Western Canada - Calgary Bike Shops?

Seems to be a few Calgarians around the forum... can anyone recommend a good place to shop for a new mountain bike? I've dealt with a few shops for minor tech stuff, and have bought lots of parts from Bow Cycle, but I'm not sure who really know their stuff (have been unimpressed with a few shops). I'm looking for a bike for my fiancee', so a shop that caters to women or has some women on staff would be a bonus.

I like Mountain Bike City on 17th Ave. They provide great service. Prices are really good too.

Thanks, I'll check them out. I haven't been there before.

Bow Cycle, hands down the best shop in town.

Some people I know are very fond of Pedal Head. It's in the south, in Avenida Center or nearby, off Macleod Trail. Important to find a good one that is close, hemmm?

Calgary Cycle is supposed to be good for MTB's.

Calgary Cycle is supposed to be good for MTB's.

+1 for Bow Cycle

I also like Campione.

Tuxedo Source for sports on Center street north.

Hey,

The only way to find out is to go to the different shops yourself. Bike Shops, in my opinion, are more personal than underwear. You can see that everyone has an opinion of what is best - no one says anything specific about why their shop is best.

Calgary is a wacky bike shop town. There are 2 monster shops (Bow and BS). Bow has gotten so big I'm surprised they don't have Safeway style checkouts and blue light specials. How much would you trust the "advice" of a grocery clerk when it comes to your bike. BS - well, visit them and see what customer service isn't.

So here is the Reader's Digest of the rest:

Freeride rats like Calgary Cycle because they sell stuff to jump off cliffs with and that seems to be their focus. Derek, the owner is a good guy and means well. Some of the staff are... well they're paid help and don't live up to Derek's standards I'm sure.

Cyclepath is like a corner convenience store compared to Bow. Same lack-luster knowledge in a wanna-be grocery store.

Pedal Head - i've heard a few people that like them - no first hand experience though.

B&P - you can get your skates sharpened while you're there - not exactly the feeling that these guys live to ride, ride to live sorta thing. More like - bikes in the summer, skates in the winter pays the bills.

Cactus - no one talks about them. If you have an open mind about bike brands they mean well but aren't super "into" bikes.

Singletrack - once again, some people really like them - worth checking for yourself.

Ridleys - nice looking store, good brands, i've heard ok things and not so good things.

Eurotech - heard good things.

Mountain Bike City - your only alternative to Bow if you're set on Kona or Cannondale but otherwise have heard quite good and bad things.

To point out how good the scene is in Calgary, I have heard of people (depending on the brand they're after) going to Airdrie, Cochrane or Canmore to avoid Calgary shops. This is also a trick many people use for faster service - Calgary shops are getting a good name for spoiling our short cycling season by requiring 2 weeks+ for service - and half the time, bad service.

I offer this advice. Visit shops. Find someplace where you can talk to people who ride bikes and appreciate bikes for the same reason you do. Some guys are full of BS, some love certain brands, but someone out there will like stuff for the same reason you do and ride the same sort of terrain you do. That guy is worth something to you - find him, support the shop he works at or owns. I could tell you which shop I like but it isn't important because I found "my guy" for "my riding and bike style" and he may not be "your guy". All I can say is, I don't support mail-order, I leave Calgary when I go bike shopping and I once worked in the bike biz and that is why I am so interested in this topic.

Oh, wait! How could I forget! You should maybe consider the sport swap downtown. Other SS are not so great. I somehow always feel good about them, even though technically they are not a "bike shop".

Hey,
BS - well, visit them and see what customer service isn't.


Generally speaking the Bike Shop has pretty dismal customer service, but it is the closest LBS to my apt so I do go there occasionally. The last few times I was pleasantly surprised by great service from some of the people there. So it isn't all bad, but I have been in there a few times where I could have waved a hundred dollar bill in the air and been completely ignored for 30mins. Kinda weird when its obviously a profit driven business - you' think they'd want your money...:eek: :rolleyes: :mad: :p

I haven't had a great experience in a Calgary shop since a buddy owned Ridley's back in the 80s.

I would give a tentative nod to Lifesport, since a friend is working in the repair shop, their turnaround for repairs is quite good, I can't speak to their bike selection or service.

