Western Canada - Edmonton bike shops?

Just wondering what you guys have to say about Edmonton bike shops. I visited quite a few last year when I bought my road bike (Cannondale R700, 2006!). I got mine from Revolution Cycle. Highly recommended, great staff and service.

Just wondering what you guys have to say about Edmonton bike shops. I visited quite a few last year when I bought my road bike (Cannondale R700, 2006!). I got mine from Revolution Cycle. Highly recommended, great staff and service.
If you want quantity, go for united. easily the biggest inventory in Edmonton, but to be honest a bunch of losers. For extremely knowledgeable service and a smaller setting, I would highly recommend River Valley Cycle
http://www.unitedcycle.com/
http://www.rvcns.com/
any more guys?

I have always enjoyed shopping and getting my bike serviced at Red Bike.

i've been to most of the shops... depends on what you're looking for in Edmonton.

high end road stuff... pedal heads
red bike is by the university and has a very trendy feel to the shop with good guys in the service dept. river valley carries rocky mtn, kona while united has norco, trek, specialized... but 0_emissions is right... UC is a bunch of losers for the most part with a massive selection. i bought my bike there but it gets serviced everywhere else.

it seems like all the shops are hit and miss.
Red bike especially- if you talk to the older guy who (i think) owns the place, it's a really great experience. If you talk to the guy who is usually behind the counter, well, it's just not.
Also- pedalheads; last time i went there i was really unimpressed, but i wandered in today and i was very well taken care of.

Cranky's in st.albert is actually really surprisingly good. (surprising mostly because everything in st.albert is usually so terrible).

Hi! There are at least three or four bike store of note in Edmonton city. Revolution cycle seems to have all the stuff you could want, Hard Core on Whyte has the best wheel mechanic, Red Bike I don't know, but Belveder Sport has some of the best prices and lots of the right stuff. There's also Klondike Sports on 149 Street. When and if they stock things, the MEC on 124 Street is good for prices and their own clothing and packs and some bike gear cassettes. The city's best bike mechanic ever works there but he's no longer in the bike area. OK now that you know all of this stuff, you can enjoy just price shopping and comparing what's available. There are other shops in St. Albert etc., just look in the Yellow Pages.

Hi! For the worst bike experience do what I did. I bought a Raliegh Hybrid Sport from Canadian Tire. After installing a new computer, the magnet on the wheel would strike the pickup unit. So I didn't return to the seller, I took it to Hard Core and was assured my wheels were now and forever true. Cost me a buck but worth it.

My favourite shop is Bikeworks... the EBC shop.

I am of course a little biased since I volunteer there as a mechanic.

After that... the Hardcore is probably my favourite shop in the city although I never pay anyone to work on my bikes and just buy parts.

Belvedere has an experienced mechanic and some smoking deals on parts... they also stock older parts that you might not find anywhere else.

it seems like all the shops are hit and miss.
Red bike especially- if you talk to the older guy who (i think) owns the place, it's a really great experience. If you talk to the guy who is usually behind the counter, well, it's just not.
Also- pedalheads; last time i went there i was really unimpressed, but i wandered in today and i was very well taken care of.

Cranky's in st.albert is actually really surprisingly good. (surprising mostly because everything in st.albert is usually so terrible).

totally agree with that about redbike, the older grey haired guy is so helpful and easy to talk to, some of the other guys come off a bit snotty sometimes, like they dont care or want your business. Its still my favourite shop since they seem to have best parts and service for what I am usually looking for, other than that Hardcore had great service.

+1 on the Cranky's (i got my bike there)
+1 on MEC for the gear
+1 on United for good selection but staffed by loosers.

As a kid on the farm, I used to watch the bull pen and wondered why these unhappy animals were so confined. The cows weren't in danger but every other living thing was. The replies I see on poor bike shops in Edmonton, reminds me of those bad tempered animals. Try reading the "venting columns" in the Edmonton Journal and you've got a pretty good example of what bike lovers are like. For my part I'm just cheap. Good service and advice means getting a "cheap deal" no matter what I paid.

+1 on the Cranky's (i got my bike there)
+1 on MEC for the gear
+1 on United for good selection but staffed by loosers.

United is hit and miss, +1 on selection....but just stay away from getting bike serviced there.

Talk to the girls upstairs[at United], they know what is going on and don't talk your ear off.

a cautionary tale from united:

My wife took my wheel to have a spoke repaired at united. It cost $60 which seemed high to me but whatever. They returned the wheel sans skewer (quick release). However, they were good about finding me another one, free of course.

$60.00 for a spoke ?

My god.

I'd teach you how to do it for a small donation to the shop.

a cautionary tale from united:

...it cost $60...

My god, you may have got a whole new wheel.

Cranky's charged me $6 last summer. Pedalheads charged me $15 and trued both my wheels with same day service.

I'll go back to both.

