Pacific Northwest - Spokane bike shops

Any thoughts or opinions on which is the best bike shop/mechanic in Spokane?

Wheel sport on Division has the most bikes to choose from. Since 96 I have purchased 5 bikes from them for myself and the family. I do all my own maintenace but if it's something I can't handle or have the expensive tool for the job then it's Bicycle Butler. Chains cables and all small goods I go with REI.

I would have to give my plug for Two Wheel Transit, particularly with Dave.
Personally I prefer dealing with a locally owned business, which is about everybody but REI, as far as I know. I have also had better experiences with Wheel Sport on Division Vs. the one up on 29th. Look for a copy of the outdoor magazine, Out There Monthly, most of the shops advertise in there.

Thanks for the input. I have been to most of the bike shops mention except for Two Wheel Transit. I will have to give them a look. When I was in Wheel Sport on Division, haven't been to any other they were friendly. When I was at Bicycle Butler I wasn't impressed, maybe I have to give them another try.

Bicycle Butler, Wheel Sport (Division) and the Bike shop on 395 (is it North Division Bicycle) are all going to be convient to where I am moving.

I hope to ride during the winter and have a road bike by next spring. Then I hope to join one of the riding clubs.

It's hard for me to recommend a particular each shop has it's own niche and most carry different lines and almost all are locally owned, ( exceptions rei etc. are not mentioned), with the owner on site and taking an active role.


Two Wheel Transit is an excellent shop, the owner Steve is extremly honest, an excellent technician and bike fitter, hires only the best mechanics etc and takes great care to make sure each customer gets what he/she needs and will often hesitate or refuse to sell a product to you that isn't right. I think his product selection is best, especially specialty, custom, and racing stuff and can get almost anything you want. I'd have to say this is my FAVORITE.

Spoke 'n Sport is another very good shop and have road bikes but they specialize in mtn/kids/family and don't like to stock anything that is very or extemely expensive. The owners, (bothers Dave and Rob) may seem arrogant at first impression, (they got it from thier dad), but they really take excellent care of thier customers, and do do good repairs quickly. Prices are very fair and they won't sell anything to you if it isn't a good match for your needs.

I have a lot of respect for the Husband and Wife owners of Bicycle Butler and it my understanding they do a lot to support mtn bike racing here. This seems more of a neighborhood shop than anything though. I have to admit I haven't bought much there. They have been in bike the business most of their lives, and I think they are very nice people. I do wish I had more money, and they were closer, so I could spend some of it there

Argonne Cycle, unfortunately an obscure shop, in the "Valley" on Argonne Road about 2-3 blocks South of the River, it is very tiny and has an "old time feel". The owner, (Greg?), is a very nice guy, has some amazing stuff to sell, ( high zoot euro race to Chinese city bikes), "just for fun". He often has good deals on bikes and clothing, (sometimes obscure brands to most, but good quality). His selection may not be the best, but he'll go out of his way to find what you need, and somtimes you can find rare or obscure stuff you have trouble finding elsewhere.

Two shops however, rarely have the owner in attendence or visible- North
Division and Wheelsport.

North Division does have excellent stuff and the people who work there have good expertise and reputations. I do shop there occasionally, but I don't always agree with their opinions or recommendations and the location is not "handy" for me. Most poeple I know have that have shopped there have had experiences there and are very loyal, but I've heard their (custom) bike fits have been sometimes suspect in the past. ND probabaly has the best selection of used bikes and several people I know have found some very, very good used ( and new) bikes at good prices.

I rarely recommend Wheelsport anymore as they don't stock much of what I like and I have heard: the employees drink on th job before closing at at lest one of the three stores, the owner's son has a reputation of being extremely dishonest, too many horror repair storys, and I've also heard the best interest of the customer is not always part of the equation. They do sell some very good bikes and other products at competitive prices. I'm sorry to have to have said the "bad" things, as this used to be the best shop in town, and was my favorite. I hope what I've heard, (from too may sources), isn't true.

Argonne Cycle, unfortunately an obscure shop, in the "Valley" on Argonne Road about 2-3 blocks South of the River, it is very tiny and has an "old time feel". The owner, (Greg?), is a very nice guy, has some amazing stuff to sell, ( high zoot euro race to Chinese city bikes), "just for fun". He often has good deals on bikes and clothing, (sometimes obscure brands to most but good quality). His selection may not be the best, but he'll go out of way to find what you need, and somtimes oyu can find rare or obscure stuff you have trouble finding elsewhere

Wow, I've never been there, but then again it is "all the way out in the Valley", I will swing by next time I'm out that way, thanks.