If you don't mind going out of town, Bike Bros. In Cochrane is pretty good. Granted, I didn't get a lot of work done there (I do most of my own servicing, so I don't know first hand how they are for truing wheels etc), but it's a small shop in a smallish town (I'm amazed by some of the shops in Cochrane), and my experience was great. The town is pretty nice for biking in too (I think the speed limit is 30 km/h). Yeah. I'm a fan. Went to get a larger sprocket for my 3 speed and he actually had one in stock, and with installation the total cost was about 8 bucks. Actually, I'm pretty sure that my summer Camp gets most of their bicycles serviced there for their mountain biking program.

The one time I brought my entire bike (which is an old steel frame frankenbike) I didn't recieve any of this "Oh, you should get a new bike" Jazz that I hear a lot of bike shops give. I was served rather quickly, and without any objections.

So, if you want to go, maybe make it a day trip... buy some bike stuff, check out the local shops... have a picnic down by the river... it's a really nice town to go to.

Anyway... there's my plug. Yeah. I'm done now.

Generally speaking the Bike Shop has pretty dismal customer service, but it is the closest LBS to my apt so I do go there occasionally. The last few times I was pleasantly surprised by great service from some of the people there. So it isn't all bad, but I have been in there a few times where I could have waved a hundred dollar bill in the air and been completely ignored for 30mins. Kinda weird when its obviously a profit driven business - you' think they'd want your money...:eek: :rolleyes: :mad: :p
The Bike Shop is being driven into the ground, IMO. Kevin acquired it from his mother and while he might know bikes and have connections he knows absolutely nothing about running a shop. His rule of thumb(from what a former employee told me:) you should be spending no more than 1 min per customer, then he's out the door. I seriously think the only thing keeping them alive is the location, a few loyal customers, and Rocky Mountain. He also wants to keep his employees at a 2 year turnaround, to avoid giving raises.
I really have to hand it Bow. They have taken the bike shop business to the next level. Where else are you going to get a Kikapu for $649? They also run their own lines(BBC bikes) and treat the staff like gold. There are staff member there that are going on 25 years+. That says something. Brian and the rest of the owners might be cowboy managers, but you can come in on a busy Saturday and still get some great customer service.
my .02

In my opinion, Bike Bros in Cochrane Rules. That Graham is a handsome devil and Mike, his new full-time guy is knowledgable and good to talk to.

Just kidding. This is Graham. I own Bike Bros and spend about 60 hours a week at the shop and get out on my mountain, road or bmx bike when I'm not working - this is still a priority for me and it keeps me really excited about bikes.

I don't want to sound all "advertisy" but I hope those of you who haven't come out to Bike Bros give us a shot. We still absolutely live and love bikes (this is 21 years since my first bike shop job in high school). There are 2 of us here. That means we bend over backwards to get you onto the perfect bike or service the old bike properly. Why? Because if we don't, it is still personal enough around here that we feel a personal sense of duty to serve each customer as if they are friend or family.

If you're thinking about a new bike, I should mention that I agonize over the bikes I select for the store. I don't just carry all bikes from certain brands. I look at all the specs of every model and only select bikes I consider to be "best buys" - so there are no bad choices to be made here. All we ask is for customers to have an open mind. Tell us what you want your bike to do for you and we'll give you 2 or 3 awesome choices to test-ride. If your heart is set on a certain model from a certain brand, we might be able to help you. If your heart is set on spending your money wisely and ending up on an awesome bike - we're your store.

see ya,
Graham.

I've lived and ridden in Calgary all my life. Here is my take on the LBS I've dealt with for what its worth.

