloquent and knowledgeable in expressing the mission of their business. Dewitt Ortiz is the brains of the operation. He studied bicycle mechanics and is able to solidify the reputation of the business with his expertise.

Then there’s Henny Ortiz, he’s the showman. He provides smiles, gentle joshing and is the eldest of the three. “I’m old school,” he said.

All the brothers are hands-on with repairs and offer thorough post consultations explaining the work that has been done on the bike and anything owners may need to address the longevity of their two-wheeled companions.   

“I was studying in Queens, working in Jersey and living in the Bronx. My girlfriend at the time, now my wife, she lived in Brooklyn, so I needed a way to commute,” said Dewitt Ortiz about how his passion for bike building began. He bought a bike frame from a thrift store in 2012, started buying pieces for it little by little and taught himself to build the bike by visiting shops and asking questions. “I had to go to Harlem to get parts,” he said. Dewitt Ortiz used to go to MODSquad Cycles, a bicycle shop on Frederick Douglass Boulevard, which closed in 2014.

In 2019, the city Department of Transportation launched Green Wave: A Plan for Cycling in New York City in 2019, which presents a long-term citywide vision for improving cycling safety and the riding experience, but also marries that with more immediate improvements. The plan reports that nearly 1.6 million New York adults ride bikes, while the city has added 332 miles of bike lanes between 2014 and 2019.

But with a lack of shops, many bikes end up collecting dust or being abandoned on the streets, which Bronx Messenger collects to fulfill their slogan — recycle, bicycle and repair. They salvage old frames or scrap the bike for parts.

“Some people have their bike sitting for five, six years and they don’t have the money to pay for an adjustment or maintenance, said Jose Florencio. “Thats why we’re doing this for free for the community.”

Florencio, along with Daniel Diaz, is the co-founder of La Familia Bike Tour, based in Washington Heights and inspired by Tour de Bronx. La Familia and Bronx Messenger found each other by being in the same circles and joined forces in 2019 — La Familia was the reason Bronx Messenger was in Washington Heights on that warm April morning. Not only was Bronx Messenger there to promote themselves, but also the 13-mile La Familia Bike Tour, which will take place on Sunday, April 23. Participants will meet at 173rd Street and Fort Washington Avenue at 11 a.m.

Bronx Messenger also partners with several causes and organizations, such as Uptown & Boogie Healthy Project, Bronx River Alliance and the upcoming Earth Day.

The Ortiz brothers have several bicycles between them and recall their first ones like it was yesterday.

“Probably like 8. It was a BMX. A red small kid’s bike. I called it la chiva loca (crazy goat),” said Henny Ortiz.

“My first bike, I believe I was like 11 or 12. It was a pink bike that my mom’s friend got for us. For me and [Dewitt]. We’re two years apart,” said Darriel Ortiz. “And we share the same birthday month. You got it for one of us, it’s ours.”

They spray-painted it black and never looked back.

For all your bike needs, you can book their services on their Instagram page @bronx_messenger or email them at bronxmessenger@gmail.

“Basically you tell us what kind of bike you have and what service you need,” said Darriel Ortiz. “They can meet up with us or we always try to go meet up with them.”