+1 Bikeworks (EBC shop). Great staff, real bunch of bike lovers.

+1 Bikeworks (EBC shop). Great staff, real bunch of bike lovers.

We're total bike fiends here.

:D

Going through the list of posts I find that my experience is at odds with some of them. The folks at United Cycle - especially Jon O and Keith P - have always treated me with the utmost professionalism and respect. I cannot say the same for the "educated", narrow-minded elitest who runs Red Bike or any of his "I am too busy to look at your non-top-of-the-line, steal-me bike" mechanics. Perhaps I caught them on a bad day . . . except that it was not on a single day, and I had given them the benefit of my doubts. Oh well. Competition is a good thing.
:rolleyes:

Yeah, redbike is totally hit & miss. Either you get great personalized attention, or they act like you are interrupting them and should go away. Annoying to say the least.

Yeah, redbike is totally hit & miss. Either you get great personalized attention, or they act like you are interrupting them and should go away. Annoying to say the least.

Same experience for me at Redbike. I finally lost patience & just won't waste my time with them even though they are my closest LBS.

Favourite shops are in order, United, Revolution Cycle, River Valley Cycles & Velocity. Also MEC for some parts & tools.

I bought my wife's bike at Velocity. They're a bit limited on brands, but the staff is great. That's the only bike I've ever bought, since mine was a gift from my parents 11 years ago.

I live next door to MEC, so it's pretty hard to beat that for convenience on gear.

And I've been finding that going to EBC's Bikeworks and actually learning a bit about my bike beats taking it to a shop and paying a mechanic for service anyday.

$60.00 for a spoke ?

My god.

I'd teach you how to do it for a small donation to the shop.



Hey Keith,

If we bring hubbys soon to be purchased bike into Bikeworks on a day you are volunteering can you help show us how to install fenders on his bike? Of course we need to figure out what kind to buy him but once we do we want to learn how to install these kinds of things ourselves:)


Fiona

Hey Keith,

If we bring hubbys soon to be purchased bike into Bikeworks on a day you are volunteering can you help show us how to install fenders on his bike? Of course we need to figure out what kind to buy him but once we do we want to learn how to install these kinds of things ourselves:)

Fiona

We are all about fenders here at the commuter's society as no proper bike goes without them.

Most folks here can help with the install and we now have a full time mechanic working Monday to Friday.

I am in every second week on Monday and Wednesday nights and will be in the week after next.

We are all about fenders here at the commuter's society as no proper bike goes without them.

Most folks here can help with the install and we now have a full time mechanic working Monday to Friday.

I am in every second week on Monday and Wednesday nights and will be in the week after next.

Awesome and thanks! Now comes the fun part..figuring out what kind we'll need:roflmao2:

Went to River Valley again last Saturday to buy a helmet. Maybe my expectations of retail are too inflated. Even though there were lots of staff I certainly was never approached once in the store and the staff didn`t even make eye contact or acknowlege my departure from the store.

I bought my bike (Kona Jake the Snake) fromRiver Valley in April and the front brake and front derailleur cables blew in well under a 1000km. Yes I should have checked them myself, but has anyone ever blown the front cables in the same week?

Will I go back? Yes probably, they carry good quality products and I have gotten very good service in the past. Next time I will tape $100 bills to my chest and be more direct in approaching the staff.

As for the helmet, I ordered it from pricepoint.com. Even with exchange shipping and duty I expect it to be less expensive and they shipped within two hours.

pedalhead roadworks is still my fav when I want to drop some cash. If you have a gear question just call them or email them. They have always been very helpful.

Went to River Valley again last Saturday to buy a helmet. Maybe my expectations of retail are too inflated. Even though there were lots of staff I certainly was never approached once in the store and the staff didn`t even make eye contact or acknowlege my departure from the store.

I bought my bike (Kona Jake the Snake) fromRiver Valley in April and the front brake and front derailleur cables blew in well under a 1000km. Yes I should have checked them myself, but has anyone ever blown the front cables in the same week?

Will I go back? Yes probably, they carry good quality products and I have gotten very good service in the past. Next time I will tape $100 bills to my chest and be more direct in approaching the staff.

As for the helmet, I ordered it from pricepoint.com. Even with exchange shipping and duty I expect it to be less expensive and they shipped within two hours.

pedalhead roadworks is still my fav when I want to drop some cash. If you have a gear question just call them or email them. They have always been very helpful.

River Valley is hit and miss; I've had the exact experience you've had, and I've had the complete opposite.

I will be at EBC this coming Monday night which will make for a long day... I have cut back the hours I am volunteering as I am in the process of getting my own little (repair) shop up and running on the north side.

I am hoping that one day, when someone asks about good bike shops in the city my little hole in the wall gets mentioned.

:)

I will be at EBC this coming Monday night which will make for a long day... I have cut back the hours I am volunteering as I am in the process of getting my own little (repair) shop up and running on the north side.

