yairi
I have a shiney new frame that wants the bb threads chased and bb faced, and head tube reamed and faced, and bb and headset installed.
What's the best shop around for this?
What's the best shop around for this?
best Winnipeg LBS for mechanical work?
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zephyr16
yari go to Olympia Cycle on portage ave.
Machka
Woodcock Cycle, or what used to be Olympia on Henderson ... I forget what it is called now.
I've dealt with most of them there, and was NOT impressed with any of the others .... including the Olympia on Portage. They are notorious for absolutely ignoring any female customers, and as a female customer I was not treated any differently. It's not nice to have staff, on several occasions, look right over you like you aren't standing there, and say to the man standing behind you, "Can I help you, sir?" :mad:
I've dealt with most of them there, and was NOT impressed with any of the others .... including the Olympia on Portage. They are notorious for absolutely ignoring any female customers, and as a female customer I was not treated any differently. It's not nice to have staff, on several occasions, look right over you like you aren't standing there, and say to the man standing behind you, "Can I help you, sir?" :mad:
jimmibudd
i think the old olympia is called Bikes and Beyond.....
the guys at Alter Ego on pembina are good guys.... i've only had minor work done there but they were good.... i'd also recommend the guys at Natural Cycle... they've done some work on my MTB and helped setup a fixie for me.... i've also had work done at Gords, but like to spend my $ in my neighborhood... so, i stick with Alter Ego..
hope that helps....
J
the guys at Alter Ego on pembina are good guys.... i've only had minor work done there but they were good.... i'd also recommend the guys at Natural Cycle... they've done some work on my MTB and helped setup a fixie for me.... i've also had work done at Gords, but like to spend my $ in my neighborhood... so, i stick with Alter Ego..
hope that helps....
J
mcleodja
Hi:
I have dealt with Bikes and Beyond, Gords, Woodcock, Alter Ego and Olympia on Portage and for after sales customer service I would go with Alter Ego every time. Woodcocks employees leave alot to be desired when it comes to product knowledge when Tim is out of the store, Olympia doesn't listen to what you want, Bikes and Beyond has great sales people but when you come in for servicing and the owner's wife gets involved, well I won't go any further, Gords you have to book weeks in advance. Alter Ego I have purchased my wifes mtb there and have had my specialized hard rock serviced there as well as work on my kids mtb's and they will always take you without an appointment, work is on a first come first served work schedule and I have had excellent service on on work and parts.
I have dealt with Bikes and Beyond, Gords, Woodcock, Alter Ego and Olympia on Portage and for after sales customer service I would go with Alter Ego every time. Woodcocks employees leave alot to be desired when it comes to product knowledge when Tim is out of the store, Olympia doesn't listen to what you want, Bikes and Beyond has great sales people but when you come in for servicing and the owner's wife gets involved, well I won't go any further, Gords you have to book weeks in advance. Alter Ego I have purchased my wifes mtb there and have had my specialized hard rock serviced there as well as work on my kids mtb's and they will always take you without an appointment, work is on a first come first served work schedule and I have had excellent service on on work and parts.
Quijibo187
lifesport on pembina is a good shop too, ask for Rob (tall skinny guy with glasses), he knows his stuff.
Been to a few other shops, alter ego seemed good too nice folks in there, didn't care much for woodcock either. gords is just too annoying to get to.
Been to a few other shops, alter ego seemed good too nice folks in there, didn't care much for woodcock either. gords is just too annoying to get to.
yairi
I ended up taking the bike to Alter Ego. Never been there before but I'll definitely be going back. Good people and the head mechanic seems to really know his stuff. The work was done well. Plus I don't think I've ever seen that many bikes per square foot before!
Crazy Cyclist
I usually go to bikes and beyond on Henderson Hwy. I have always had good service there.
Snow_canuck
woodcock?really? cmon those guys are complete ******s... we just recently had an guy named matt jump ship to come work at our store because woodcock was so terrible
Where do you work?
Where do you work?
AtomicCactus
lol. well i work at olympia on portage, which is why im so shamelessly promoting my shop
Damnit, I (unknowingly) passed that store today, and I had to purchase some stuff.
Say, BTW, does Olympia have hub bearing grease? I've been looking around for it...
And, does Olympia carry Giant bikes? I'm hoping to pick up an OCR1 this August, but your site isn't terribly informative :( .
Damnit, I (unknowingly) passed that store today, and I had to purchase some stuff.
Say, BTW, does Olympia have hub bearing grease? I've been looking around for it...
