Rank 'em... you're favorite Thurston Co. bike shops

[trace22clawson]

1. The Bike Stand (best service; best wrenches; most knowledge)

2. Old Town Bikes (best selection of bikes I like - specialized & cannondale)

3. Joy Ride (the owner is cool - Nice to have a Scott dealer)

4. Bike Tech (couple of good guys in there; accessories/parts overpriced; I'm not a Trek/Giant fan)

5. OlyBikes (great commuter bikes and gear; not alot of selection)

6. Deschutes River Cyclery (good deals on used bikes; new owner - I hope the open hours get better)

7. Falcone's (I've never been impressed, the owner has never been friendly.. no reason to shop there)

[FlowerBlossom]

1. The Bike Stand (best service; best wrenches; most knowledge)

2. Old Town Bikes (best selection of bikes I like - specialized & cannondale)

3. Joy Ride (the owner is cool - Nice to have a Scott dealer)

4. Bike Tech (couple of good guys in there; accessories/parts overpriced; I'm not a Trek/Giant fan)

5. OlyBikes (great commuter bikes and gear; not alot of selection)

6. Deschutes River Cyclery (good deals on used bikes; new owner - I hope the open hours get better)

7. Falcone's (I've never been impressed, the owner has never been friendly.. no reason to shop there)

None of the above. I haven't been to Deschutes River Cyclery or Falcones or Joy Ride, though. I'm done with Oly bike shops. I've patronized too many times with some, bad service in others, and both too many times. I get both respect and great service at Recycled Cycles in Seattle. And, they build nice wheels (or did 2 years ago).

[mstrpete]

YMMV, as they say...
1. Bike Tech. Great, great service. They have been there for me.

2. Bike Stand. I usually get ignored there; last time, though, when I wheeled a bike in, I got someone's attention.

3. Oly Bikes. Spendy, esoteric attitude, not very helpful in my experience.

I've not been a customer at the others, so I have no basis for rating them. I'm more of a DIY'er anyway, so I tend more towards the free bike clinics, CL, etc. I actually haven't purchased a new bike from a bike shop since I was boy, even though we currently have eleven bikes in the family!

[starkmojo]

None of the above. I haven't been to Deschutes River Cyclery or Falcones or Joy Ride, though. I'm done with Oly bike shops. I've patronized too many times with some, bad service in others, and both too many times. I get both respect and great service at Recycled Cycles in Seattle. And, they build nice wheels (or did 2 years ago).


I stopped by this thread because I used to live in Olympia... That is really sad. Here in Portland There is the bicycle repair collective just a mile or two from my house which has the two nicest, most knowledgable guys who do great bike work, Citibikes for my commuter stuff, and more. I like all the bike shops- even the one at REI is great. And River City just got an award as a a "woman friendly" bike store... so while I cant say they arent patronizing towards women, seems that they aren't- and they have a number of women riders who work there.

If you have to go 60 miles just to get a set of wheels and some polite service, that sucks.

[trace22clawson]

I'm astounded that you have had bad experiences. I've always felt very welcome in the Oly bike shops. I have long discussions with the people at the bike stand and old town bikes. They have been very helpful and done an excellent job of explaining and educating me about bikes.

It would be cool to have a coop here! Bill at the bike stand is very involved in the cycling community - organizes rides for the local club, attends meetings, provides free bike maintenance classes - I wonder if it's another thing he would be willing to take on.

Old town bikes is very new to the area. Give them a shot.

[FlowerBlossom]

I'm astounded that you have had bad experiences. I've always felt very welcome in the Oly bike shops. I have long discussions with the people at the bike stand and old town bikes. They have been very helpful and done an excellent job of explaining and educating me about bikes.

It would be cool to have a coop here! Bill at the bike stand is very involved in the cycling community - organizes rides for the local club, attends meetings, provides free bike maintenance classes - I wonder if it's another thing he would be willing to take on.

Old town bikes is very new to the area. Give them a shot.

I did. My deraillier is still clicking after they changed out the chain and back cogs. It wasn't clicking before I went in...

[HardyWeinberg]

I am an Oly Bikes fan. I feel obligated to buy stuff from them periodically even as I strive to become more mechanically independent (and buying most things online).

[trace22clawson]

I've bought things from all the shops other than Deschutes... but I may pick a "rain bike" from them. The only one that I won't go back to is Falcone's. I really appreciate Bill at the Bike Stand for teaching those classes... He's going to save me alot of time and money. I'll buy my parts from his shop and let them to any major repairs or maintenance.

[ollo_ollo]

I lived in Olympia for 12 years & would also rank the Bike Stand tops, especially repairs & parts on vintage bikes. No one mentioned yet that Bill Stevenson is one of the top frame builders in the U.S.. Unlike many builders, he does not have a long waiting list. He frequently has that vintage Italian or French part I have been looking for. I gave most of my repair business to Bike Stand and bought a new Torelli from them for a great price.

I only purchased a bell from Oly bikes (they had the most varied selection), some Specialized bottle cages from Joy Ride and a 3 band reflectorized vest from Falcone's, so can't comment on their repairs/maintenance.

While I have made many great buys from Recycled Cycles, my last few trips were disappointing. They don't have the great selection of used bikes & used parts that were there in years past. Don

[FlowerBlossom]

I lived in Olympia for 12 years & would also rank the Bike Stand tops, especially repairs & parts on vintage bikes. No one mentioned yet that Bill Stevenson is one of the top frame builders in the U.S.. Unlike many builders, he does not have a long waiting list. He frequently has that vintage Italian or French part I have been looking for. I gave most of my repair business to Bike Stand and bought a new Torelli from them for a great price.

I only purchased a bell from Oly bikes (they had the most varied selection), some Specialized bottle cages from Joy Ride and a 3 band reflectorized vest from Falcone's, so can't comment on their repairs/maintenance.

While I have made many great buys from Recycled Cycles, my last few trips were disappointing. They don't have the great selection of used bikes & used parts that were there in years past. Don

Recycled Cycles gets a LOT of people in there looking for special parts. I'm not surprised (would have expected) that you're as lucky as before. Seems like every time I go in there, someone is looking for something particular. Too bad, eh? But, at the same time, I guess that's good, that parts are getting recycled instead of tossed? Glass half-full?

[mstrpete]

It would be cool to have a coop here!

There is. Actually, there are three. There's the bike shop at Evergreen, which is open to the public; there's Bike & Bike downtown, in the Dumpster values building, and there's Build-a-bike, on Wilson St., near Ralph's Thriftway. Hopefully there'll be a fourth soon at SPSCC; I've started laying the groundwork.