I am hoping that one day, when someone asks about good bike shops in the city my little hole in the wall gets mentioned.

:)

That would be awesome if you had one on the Northside:) I'd be there often

I am working by appointment now and working toward hanging out the shingle so if you need something just pm me.

For anyone who hasn't seen their new shop on Whyte Ave, I recommend dropping into Pedalhead Roadworks. There is at least twice as much bike bling. Some great prices and excellent service again. http://www.pedalheadroadworks.com/shop_about.html

I will be at EBC this coming Monday night which will make for a long day... I have cut back the hours I am volunteering as I am in the process of getting my own little (repair) shop up and running on the north side.

I am hoping that one day, when someone asks about good bike shops in the city my little hole in the wall gets mentioned.

:)

I just bought a vintage Bianchi from Sixty Fiver which he rebuilt for me and cleaned it up really nice. I'm very happy with how that bike turned out and now have my mountain bike at his shop for a drop bar conversion and drive train overhaul. He knows his stuff and does great work, and I would rather leave my bike with him than take it to LBS. Not slagging on any LBS's or anything, I just like dealing with someone where I get personalized service.

Hey all, Read thru this tthread, Lots of wicked info on shops in Edmonton!
I recently was given a '83 Nishiki Cascade. The rearD (Suntour Superbe 4800) is pretty messed up and Im looking for a replacement. I admit Im a noob to the bike world. I usually just just ride em and forget em. But for some reason this ol girl caught my eye. I tore apart the rear hub cleaned out all the old grease and grime and now the splines kick back in. Like i say the RearD is toast, the small steel pin inside the paralellogram is broke and so is the gear it fits into. the the cable screw was cross threaded and the threads are all taken out also. Its a shame cause the smooth action of the Derailleur looks pretty swweeet!
I have been to red deer shops and no one seems to know too much in the 4 places i went to. Curious if they would be any tried and true old schoolers that could point me in the direction of a shop that would recommend a good replacement? Or if you guys may have any good recommendations?
Thanks for your time!

Leon

mrpicklz - Bikeworks is often a very good place to go to if you need vintage parts but know there is not a Superbe 4800 there and this would not have been original if this is the raised stay model I am thinking of.

A decent long cage derailleur would cover all your needs and an '83 would have run a friction system so you have lots of choices... on an mtb I'd run an XT level derailleur and have a few of these kicking around my shop.

Thanks Sixty Fiver! Yeah I have been looking but finding a Superbe anything is pretty tough. Maybe im not looking in the right spots! LOL I'll for sure check out Bikeworks, I wil be coming up to Edmonton around the end of the month, maybe I could swing by your shop?
Thanks again!

My favourite shops... (besides mine and EBC) are the Hardcore and Velocity as both have great staff and service and Velocity is also very community minded and a great supporter of EBC.

Dennis at Velocity knows his stuff backwards and forwards and is a really great guy to talk to.

Jason (Hardcore) is probably one of the best mechanics this city has ever known.

And I can't forget Relic's up on Ft Road... Rob has been working on bicycles since the 70's and possesses a great deal of vintage lore and often has some really nice vintage bikes for sale.

I'll make it a mission to checkout BikeWorks before I'm off to the big green machine in October. My 35km proximity to Edmonton makes for great one day tours for bike shopping, events, and rides, but is also an equal pain for making it out to said events and getting my bike serviced if needed.

Aaron... was nice to met you and my daughter's were joking that you were my stalker.

Will be at Bikeworks tomorrow night.

I definately would have liked to stop in, but an after-work flat tire, and my spare tube having holes in it put that to and end. I should be in tomorrow for the parade, hopefully to buy a membership too so I can have my bike in top shape for the Jasper trip.

Mud, Sweat & Gears out in Sherwood Park has great service as well, worth a look.

I have to say that United Cycle really came through for me this summer. I have a 2006, Trek 520 and noticed a bit of wobble in the rear wheel. "Sixty-fiver" was going to balance it for me but noticed a few cracks on the rear rim. He contacted United on my behalf. They contacted Trek to get replacement wheels. Despite some kind of run around by Trek United gave me two new rims which they will get replaced by the company. After four years that is pretty good service, IMHO.

I have to say that United Cycle really came through for me this summer. I have a 2006, Trek 520 and noticed a bit of wobble in the rear wheel. "Sixty-fiver" was going to balance it for me but noticed a few cracks on the rear rim. He contacted United on my behalf. They contacted Trek to get replacement wheels. Despite some kind of run around by Trek United gave me two new rims which they will get replaced by the company. After four years that is pretty good service, IMHO.

A few = 16

:)

The stock wheels on the '06 models are notorious for failures and used offset drilling whereas the new Camino rims on the '10 models have received some very positive reviews and have conventional drillings.