Pat - thanks for the brake down it helps.

Any of you belong to any of the riding clubs? I' m excited to get moved, should be moved by Dec. 1.

One thing I will say is when I went to Spoke 'n Sport I was leaning towards a road bike. The person I talked to suggested I re-think giving up my MTN bike. He (the person I talked to, one of the owners) is familiar with where I am moving from. He pointed out the differences and stated that anywhere in Spokane is minutes from good MTN biking areas which isn't the case where I am now.

Pat - thanks for the brake down it helps.

Any of you belong to any of the riding clubs? I' m excited to get moved, should be moved by Dec. 1.

One thing I will say is when I went to Spoke 'n Sport I was leaning towards a road bike. The person I talked to suggested I re-think giving up my MTN bike. He (the person I talked to, one of the owners) is familiar with where I am moving from. He pointed out the differences and stated that anywhere in Spokane is minutes from good MTN biking areas which isn't the case where I am now.

If you can have both a road and mt bike DO IT!!, both types of ridng here are GREAT. I don't do much mtn as I can't walk very well or very far but, I do know you can ride, usually in a few minutes, to good to excellent mtn riding trails IN town or just out of it, from almost anyhere.
The road riding is excellent if not awesome, from very hilly, (there are many climbs that are measured in miles, some need 2 figures), to very flat and you can find rollers that go for tens of miles, and more, of a type that are found no where else on Earth. You can find many very different types of scenery near here, from desert to heavily forested mtns., and from farmlands to Basalt cliffs. I've been riding seriously for over 30 years and still occasionally find a new road. The number "loops" Ive done over the years from 15 or 20 miles to over 130 miles could easily run into 3 figures. (Metsker county maps are a very good friend) There are many very good reasons why we've had 2 Olympic Trials here, and several national championships.
If you want and old fart to show you some spots, contact me

Ride Smart










gr

Yep have to have a Mt and road road bike to get the full cycling experience in this area. Check out these links.

http://www.spokanecentennialtrail.org/

http://www.mountspokane.org/

http://friendsofcdatrails.org/

http://www.spokaneoutdoors.com/

http://www.riversidestatepark.org/

http://www.spokanebicycleclub.org/

http://www.fttrc.org/

http://www.inlandnorthwesttrails.org/default.asp

BICYCLE BUTLER is far and away THE best shop in Spokane! Tim is an excellent mechanic and just an all-around great guy. You might accuse me of propping him because he's a sponsor; but it's really the other way around - - I got involved with the shop because I was so impressed by Tim. Tim gives back much to the cycling community in the form of free safety checks/tunes/classes at local schools, helping to host races and other events, leading weekly MTB group rides during the summer and more.

Now, for the others:
Wintersport - - The head mechanic is Dan Webber, another great guy and a good friend. Dan really is overqualified for twisting wrenches at a shop; he should have finished his work toward a mechanical engineering dregree.

WheelSport - - each location has its own personality and all decent shops. I personally know each shop manager and each is a real good guy. The owners on the other hand I have no use for whatsoever.

Two Wheel Transit - - is a roadie shop that should quit trying to sell mountain bikes period. If you want a stereotypical snooty shop that looks down its collective nose at non-"regulars" who wear full team kit, then that's your place.

North DIvision is an all right shop, I suppose, and I'm friends with some of the Rocket Velo team people; but was not really impressed with my few dealings with the people behind the counter.

Spoke n Sport didn't get its nickname of "Toke n Snort" for nothing; and Pat may forgive "arrogant at first impression" but I don't. If you want to drive away people new to the sport, that's a sure-fire way to do it in my book.

Good thread. I've frequented all of the shops mentioned. All have goods and bads; mostly dependent on which employees you deal with while you're there. I think the place you end up shopping depends on the relationship you establish with the owners and employees. The bikes you see on the showroom floor don't mean a thing, because any shop can order a high end bike for you.

I almost exclusively go to NDBS, mostly because of the good service. And they support our team to a certain extent: http://www.spokanerocketvelo.com/

Spokane has some of the best road and mountain biking that I've seen, and I've lived all around the country. For mountain biking there's definitely riding within the city limits, but if you really want to be impressed, get in the car and drive for 30-90 minutes.

mtn mike-
Excellent comments- many call cars "sh*tboxes"

My apologies for not mentioning Wintersport, it being a relative newcomer to cycling, It's been doing ski a good job with ski stuff for years, since I think of it as a Ski Shop, I simply forgot to mention it. I can't give an opinion as I've never dealt there for bikes or heard any reports.No apologies necessary; it wouldn't be on my radar either if it were not for Dan W. Dan is an ex-head-wrench from the WS shops, an officer in the FTTRC (Fat Tire Trail Riders), a frame-builder extraordinaire and just all-around great guy. He's one of the first mechanics I ever got to really know well here in Spokane. I'm not a big Iron Horse fan and don't know much about Wintersport in general, but would recommend the place solely by virtue of them having Dan behind the counter.