And, does Olympia carry Giant bikes? I'm hoping to pick up an OCR1 this August, but your site isn't terribly informative :( .
AtomicCactus
Sweet. Well I stopped by Olympia the other day. What an awesome shop! Got some hub grease, chain lube, and a Giant catelogue. And, I believe it's probably the closest shop to me. Bonus.
Winter76
I know I'm late but Sampson's om Pembina has done some great work for me. I took an aluminum frame off my neighbors hand and the BB was completely stripped. Sampsons was able to ream it out and thread it for an italian BB since the italians are wider diameter. They onyl charged me $15 for the work and I got perfectly good bike frame for a beach bike!
peter_d
Alter ego gets my vote too...bought my "Specialized" there, not an expensive bike but they spent a lot of time fitting me and i love the bike, the set-up was bang on too.
bgilchrist
Hi:
I have dealt with Bikes and Beyond, Gords, Woodcock, Alter Ego and Olympia on Portage and for after sales customer service I would go with Alter Ego every time. Woodcocks employees leave alot to be desired when it comes to product knowledge when Tim is out of the store, Olympia doesn't listen to what you want, Bikes and Beyond has great sales people but when you come in for servicing and the owner's wife gets involved, well I won't go any further, Gords you have to book weeks in advance.
I haven't dealt with bikes and beyond, as I am in the south end of the city. I can't say much about olympia, as I don't really shop there ( too far), and never really had any problems with the location on Pembina when it was open. Have to agree with you about woodcock though. Gord's is usually pretty busy, although the second location might alleviate some of that busyness. Alter Ego is really good too, they do really well when it comes to accomodating on a short schedule. I used to work near there and could get my bike in on a day's notice.
One place to stay away from.......Corydon Cycle and sports. Worst service in the city bar none. I had a gift certificate for a free tune up once, misplaced it and ended up finding it on the expiry date. It was late in the day, so called to see if he would still honor it the next day...flat out refused. pissed me off, 'cause he just didn't want to honor it. So I took it in that night, just to show him!!!
I have dealt with Bikes and Beyond, Gords, Woodcock, Alter Ego and Olympia on Portage and for after sales customer service I would go with Alter Ego every time. Woodcocks employees leave alot to be desired when it comes to product knowledge when Tim is out of the store, Olympia doesn't listen to what you want, Bikes and Beyond has great sales people but when you come in for servicing and the owner's wife gets involved, well I won't go any further, Gords you have to book weeks in advance.
I haven't dealt with bikes and beyond, as I am in the south end of the city. I can't say much about olympia, as I don't really shop there ( too far), and never really had any problems with the location on Pembina when it was open. Have to agree with you about woodcock though. Gord's is usually pretty busy, although the second location might alleviate some of that busyness. Alter Ego is really good too, they do really well when it comes to accomodating on a short schedule. I used to work near there and could get my bike in on a day's notice.
One place to stay away from.......Corydon Cycle and sports. Worst service in the city bar none. I had a gift certificate for a free tune up once, misplaced it and ended up finding it on the expiry date. It was late in the day, so called to see if he would still honor it the next day...flat out refused. pissed me off, 'cause he just didn't want to honor it. So I took it in that night, just to show him!!!
mcleodja
anyone ever use Natural Cycle on Albert Street and if so is their work any good and are they reliable?
I am looking to get same day service on a couple of broken spokes but as I ride to work I don't want to miss a day of riding
I am looking to get same day service on a couple of broken spokes but as I ride to work I don't want to miss a day of riding
Crazy Cyclist
anyone ever use Natural Cycle on Albert Street and if so is their work any good and are they reliable?
I am looking to get same day service on a couple of broken spokes but as I ride to work I don't want to miss a day of riding
I have used Natural Cycle as few times. They were OK when they did my bike. some unsavory characters hanging out by the front door but other than that it was pretty good.
also check out: www.continualcycles.com
I am looking to get same day service on a couple of broken spokes but as I ride to work I don't want to miss a day of riding
I have used Natural Cycle as few times. They were OK when they did my bike. some unsavory characters hanging out by the front door but other than that it was pretty good.
also check out: www.continualcycles.com
jimmibudd
natural cycle is good....
phone them, drop your bike at 8am and pick it up at lunch....
i worked downtown for a bit and thats how i doscovered them...
i still make the trip to buy any parts or have any repair questions...
they're not neccesarily unsavory chracters... just young... there is a veg./vegan restaurant on the main floor that smells amazing!!
ps. natural cycle is in the bsmnt...
jB
phone them, drop your bike at 8am and pick it up at lunch....