:D BowCycle - I bought my MTB, my SS/Fixie and our Chariot stroller from them. The biggest shop in Calgary for a good reason. A large selection of product, fair prices and fairly good service depending on the sales person. I\You can usully get a deal there. Specialized, Cannondale, Scott, Kona, Merlin, LiteSpeed, Cervelo, Wilier...
:( The Bike Shop - I've purchased quite a bit of from them in the past. Good guys in the tech shop. They serviced my roadie and did a fabulous job at a good price. I agree with others though, customer service has degraded over the years. Specialized, Rocky Mountain, Guru, Colnago, No Felt this year
:) B & P - This shop is close to my office so I've purchase many accesories from them. Brent, the manager is very knowledgable and has given me good deals and some misc. parts free. Hockey seems to be thier bread and butter but they have knowledgable staff & good techs. They carry mostly Norco & Brodie gravity & freeride bikes but has Trek & some cruisers.
:) CyclePath South - Good guys. I had some work done there and they accomodated me in short notice. I've purchased various accessories from them and will contnue to in the future. Trek, Norco, Giant, Evil,
:mad: CyclePath North (Not affiliated with CyclePath South) - I will not do business with them. Very poor customer service. They refused to order a rear shock from OGC for me because "it wasn't worth thier time". I'm serious! Then, another time, the Owner & tech ignored us even though thier shop was empty. When asked for help, the owner sighed and reluctantly came over. (Hockey conversations are more important than customers.) The last time we were there looking for a bike for my wife, they tried passing a 2 year old bike off as current. When called on it they admitted its age but said "it's still a new bike" and wouldn't take anything less than full retail for it.
:( EuroTech - Small shop in the N.W. Nice & friendly people but they never seem to have what I need. Jamis, DeRosa, Opus, Marin
:D Single Track - Stu & crew probably has the best customer service I've ever had from any shop in Calgary. I bought my wifes MTB from them. The staff bent over backwards to fit her and ensure we were happy. Buddy of mine bought his MTB from them too and had the same excellent service. I try to purchase from them whenever I can but hey are far fom my house/work. Jamis, Opus, Gary Fisher, Diamondback
:( Tuxedo - Like B&P, hockey seem to be thier bread and butter. owever thier staff is not knowledgable except for Ryan the Tech. I've only purchased MTB shoes from them but a buddy bought a bike from them. He said that will never go back. Specialized & Giant
:) VitaSport - I remember Ed from over 26 years ago. I was 14 at the time he built my first wheel set. A very small roadie shop that is personable & uncommercialized. Ed recently built a wheel for the Falcon last year. DeRosa. Not much stock but Ed will order for you.

I too have had a hard time in Calgary - Bow cycle definitely is a good place to buy a bike, and it's the only place that will do service for me while I wait - if you can't do this, you dont have my business (how do I get around w/o wheels???), but it seems that their mechanics vary - I haven't had a great experience with things being a bit clunky, not well adjusted and so on.

I've tried lifecycle and ridley's, but I'm not too impressed - they seem to be more about the selling than the servicing.

If you have a DIY kind of bent - I like to buy my stuff at MEC and put it together myself - great prices on a lot of gear but no service (I'm no wrench but I can put stuff on my bikes OK).

That being said - Bow cycle is the only place I've been to where the staff is actually interested in talking about bikes, setups, gear ratios, solving problems and so on - that's where I go first if I have a question.

:mad: CyclePath North (Not affiliated with CyclePath South) - I will not do business with them. Very poor customer service. They refused to order a rear shock from OGC for me because "it wasn't worth thier time". I'm serious! Then, another time, the Owner & tech ignored us even though thier shop was empty. When asked for help, the owner sighed and reluctantly came over. (Hockey conversations are more important than customers.) The last time we were there looking for a bike for my wife, they tried passing a 2 year old bike off as current. When called on it they admitted its age but said "it's still a new bike" and wouldn't take anything less than full retail for it.

That's pretty terrible. They obviously don't want to stay in business if they can't get on the horn and order you a shock...and not taking anything other than full pop for a bike is ridiculous...

Out of curiosity where is Cyclepath North?

I wouldn't waste my time going there but its on 32nd Avenue N.E. (If they haven't gone out of business)

I've heard through the grapevine that they were done...terrible location for a shop anyways, right in the middle of a busy industrial area, no real riding other than the 2 Km+ to the river pathway:o
I'm a firm believer in customer service at any cost. It's a brutal market out there and you have to throw it all on the line to survive these days...

If CyclePath North is out of business, it doesn't come as a suprise.

I agree woith you that location has a lot to do with a succesful business but great customer service is golden. BowCycle is located way out in Bowness away from most of the cities traffic patterns yet they are the largest shop in Calgary.

A few years ago I was building up my Atlantis. I wanted to buy the parts locally but nobody was interested in sitting down with me for half an hour and picking and choosing components for a touring bike. I went to several stores including Bow and finally gave up and ordered everything online.

I used to order Brooks saddles through Campione, but last time I tried they didn't call me back for three weeks, by which time I had the saddle from Wallbike.

