Southern California - San Diego or Murrieta bike shops?

Does anyone have any experience with either of these bikes shops?

San Diego: Hi-Tech Bikes http://hi-techbikes.com/

Murrieta: i.e. Bikes http://www.iebikes.com/

Any feedback? Thanks!

I am familiar with i e bikes. They refitted my worn out Giant's components onto a new Surly frame. THey treated me just fine and the price was reasonable.. Price wise, they seemed competitive with other shops of their size. They sponsor a bike club... Hope Mom is still there, she acts sort of an "service manager"... Should they have the same staff of mechanics, I'd recommend them. Say hi to 'Mom.' They have a website... Even tho I don't like large mega bike stores. If you are lucky enough to get one of their best mechanics at the Oceanside Performance store, you will be well served. They have one of the best mechanics in all of San Deigo county.

Hi Tech has been around for a LONG time and really know what they're doing. That being said, it depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for high end or Tri stuff, than Hi Tech is a great place. Otherwise, I really like Cal Coast bikes in San Diego and Bike Empire in Poway. Also, Moment Cycle Sport in Pt Loma is a nice shop.
Chris

i hate i.e. bikes. i lived close to there a couple years ago when i first got into cycling and the guys were total dicks. if i were you i would make the extra trip down to redhawk bikes in temecula off of hwy 79 (south). the dudes there are super cool, very knowledgeable, and won't talk down to you.

Are you looking for specific bike brands or services?

My bro-in-law got a Look 555 from Hi-Tech and their sales and fitting service are quite good.

UCCyclery's bike mechanics are much friendlier though; but they carry a different brand of bikes if that's what you're after.

B&L Bike in Solana
Nytro
Hi Tech Bikes
Moment
UC Cyclery

All great shops

Ask for Dennis at RedHawk Bicycles

Redhawk have an active bike group run by JanB on this forum.

You could PM her....

well, i've decided to deal with hi-tech bikes for my needs! they're supposed to package a ship a bike i bought from a guy in california! hopefully it goes quickly, smoothly, and without damage! the bike is a look 595...i went with them because i've only heard good things and they're a look dealder.

thanks!

well, i've decided to deal with hi-tech bikes for my needs! they're supposed to package a ship a bike i bought from a guy in california! hopefully it goes quickly, smoothly, and without damage! the bike is a look 595...i went with them because i've only heard good things and they're a look dealder.

thanks!

hi-tech bikes are OK. just dont expect a mega store. the store is very small and selection is very limited. They dont have much in stock but they can order stuff for you. At least that is what they always told me.

Hi-tech will also do some price matching.

hi-tech bikes are OK. just dont expect a mega store. the store is very small and selection is very limited. They dont have much in stock but they can order stuff for you. At least that is what they always told me.

How much bigger of a shop do you expect? It kills me when people talk about how small a shop is... with a few exceptions, it's hard to find a shop that's huge with tons of bikes. There isn't a huge mark-up on bikes and the overhead will kill you. I don't many shop owners are getting rich anytime soon...

Hi-Tech bike usaully has 15-20 tri bikes on the floor and around 30 high end road bikes, that's a LOT of money tied up in stock.

How much bigger of a shop do you expect? It kills me when people talk about how small a shop is... with a few exceptions, it's hard to find a shop that's huge with tons of bikes. There isn't a huge mark-up on bikes and the overhead will kill you. I don't many shop owners are getting rich anytime soon...

Hi-Tech bike usaully has 15-20 tri bikes on the floor and around 30 high end road bikes, that's a LOT of money tied up in stock.

If you are average size person, they have bike for you. If you are tall/short you have to place special order.

Anyway, lets talk some other items I recently tried to buy from them with no luck.

Bike repair stand - none in stock
140mm stem - not in stock
Conti gatorskin - not in stock
seatpost with at least 30mm setback - not in stock
BB for 03 Ultegra - Not in stock

I could give you another 20 items that I was looking for and they did not have them in stock, just look at the selection of bibs/jerseys and you will notice that this store is not doing OK.