i worked downtown for a bit and thats how i doscovered them...
i still make the trip to buy any parts or have any repair questions...
they're not neccesarily unsavory chracters... just young... there is a veg./vegan restaurant on the main floor that smells amazing!!
ps. natural cycle is in the bsmnt...
jB
zephyr16
yeah, natural is not bad at all
though, for some reason they charge an arm and a leg for their "prairie bike"...when they are really just old bikes with decent wheels...
though, for some reason they charge an arm and a leg for their "prairie bike"...when they are really just old bikes with decent wheels...
bgilchrist
I've only been into natural cycle once. I was looking for a rack for my bike. I had to explain to them what a rear rack for a bike was! One person I work with goes there often though and says the service is quite good and reasonably priced.
Winter76
I just spent a delightful afternoon at the Bike Dump on Main Street. http://www.bike-dump.ca/index.html
I know how to do some repairs to my bikes (brake & derailleur adjustments, pedal replacements, bottom bracket servicing, etc) but I did not know how to true my own wheels.
I brougt the wheels from my 1975 Raleigh to the Bike dump and asked if someone could teach me how to true my wheels. A really nice guy named Greg stepped up and tought me how to do it. He was really patient as I fumbled my first few spoke adjustments and stayed until I'd trued the entire rear wheel. I did the front on my own, asked if I could help with anything (Heck I'll sweep floors or clean a chain if it helps), and then I went home.
The people at the Bike Dump are fantastic, best part is you leave knowing more about how to fix your bike than when you went in. Two Thumbs up.
I know how to do some repairs to my bikes (brake & derailleur adjustments, pedal replacements, bottom bracket servicing, etc) but I did not know how to true my own wheels.
I brougt the wheels from my 1975 Raleigh to the Bike dump and asked if someone could teach me how to true my wheels. A really nice guy named Greg stepped up and tought me how to do it. He was really patient as I fumbled my first few spoke adjustments and stayed until I'd trued the entire rear wheel. I did the front on my own, asked if I could help with anything (Heck I'll sweep floors or clean a chain if it helps), and then I went home.
The people at the Bike Dump are fantastic, best part is you leave knowing more about how to fix your bike than when you went in. Two Thumbs up.
Northendfixie
I do my own work but buy most parts from Natural Cycle and Gooches on Sherbrooke. Natural I like because its basically a fixie place. Gooches I like because its a small shop which I would rather support than a big corporation. In both places I have had great service from some staff and less than superb from others. Natural's prices are good on some things and high on others.
Snow_canuck
Northendfixie, what do you ride? I want a SS and was thinking of looking at the IROs at Natural Cycle. I hear good things.
Northendfixie
Northendfixie, what do you ride? I want a SS and was thinking of looking at the IROs at Natural Cycle. I hear good things.
Last summer's bike is here (excuse the crappy cell phone picture). This years is very similar but different (better) old frame. http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2007/june/2/david_graysons.htm
This is a great gallery if you are looking for ideas etc. I started off stripping the old 10 speed down to a single speed then after a month I got brave and migrated over to a fixed gear. Love fixed gear!!! Never going back!!! My suggestion would be to get a crappy old 10 speed ($20 at a gargae sale or free at the bike dump), pull all the derailleurs off, put a chain around whichever pair of sprockets seem to line up ( one of the middle gear combos) and go for a ride. That'll tell you if you like single speed. Then go to bike shop and have them spin off the freewheel (rear gear cluster) ( or you can do it yourself if you buy the right tool) so you can put on a fixed gear cog (gear sprocket) (also about $20), and spin it on. If you can, scrounge a bottom bracket lockring to put on top of the cog to help keep it from backing off (real fixed gear uses a track hub with a left handed lockring to prevent this, but most fixies on the road in Winnipeg just have what I just described). Go for another ride. Now you will know if you like fixed gear. The you can start sinking money into proper fixed gear hubs, cranksets etc or you can buy the whole thing at once (eg IRO). Most fixies or singlespeeds out there are handmade from old frames.
