Great Lakes - bike fitter in akron/canton area?

hi all. wondering if i can get some help in finding a good place to get fitted for a bike in the canton/akron area? i am about an hour from canton, and i got my mountain bike at ernie's in massillon. i am going to stop at eddy's in akron this week but i want to make sure i get a bike that is best suited for my measurements. any suggestions?

hi all. wondering if i can get some help in finding a good place to get fitted for a bike in the canton/akron area? i am about an hour from canton, and i got my mountain bike at ernie's in massillon. i am going to stop at eddy's in akron this week but i want to make sure i get a bike that is best suited for my measurements. any suggestions?

I would go to Century Cycles, in Medina or Peninsula. Eddy's is a good shop, but large volume, less personal.

Eddy's coustomer service sucks. Have not met an employeee in there with any people skills. Bunch of rude kids. But I have only been in there store in Fairlawn.

I you want to drive a little further I would sugest Orrville cycle and fittness.

thank you very much! i am going to check out century cycles since i'll be in the area on friday. if that doesn't work i may make a trip to orrville!

Eddy's coustomer service sucks. Have not met an employeee in there with any people skills. Bunch of rude kids. But I have only been in there store in Fairlawn.

I you want to drive a little further I would sugest Orrville cycle and fittness.
Your assessment of Eddy's is spot on, Fairlawn or Stow.

Century Cycles is the place to go. Nice folks who treat you with respect AND they know their business.

thank you very much! i am going to check out century cycles since i'll be in the area on friday. if that doesn't work i may make a trip to orrville!

Make sure you try and make it to Century Cycles Thursday-Sunday, birthday cake and 10% off new cycles and 20% off accessories!

Check out their website for more info. (http://www.centurycycles.com)

i called eddy's in stow yesterday and a very nice and informative man by the name of tom spoke with me. after hearing everyone's comments about eddy's customer service, pretty much the only reason i would want to go there is because i want to check out a particular felt bike. this tom guy races on a felt so he could tell me all about them. only problem is, he isn't in on friday! so, i'm thinking about calling about a fitting at century and checking out what they have in my price range. i do think i'll go to eddy's when this tom is working. i really do appreciate all the feedback because i know i would be discouraged if i went into a bike shop and didn't receive good, positive service.

In my experience the Stow store seems to be a bit more relaxed with friendlier employees. The store is HUGE. I still prefer Century Cycles, but if getting to Medina or Peninsula is out of the option their Stow store isn't bad.

+1 for Orrville...
I live near Columbus but travel for work and alway stop in Orrville when I'm nearby.
Very nice traditional bike shop.

Don't know how far you are willing to go but I highly recommend "Bike Authority" in Broadview Hts. I know they carry Trek, Cervelo, Cannondale, not sure what else. Very helpful staff and I've never felt pressured and they will work with you.

I have to agree with everything already said here. I've never had a bad experience with Eddy's, nor have I had a great one either. I just got a Bianchi from Century Cycles (Rocky River) and had a great experience. If you want to go to Century Cycles I would stay away from Peninsula as they have mostly hybrids and comfort bikes as they are right on the Towpath and cater to the more casual riders. I live 5 minutes away from Bike Authority and know several people who have bought from them. I have heard nothing but rave reviews about them.

thank you very much! i am going to check out century cycles since i'll be in the area on friday. if that doesn't work i may make a trip to orrville!

If you go to Century in Peninsula, tell Brent, Derrick, Doug, Gary or Kevin that Dan with the freakin long last name sent you and they'll take good care of you.

That said, Eddy's probably has a much bigger selection of road bikes. They carry Trek, Felt, Lemond, Specialized, Klein and Litespeed, while Century carries Bianchi, Giant, Raleigh, Fuji, Surly and Salsa, plus a few others I can't think of, and can order whatever you want. Jim Ruggles is the honcho at Eddy's and can sometimes be found at the Stow store...he's good people even if he ain't got the cream of the crop for employees.

If you want a great long term relationship with a shop that will take great care of you (and turn around repairs much faster and less expensive), Century is your huckleberry. Every bike you see in my sig (plus Cheri's three bikes and the kid's road bike) was either bought from or built by Century.

I have to agree with everything already said here. I've never had a bad experience with Eddy's, nor have I had a great one either. I just got a Bianchi from Century Cycles (Rocky River) and had a great experience. If you want to go to Century Cycles I would stay away from Peninsula as they have mostly hybrids and comfort bikes as they are right on the Towpath and cater to the more casual riders. I live 5 minutes away from Bike Authority and know several people who have bought from them. I have heard nothing but rave reviews about them.

While the Peninsula store definitely has a good many hybrids and comfort bikes, they know their road bikes too. The loops around Riverview (and the climbs in and out of the valley) are some of the most popular roadie training routes in the area.

gah! what a decision! well, orrville is a tad out of my way this week so i don't think i'll be stopping by that shop (on friday). the only reason i want to go to eddy's is because they have the felt fw40 there and i really want to see it in person. if it were to all work out my way and the felt was a good fit for me, i'd be happy as a clam. you guys talk so highly of century cycles and i checked out their website and the reviews are amazing...it's only 10 miles up the road from the stow eddy's so i might go to century first and see what they have available to me in my price range and then go to eddy's and see what they can do for me. the only bike shop i've ever been to are ernie's (all three of them). so it's century and then eddy's and hopefully i'll find the perfect starter road bike for me! i will tell the guys at century in peninsula that dan with the freaking long last name sent me along with nearly everyone else i've talked to in this thread! thanks so much!

While the Peninsula store definitely has a good many hybrids and comfort bikes, they know their road bikes too. The loops around Riverview (and the climbs in and out of the valley) are some of the most popular roadie training routes in the area.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that they didn't know their stuff regarding road bikes, I just meant their on hand inventory is more towards the towpath crowd. When I was looking into road bikes I went there as it's closer and they recommended that I go to their Rocky River store due to the on-hand road bike inventory.

Not a fan of Eddy's stores, they all ride whatever you're looking for. Trying to choose between a Cannondale SuperSix and a bike they don't carry? They've raced both bikes, but like the Cannondale better.

I can't say I like Century, but that's just Rocky River, I'm not sure about their other locations, but I've heard nothing but good things. However, I wouldn't get a fitting there. If they're not heavily into road bikes, they probably won't be too good at fitting.

I know Bike Authority is good. I haven't been there before, but I've heard some good things about them too, and they're a big roadie store. They gave my old teammate's dad a Soloist Carbon frameset in return for covering his Audi or VW in one big Bike Authority wraparound vinyl.

However, I did get fitted at my sponsor shop, Spin in Willoughby. John is a great fitter, and they're both Serotta and Specialized BG certified to fit bikes. Calla nd schedule ahead of time, they only do fittings at that location on Saturday and Sunday.

bike authority in broadview hts. or spin in lakewood/willoughby is the place to go

thank you everyone for the advice. i ended up going to eddy's in stow and was fortunate enough to have a very nice guy by the name of jeff help me out. couldn't ride any bikes because it was pouring down rain but i am headed back up next weekend to ride and hopefully make a purchase. he asked me all kinds of questions and answered every question i could throw at him. he wasn't about throwing any particular brand at me, but rather wanting to find out my riding style to find a bike that would fit me best. i am confident he will help me pick the right bike! thanks again guys!