I was under the impression that they did a substantial internet mail order business. But I may be wrong on that.

well, i'm slightly disappointed so far. i was supposed to have my look 595 and some other parts shipped. i called friday morning. they took my name, address, and phone number. i was under the impression i would get a call back for actual pricing to pack and ship my bike and stuff. and take my credit card for packing and shipping cost.

i didn't get a call. when i called on saturday, i was told the guy that does that doesn't work on saturday and they don't have any information on my shipping order...

hrm...

They're ok. My bro-in-law got a Look 555 when he came over to visit me, then had his bike shipped without any issues. Since you're getting a 595, I assume you're going DA/red/record? If you're getting a shimano compact, double-check the model number of the crank you're getting. That's the only negative he has experienced with his purchase there.

They're ok. My bro-in-law got a Look 555 when he came over to visit me, then had his bike shipped without any issues. Since you're getting a 595, I assume you're going DA/red/record? If you're getting a shimano compact, double-check the model number of the crank you're getting. That's the only negative he has experienced with his purchase there.

yeah, i'm sure it'll be ok. just a little annoyed. the 595 will be DA.

If you are average size person, they have bike for you. If you are tall/short you have to place special order.

Anyway, lets talk some other items I recently tried to buy from them with no luck.

Bike repair stand - none in stock
140mm stem - not in stock
Conti gatorskin - not in stock
seatpost with at least 30mm setback - not in stock
BB for 03 Ultegra - Not in stock

I could give you another 20 items that I was looking for and they did not have them in stock, just look at the selection of bibs/jerseys and you will notice that this store is not doing OK.

You have to look at the type of shop it sells and what you're asking for. They are a high end/specialty shop, I'm not sure people go there for everyday maintenance stuff. You could have gone right around the corner to Performance or REI and got at least a couple of the items you were looking for. No shop is going to have everything you need all the time. I wonder if they had BB for newer Ultegra? Looking for a BB for a 5 year old set of cranks, I wonder how many shops would ahve those...

You have to look at the type of shop it sells and what you're asking for. They are a high end/specialty shop, I'm not sure people go there for everyday maintenance stuff. You could have gone right around the corner to Performance or REI and got at least a couple of the items you were looking for. No shop is going to have everything you need all the time. I wonder if they had BB for newer Ultegra? Looking for a BB for a 5 year old set of cranks, I wonder how many shops would ahve those...

high/end specialty shop ??????

What? Are you kidding me? I'm glad that you are happy with what they have in stock and I do not want to argue with you but hey dont even have decent bibs, shoes or saddles in stock.

few more items I was looking for

Assos bibs - not in stock? Perhaps Assos is not high/end enough :D
Michelin ProRace 3 tires - Not in stock
Sidi 5.5 shoes size 47 - Not in stock
Sram Red or DA 180mm crank - not in stock
Oakley Radar Polarized - Not in stock
Selle Italia SLR saddle - not in stock

Well, I don't know many other shops that you can go into and find Serotta, Kouta, Orbea, Litespeed and Colnago all under one roof. I'd call that pretty high end, even if they don't carry the totally overpriced Assos stuff... I have to ask, where did you find this magical shop that had all this stuff in stock that you were looking for?

Well, I don't know many other shops that you can go into and find Serotta, Kouta, Orbea, Litespeed and Colnago all under one roof. I'd call that pretty high end, even if they don't carry the totally overpriced Assos stuff... I have to ask, where did you find this magical shop that had all this stuff in stock that you were looking for?

I could buy it all from CC but as you know PBK has better deals and the shoes I wanted to try them on first.

140mm stem, FSA seatpost, assos bibs from CC.
Sidi shoes from B&L in Solana Beach.
Saddle, BB, crank, tires and few other goodies from PBK. (Also bought Assos winter jacket from PBK last year.)
Oakley radar I bought custom directly from Oakley website.

As per the bikes at hi-tech, they may have one of each of those brands you mentioned. Unfortunately none of those in my size 60/61cm.