At Bow they have tons of mechanics, some are very good, some less good. What I find annoying is that you usually have to book a service appointment weeks in advance. While-you-wait-service, you must be joking!

A few years ago I was building up my Atlantis. I wanted to buy the parts locally but nobody was interested in sitting down with me for half an hour and picking and choosing components for a touring bike. I went to several stores including Bow and finally gave up and ordered everything online.

I used to order Brooks saddles through Campione, but last time I tried they didn't call me back for three weeks, by which time I had the saddle from Wallbike.

At Bow they have tons of mechanics, some are very good, some less good. What I find annoying is that you usually have to book a service appointment weeks in advance. While-you-wait-service, you must be joking!
Well it tough when there are only a few real guys throwing their heart n' soul into doing something that I believe ia a possible career. Why not? guys go into apprenticeships for automotive and heavy duty, why not bicycle mechanics? It however takes a commitment from both the employee and the employer/owner. You have to run a couple thousand bikes through a tech's hands before he really starts getting it. Then you have to train him on the fine details of different brakes, rear der. whatever. And the two-week wait thing is just supply-demand. shops are hurting just like everbody else and it takes a certain type of person to come work in a shop for $14 when he could be driving a truck or something for 20.

Throwing in my 2 cents - I had really good service at Sport Swap on 11th Ave (12th? can't recall) downtown. They listened to what I would need the bike to do, then got me set up with one that fit my needs and my height/reach (not actually easy as I have long limbs and a short torso). They also took my old 10-speed to fix up for a bike charity.

Oh, and I'm a girl (see username :D) - there seem to be quite a few women on staff at Sport Swap, including at least 2 in the service/repair end.

I've heard through the grapevine that they were done...terrible location for a shop anyways, right in the middle of a busy industrial area, no real riding other than the 2 Km+ to the river pathway:o
I'm a firm believer in customer service at any cost. It's a brutal market out there and you have to throw it all on the line to survive these days...
Yes, they're gone, the lease went up and couldn't make it work. Which was a shame for me as it happened just when I started commuting regularly and they were pretty much on the way. They seemed not bad but then, I didn't have much to do with them before they were gone. They seemed a little less than enthusiastic but they were in the process of closing.

On a separate subject, does anyone know of an LBS in Calgary that *stocks* Schwalbe tires? I want to try Big Apples on my MTB, Bike Shop will order them if I can't find a stockist.

Mountain Bike City on 17th very good place..Bow Cycle (of course) the bike shop downtown, b&p cycle in the northwest i believe is also good. tuxedo is also pretty good place to go.

P.S. can someone message me and tell me how to post threads?

I wanted to add, lately I've been going to Tuxedo and find them actually pretty good. I've been mostly just buying parts from them though, but they seem to have everything, particularly good parts for older road bikes (e.g., good road 6spd freewheels in stock, etc.) I find the techs to be really friendly and accomodating, especially since I really mainly just buy bearings from them.

Hey PsySal,

Across the street and north a couple blocks is VitaSport Cycle. They specialize in older road bikes & parts. I get all my parts for the Campione and Falcon from them. Ed, the owner, has been in business before the beginning of time. He built my first wheel set when I was 14. (I'm currently 42 :) )

T.J.

I was just in Campione and they're in the middle of redoing the store. It looks like the owner is in from Vancouver and I felt omfortable talking to someone there for the first time in years.

Bike shops in Calgary are damn weird. Having spent a lot of time in UK and France, I'm used to high end bike shops being full of frames and components to build up, here its virtually just complete bikes only.

For service I always go to Lifesport in Kensington, they know their stuff and pay attention. You get the same level of attention if you are buying a $25 chain ring for your hack or a new bike. Stock is a bit limited, they will order and do ring you when the parts have arrived. If I was to pick one shop this would be it.

Vitasport - if you are a Campy addict this is the place, a shimano free heaven.

Tuxedo - They try and mean well.

Calagry Cycle - Mixed, some nice road stuff but Free riding is the staffs thing.

Ridley - The most arrogant shop in Calgary, wanted a spare part for my bike, was told that no such thing existed and I must be mad, were not impressed when I showed them the part on my bike.

Bike Shop - had some great service and bought some good stuff also had some of the exact opposit, very much depends on who's serving you and if they are busy.