Last summer's bike is here (excuse the crappy cell phone picture). This years is very similar but different (better) old frame. http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2007/june/2/david_graysons.htm
This is a great gallery if you are looking for ideas etc. I started off stripping the old 10 speed down to a single speed then after a month I got brave and migrated over to a fixed gear. Love fixed gear!!! Never going back!!! My suggestion would be to get a crappy old 10 speed ($20 at a gargae sale or free at the bike dump), pull all the derailleurs off, put a chain around whichever pair of sprockets seem to line up ( one of the middle gear combos) and go for a ride. That'll tell you if you like single speed. Then go to bike shop and have them spin off the freewheel (rear gear cluster) ( or you can do it yourself if you buy the right tool) so you can put on a fixed gear cog (gear sprocket) (also about $20), and spin it on. If you can, scrounge a bottom bracket lockring to put on top of the cog to help keep it from backing off (real fixed gear uses a track hub with a left handed lockring to prevent this, but most fixies on the road in Winnipeg just have what I just described). Go for another ride. Now you will know if you like fixed gear. The you can start sinking money into proper fixed gear hubs, cranksets etc or you can buy the whole thing at once (eg IRO). Most fixies or singlespeeds out there are handmade from old frames.
Snow_canuck
Last summer's bike is here (excuse the crappy cell phone picture). This years is very similar but different (better) old frame. http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2007/june/2/david_graysons.htm
This is a great gallery if you are looking for ideas etc. I started off stripping the old 10 speed down to a single speed then after a month I got brave and migrated over to a fixed gear. Love fixed gear!!! Never going back!!! My suggestion would be to get a crappy old 10 speed ($20 at a gargae sale or free at the bike dump), pull all the derailleurs off, put a chain around whichever pair of sprockets seem to line up ( one of the middle gear combos) and go for a ride. That'll tell you if you like single speed. Then go to bike shop and have them spin off the freewheel (rear gear cluster) ( or you can do it yourself if you buy the right tool) so you can put on a fixed gear cog (gear sprocket) (also about $20), and spin it on. If you can, scrounge a bottom bracket lockring to put on top of the cog to help keep it from backing off (real fixed gear uses a track hub with a left handed lockring to prevent this, but most fixies on the road in Winnipeg just have what I just described). Go for another ride. Now you will know if you like fixed gear. The you can start sinking money into proper fixed gear hubs, cranksets etc or you can buy the whole thing at once (eg IRO). Most fixies or singlespeeds out there are handmade from old frames.
Yeah, I've done all that. I like a new bike cuz I'm a poser. I'm a HUGE fan of planet freddy fenders on a single speed with bullhorns. :D
This is a great gallery if you are looking for ideas etc. I started off stripping the old 10 speed down to a single speed then after a month I got brave and migrated over to a fixed gear. Love fixed gear!!! Never going back!!! My suggestion would be to get a crappy old 10 speed ($20 at a gargae sale or free at the bike dump), pull all the derailleurs off, put a chain around whichever pair of sprockets seem to line up ( one of the middle gear combos) and go for a ride. That'll tell you if you like single speed. Then go to bike shop and have them spin off the freewheel (rear gear cluster) ( or you can do it yourself if you buy the right tool) so you can put on a fixed gear cog (gear sprocket) (also about $20), and spin it on. If you can, scrounge a bottom bracket lockring to put on top of the cog to help keep it from backing off (real fixed gear uses a track hub with a left handed lockring to prevent this, but most fixies on the road in Winnipeg just have what I just described). Go for another ride. Now you will know if you like fixed gear. The you can start sinking money into proper fixed gear hubs, cranksets etc or you can buy the whole thing at once (eg IRO). Most fixies or singlespeeds out there are handmade from old frames.
Yeah, I've done all that. I like a new bike cuz I'm a poser. I'm a HUGE fan of planet freddy fenders on a single speed with bullhorns. :D
bgilchrist
I do my own work but buy most parts from Natural Cycle and Gooches on Sherbrooke. Natural I like because its basically a fixie place. Gooches I like because its a small shop which I would rather support than a big corporation. In both places I have had great service from some staff and less than superb from others. Natural's prices are good on some things and high on others.
And the big corporation bike stores in winnipeg would be who?
The only LBS in Winnipeg with more than one location is Gord's (Olympia doesn't count because there are different owners for each location).
Not dissing your preference for either gooches or natural cycle, but saying it's better than supporting a 'big corporation' doesn't make sense if you are comparing it to other LBSs.
And the big corporation bike stores in winnipeg would be who?
The only LBS in Winnipeg with more than one location is Gord's (Olympia doesn't count because there are different owners for each location).
Not dissing your preference for either gooches or natural cycle, but saying it's better than supporting a 'big corporation' doesn't make sense if you are comparing it to other LBSs.
ijgrant
I usually deal with Natural cycle. They're pretty good for what they strive for: Durable, no-frills parts. The food at the restuarant above (Mondragon) is excellent. I go in for parts, and end up spending an extra $15 on lunch and cake.
Northendfixie
good point (ouch). ok smaller more struggling businesses then...
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