Taiwan's cycling culture is expressed and created in several manifestations. Culture is not about where something comes from. You can argue that all the way back to the australopithecines. The important aspect is what people do with it. This is where the formation of culture happens.
One of these "Locations of Culture", to spin a phrase from Homi Bhabha, can be found at Caffe Terry, in Taichung's Nantun District.
Caffe Terry (caffe in the Italian spelling for coffee) is a fantastic hub for Taichung's cyclists, or for anybody who is simply interested in good beverages and good food.
The cafe is owned and operated by Terry Lin, who is a well-known cyclist in his own right, and the organizer of Team Caffe Tery, one of our local teams. Terry uses his cafe to organize cycling events and to simply foster greater cycling culture. The entire cafe is built around a cycling motif, with tabled made from bike wheels, and various accessories littered throughout the cafe.
One thing Terry offers that is lacking at most of Taiwan's cafes is ample bicycle parking. You can easily ride out for a pre or post ride buzz, leave your bike outside and chill out with the piece of mind that your bike is out of the way and safe.
Terry's corner location makes it a bit like a hide-away, sequestered off from the traffic of nearby Gong-yi Rd. There is plenty of space to relax, both in doors and out and the layout makes sense without crowding too many chairs into too little space.
Terry's also has an ample bar area to simply run in, drop a couple shots of caffeine, chat up Terry about the local conditions, and then hit the road.
One thing I really liked was the abundant use of natural lighting. Nothing makes me feel more annoyed than cafes that use nothing but florescent bulbs.
On this trip I ordered a cappuccino and a smoked chicken sandwich. My wife ordered an Americano and the German sausage.
Terry made a satisfying cappuccino, not too acidic like most places. It really hit the spot.
The smoked chicken sandwich looked pretty basic at first, but after taking a few bikes it was actually a complex taste. I really enjoyed the choice of ingredients... especially the cheese. Mmmm!
My wife was impressed with the quality of the sausage and mustard. She wasn't such a fan of all that dressing and might suggest dressing on the side next time. Excellent dinner rolls!
We stayed for quite a while and browsed the cycling related reading material for some time. I then chatted with Terry for a while about... cycling. I guess his team saw me in Changhua on the side of the road as I nursed the cramps from my legs. How embarrassing.
Terry's makes an excellent location for any area cyclist to organize rides, meet fellow cyclists, rendezvous before or after a ride, integrate into Taichung's cycling culture, or just chill with a book. I hope readers out there will stop by and give it a try. Great Place!
Caffe Terry:422 Da Ying St.
Nantun Dist.
Taichung City
Phone: 0423207243
Hours: Tues-Sun. 10:00am-12:00am
(Caffe Terry is located on a side street across from the Starbucks and 3C Electronics Store on Gong Yi Rd.)
週二~週日AM10:00~PM24:00 公休日(星期一) 0423207243 可預約 台中市南屯區大英街422號 自備杯子點飲品可折10元
UPDATE: Let me add some useful information from the comments section below:
Andrew, great post and review of Cafe Terry. Terry is a good friend and I am there often (almost daily). I think people might also find it interesting to know that as a side business, Terry builds/assembles custom bikes, and/or can have frames custom painted. Most the frames/bikes in his shop are his own graphic concepts (not talking frame geometry). Take him parts and ask him to find a frame to fit, or just tell him what you want and your budget and he will find frame and parts and assemble it for you. Also, every so often (once every few months, usually on a Sunday) he hosts a "bike flea market" at his shop, where people can bring the bikes and parts they want to sell (in advance of that day) and coffee and bike lovers can browse and buy; he will handle the selling so, the seller doesn't need to be there at all. Again, thanks for the post. Keep riding!