Bow cycle - Went in to buy a 44 cm drop handle bar, they did not have anything in stock! terrible service that day. Went in recently on the off chance for a disk brake spare and got a 2nd hand unit for spares for $10 and great service!

Those are my thougths and experiences.

Bike shops in Calgary are damn weird. Having spent a lot of time in UK and France, I'm used to high end bike shops being full of frames and components to build up, here its virtually just complete bikes only.


Calagry Cycle - Mixed, some nice road stuff but Free riding is the staffs thing.


Those are my thougths and experiences.

went here for my last bike purchase and had FANTASTIC service on the purchase of a Time frame which they swapped the components of my old bike on to. took the time to fit it up, let me borrow a FD while i waited for the braze on Record to come in, etc. A+

i used to like Campione, but had a couple issues with the last build they did for me - though they did remedy the problems in the end.

Campione Cycle on 12th had awesome mechanics, but a couple of months ago, the owner came to town from Vancouver. He didn't like the way the shop was being run, so he fired everyone. I'm not sure what his plans are for re-staffing the place, but he's pretty knowledgeable and good to talk to if you want to build a custom bike. Most of the bike-couriers seem to be in there all the time. They stock some pretty interesting bikes, ie. Salsa, Bianchi, Surly,....

For service I always go to Lifesport in Kensington, they know their stuff and pay attention. You get the same level of attention if you are buying a $25 chain ring for your hack or a new bike. Stock is a bit limited, they will order and do ring you when the parts have arrived. If I was to pick one shop this would be it.

I agree. I've been to many bike shops in Calgary, I have a long list of great shops, and a short list of places where I no longer shop because of I'm clearly not hard core enough to deserve their time. But lately I feel that Lifesport has gone above and beyond in terms of service.

Hi,
I'm Giuseppe Cramerotti, ownwer of Campione Cycles Calgary. I opened this store in 1999 because there weren't any good bicycle stores in this city devoted to road bikes only. When I was finally able to travel again I checked progress in Calgary; The store has changed. It no longer offered the good inventory selection, good service and best prices I had intended.
So I personally uprooted and came to Calgary to rebuild according to my vision. Now I can say in all honesty that Calgary finally has a real pro road only store: the "new" Campione Cycles. I'll remain here in Calgary until I'm sure that Campione Cycles will continue to be the best road store, not only by Canadian standards but by European standards as well.
I have used my 47 years of personal experience and "third generation" connections to create Campione Cycles, a store to be run more as a matter of pride. The store may be small but the inventory ia amazing, and combined with Campione Cycles Vancouver, it is the biggest "road only" concept in Canada.
Come and see for yourself. If you're not totally impressed with the store I may need your advice for further improvements.
Thank you for your attention.
Best Regards,
Giuseppe
www.campionecycles.com

Do you miss the European bicycle stores? Come to Campione Cycles and you'll feel at home.

Giuseppe

What about USED bike shops? Any Suggestions? Most people only have a couple of hundred to spend max.

For used bikes I would recommend garage sales, thrift shops etc, then take it to either Tuxedo Sports (north) or Cyclepath (south) to be fixed up if needed. I've taken vintage bikes to both of those shops and been treated very well. Might have helped that in the former case the bike still had the original Tuxedo Sports sticker on it from 1984 :p

SportSwap on 12th Avenue downtown has lots of used bikes on consignment (don't know about other locations), and all of those have been checked over and tuned as far as I know.

Hope that helps!

:D Singletrack cycle, great employees. I don't find a lot in their bike selection that appeals to me personally, but they've got tools, basic accessories, and *customer service*. These guys fix problems and give good advice. I don't even think about where to go when I need service anymore, this shop is great.

Bike Shop. Dismal, utterly so. This shop will forever stick in my mind as the *worst* service and treatment i've ever recieved, will not even go in there anymore.

Edit: Okay, so I actually ended up going back to this place the other week, and it was like a complete turnaround. I guess they've changed some staff, because the service was much improved!

:D Calgary Cycle, they were helpful, brought in what I wanted when noone else seemed to be able to find it, and were overall good. I'd shop here more often if they weren't all the way across the city.