I stongly disagree with your judgement of Two Wheel as being "snooty", I've seen them treat "street people" with respect and didn't hesitate to help them either.To each their own, I guess; maybe it's that they even treat street people better than they do downhillers ;)


The nickname of Spoke 'N Sport is actually Smoke "n Snort . . .They've dealt with so many arrogant, (and demanding), racers over the years I can understand the "attitude". They've helped a lot of beginners too but those who notice the "attitude" usually bring it on themselves.I stand corrected on the nickname - - I'd heard it the other way more than once :). I got the 'attitude' the first time I came in the door as a relative newbie and a couple years before I was ever a racer. What's Mick Woodruff's connection to SnS? I don't see him on the list of principals in the company but I know he has some tie. Mick is a terrific guy, a good friend and fellow DHer. I cannot say enough good things about him.


I really don't know the workers or mgrs @ Wheelsport anymore, most of my opinion is based mostly on a few recent experiences at N Division and mostly what I've heard from others.I could tell you a few stories but this is not the place probably. I really like Gary at the N. Div. store and I've known a few of the wrenches there and I'll leave it at that.


Mike - - So you're a Rocket Velo guy eh? Do you race the Sunset Series in the summer?

Speaking of racing is there a place for a master rider (referring to age, not ability) that has never raced. I've done running races and like to have a goal and am competative. I know in biking it takes a team to do anything, but I think it would be fun to do. Of course, I won't have the $9,000 bike that weights slightly more then a feather.

Speaking of racing is there a place for a master rider (referring to age, not ability) that has never raced. I've done running races and like to have a goal and am competative. I know in biking it takes a team to do anything, but I think it would be fun to do. Of course, I won't have the $9,000 bike that weights slightly more then a feather.Absolutely there is! I assume that you are talking XC racing (although my specialty is downhill, I dabble in XC and MTB duathlons too).

The WIM Series (WA/ID/MT) hosted by Round and Round is no longer, unfortunately, but there are other opportunities. Nearly any MTB race has age categories and is often broken up further into Beginner, Sport and Expert classes - - especially if they are NORBA-sanctioned races.

In the Spring/early summer, there is the Sunset Series, which runs Thursday evenings at Riverside State Park. Here is a copy of the 2007 flyer (which I designed) to give you an idea. The Matsers class is a bit brutal for me, because they let the 40-year-old "kids" race in that one. It's a GREAT way to try your hand at racing because it's fairly low-key.

If you don't mind a little travel, here is a regular series on the other side of the mountains: the Indie Series. (http://www.indieseries.com/) It's a pretty strong organization and seems to have a fairly complete schedule.

If you want to try your hand at Super-D, Silver Mountain puts on a few in conjucntion with their regular DH series.

Don't hesitate to PM me if you have any other questions that might be too cumbersome to answer here in detail.

Speaking of racing is there a place for a master rider (referring to age, not ability) that has never raced. I've done running races and like to have a goal and am competative. I know in biking it takes a team to do anything, but I think it would be fun to do. Of course, I won't have the $9,000 bike that weights slightly more then a feather.+

If you're looking for a group of road OR mountain bike riders to ride with, check out Spokane Rocket Velo. We have a group of masters that do road races, and a couple of master mountain bike racers. If you're thinking about road racing, a team definitely helps. Short of racing, if you're thinking about coming out and riding with a group, our club rides might be what you're looking for. We're always looking for riders that want to improve their cycling, regardless of your current ability. PM me if you'd like more information.

Our SRV website (http://www.spokanerocketvelo.com)is slightly outdated :rolleyes:(will be updated this month), but it will still give you some basic info.

Also check out our dedicated web forum (http://spokanrocktvelo.proboards55.com/index.cgi):)

Mike - - So you're a Rocket Velo guy eh? Do you race the Sunset Series in the summer?

I raced in the first race (the one a few days before the 24 hour race). It was really fun and I kept saying I'd come out again. Too many rides, too little time.:o

Dminor- "Mick" is the mechanic at Spoke 'n Sport, the owners, (Dave and Rob), wrench as well