I'm building a Surly Cross-check but I want pro help with my headset and bottom bracket including frame prep and installation. Since I live in Hillhurst-Sunnyside I'd like to choose between Ridley's and Lifesport. Any recent experience (positive or negative) with the mechanics at either? Lifesport has the edge in this thread. I wasn't super impressed by their sales side but admittedly I'm not looking for sales help here.

Peace.

I'm building a Surly Cross-check but I want pro help with my headset and bottom bracket including frame prep and installation. Since I live in Hillhurst-Sunnyside I'd like to choose between Ridley's and Lifesport. Any recent experience (positive or negative) with the mechanics at either? Lifesport has the edge in this thread. I wasn't super impressed by their sales side but admittedly I'm not looking for sales help here.

To reply to my own query for the files: both places wanted about the same $$$ for the job. I just got a better vibe at Ridley's so I got the work done there and it appears well done.

Does anyone know of a LBS in Calgary that stocks Framesaver for treating the interior of steel frame tubing?

Does anyone know of a LBS in Calgary that stocks Framesaver for treating the interior of steel frame tubing?

Get some Boesheild T9 from Lee Valley Tools on 11 st SE.
Get the spray can for use as a frame saver (comes with spray tube)
and the little one for use as a chain lube. You can use the spray can
on the chain but its cleaner to use the little drip bottle, takes longer
of course, but it lasts a good while.

If you're looking for used bikes in Calgary, check out Good Life (http://www.goodlifebikes.ca/) bikes in the Eau Claire market (right by the SE entrance). They are a co-op shop where you can volunteer to earn credits toward a bike. You can also work on your own bike there.

Another option is The Hub bike shop in the back end of the parking lot at the Drop-In Centre (a.k.a. the homeless shelter) just off the south end of the Langevin Bridge (i.e. at 4th Ave and 4 St SE). Paul Woloshansky, the manager, has set up a program whereby you earn credit for every hour you volunteer at the shop helping to repair or disassemble used bikes which are donated to homeless people. A good way to save some money AND help the community as well.

And if you just want to discuss bike and getting around in Calgary by bike, visit BikeCalgary.org (http://bikecalgary.org).

There's a second co-op in town now, the Bike Root which is located at the university of calgary behind murray fraser hall. You can work on your bike, build a new one, or take one out of our bike library. We're always looking for more volunteers.

is bikeroot the same as ccbi?

is bikeroot the same as ccbi?

Basically. Campus bike initiative was a campus club but we have a shop, bikes and parts now. The website is still campusbike.ca but we'll have bikeroot.ca up by our official grand opening in March.

Reading through this thread makes me laugh. It's full of half truths and complete lies. Have you not noticed that the only people that ***** about local bike shops are are the whiners that that think they should be treated like delicate flowers? They can't find good service no matter where they go. They have to travel out of town to find it because their needs are so different than anyone elses. Actually I think it come dowm more to them just being needy people. No one is ever good enough for them. Guess what?, it's a mirror reflection. The two biggest shops in town, Bow Cycle does over $10 million in annual sales, The Bike Shop over $5 million annually have literally thousands of happy and satisfied customers all over Calgary too busy out enjoying their bikes to be bothered to be petty and come on line and put down people that are just trying to make a living surrounding themselves with something they are passionatte about namely bicycles. It's the same for all of the shops in town.

Every shop in town is full of good people that simply love bikes. Customers and staff.

How about starting a thread about the good experiences you've had at a bike shop? What you focus on expands so stop taking your negativity around with you wherever you go. Actually maybe shopping out of town is a good idea for these folks.

I am a native of Calgary, and an experienced (Female) road cyclist; so I have made my way through the many ‘great’ shops Calgary has to offer. My favorite has got to be the Cyclepath at 9176 Macleod Trail South; they have a real down to earth feel, always make sure that I get what I want, and have the ability to tell me what I need! For example, I went in 3 weeks ago and talked to an employee named Dan; Dan asked me a few questions then seemed to be able to read my mind about where exactly I rode and what I needed from a new bike. I used the internet and talked to all my racer friends to follow up on and test Dan's advice, but what he recommended has turned out to be the perfect setup for me. Really, I’ve checked out countless bike review sites and have been to all the other shops since, and each shop (no offence) seemed to recommend either too much or too little bike for me. Dan nailed it, and he’s really hot! I’m definitely going back to talk to him and order that Madone, but not until I get a manicure and some tanning minutes in…