Commuting - How would you rate your LBS?

Maybe you're lucky and have more than one. Go ahead and vote... comment as needed.

Mine has great service and quick turnaround but It's only one guy working there, so the hours are hit and miss... like last week I showed up and he was on vacation. But he does great work and I'm proud to support the small businessman.

I have 2-3 to choose from, however most of my purchases are C&V so they aren't much help. One I use a lot more than the others because they have been good to me over the years, they have let me layaway bicycles, called me when something I might be interested in came in on the used rack and saved stuff they were going to throw away because they thought I might want or need it.:thumb: So I buy as much stuff from them as I can.

Aaron:)

Ours is a fairly small shop. These guys care about the rider, don't try to oversell the customer and their service is great! They also make their own frames if you want a custom build. The nice thing is that they treat you the same if you stop in to buy a $2.50 patch kit or are in the market for a $2500 Carbon Fiber thingy.

Ours is a fairly small shop. These guys care about the rider, don't try to oversell the customer and their service is great! They also make their own frames if you want a custom build. The nice thing is that they treat you the same if you stop in to buy a $2.50 patch kit or are in the market for a $2500 Carbon Fiber thingy.

I greyed out the parts that don't apply to mine. I like them a lot and I let some of the overselling wash off my back (and in other cases I don't necessarily listen to them if I'm more interested in overbuying...).

There are quite a few LBSs around here. If I went to one that was terrible I would be an idiot.
Even performance is a decent shop.

Mine is great. I'm picking up a bike at 9pm tonight, when they usually close at 5. The guy told me to call him when i get off work and he is going to drive out and open the doors so I can get it. I just wish the stock was a little better, but it looks like they are working on that as well. They also take the time to explain just about anything you want to know.

A guy even offered to help me move into my new house. Man I love that shop.

Mine is Al Petri And Sons Been there since 1946. I think !! There in Lincoln Park Michigan and there above Excellent even if Don is ugly . He posts and reads here sometimes :) And Al jr there all great . Every Bike I ever had has come from there and Iam 54 :thumb: . They never charge me for small repairs and adjustments .When they put a bike together its as solid as it gets . Petris is a 5 star LBS . I buy 99.9999% of my bike stuf there and all my bikes . Its nice to be able to support a local business .

It depends on what I need!

A repair I goto Jax Bicycles - it is a little more expensive, but the turn around is excellent! :)
Gear (non clothing) - it is to Performance, as they have a better selection.
Clothing - Target, I must confess, I can't justify to myself spending that much on a cycling outfit. C9 by Champion is great for me.
Bike - I'd would have to goto Rock n Road Cyclery as they seem to have the bigger selection. Although, the internets selection is pretty big....o, possiblity of no sales tax either (that's a big plus with that going up....stupid legislature, but that is getting off topic and into a completely different forum)

I've been to what I thought was a really bad one, but I think it was because the guy was always in Costa Rica tending to his "hotel". There are a few that I found when looking for certain products but I haven't been to them yet.

So in all honesty, I don't really have 1. It just depends on what I need/want as they are good for what I have needed them for.

The reason i find it a good shop is that the guys that wrench there are pretty great, and also my friends whom i ride with. Unfortunently the bikes they carry are not the best, which they know, and have no say in the matter, BUT they can order me anything I want, and have the right parts to take care of most anything. I tend to just go and hang out there when i'm passing by hahaha

I have a few to choose from and they are excellent. One of them I used to work for many years ago so it's my fave but has also been rated one of the best in the US and certainly one of the best in the Boston area many times over the years.

When I'm in NYC I'm amazed at how few and far between a really good bike shop is in comparison to some of the shops around here.

I live on the west side of beautiful Cleveland---there are several to choose from, but I go Century Cycle. Their service and advice have all been excellent. I do not mind paying a little more as it is truly worth it. I will ask them about upgrades and options, and the advice is about me; it is not about making another dollar more.

Tim C.

Top shops in Olympia, WA (and the ones listed are all great!):

The Bike Stand/Olympic Outfitters (Bill Stevenson knows more about bikes than anyone in the area)
Old Town Bikes (Nicest selection of bikes)
Joy Ride (nice guys, great techs)
Bike Tech (nice guys, good techs, but accessories are a little pricey)
Oly Bikes (commuter focused bike shop)

A few others -

Deschutes Bicycles (I don't have much experience with them - but pretty good used bikes)

Falcone's (I don't care for them much)

My primary LBS is Performance so I voted reasonable. The prices are really good (that is the #1 priority at my income level), they sell good product, they have decent to good mechanics and they've stepped up on every issue I've had (though it can take some persistence).

excellent

Condor Cycles - quite possibly the best bike shop in London

http://www.condorcycles.com/

49/53 Grays Inn Road
London
WC1X 8PP

Google maps (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=wc1x+8pp&ie=UTF8&z=17)

Maybe you're lucky and have more than one.

You forgot the rest of us who don't even have one.

My "local" bike shop is 65 mile away; but I would give it a 8 out of 10. Really nice people, eager to help and provide advice. Just wish it was local.

I can throw a rock and hit 4 shops.

Sammamish Valley Cycles is my regular shop. I got my fit, and bought my bike there. The guy who owns it is the (for the time being) president of Randonneurs USA. As you can guess, it's the rando shop. Plus it's a great commuter and (surprisingly) tri-racer shop.

Gerk's Alpine Hut is the local Specialized joint. Knowledgeable staff, mostly a racing crowd. Their off-season stuff is Ski/Snowboad gear.

Redmond Cycle; the local racer's boutique and (oddly enough) BMX shop. Need a pair of Rolf wheels? You can get 'em there. Need a 20 x 2.0 tube for that flat you got at the park? They have that, too. Nice owner who appreciates vintage resto's.

Woodinville Bicycle; great shop, friendly staff. Won't try to oversell anyone, carries a fairly wide variety for being a small shop. Always willing to order what's not in the shop.

REI - "meh" bike shop, but not bad pricing for accessories.

Performance - It's Performance. They're big, it's inexpensive, the service is impersonal but adequate. I buy enough stuff from them, but it's not the same as going to SVC or Woodinville where I stop in just to say "hi" on my way home.

I'll give my LBS an "E" for effort, if they have what I want in stock, I'll buy it from them. If the LBS has to order it, I'll buy it online, since past experiences with the LBS's ordering practices have taught me that 99 percent of the time that I'll get the right part in a shorter time period for less money if I do it myself.

My town has only one bike shop, fortunately it's a very good one. They are very pro Surly.

The two shops I frequent are simply excellent.

One is mainly a repair shop, run by the national team's head mechanic. He'll open early for me (6:00am on time!) so I can bring in my bike before work, and of course he'll stay open a bit late so I can pick up my bike after work. The quality of the work is top notch (he actually makes most of his own tools in his machine shop!), and the prices are the lowest in town, even the limited parts and clothing that he sells.

The second shop I go to for parts. They give me excellent deals, and will do things like swap chainrings on new set of cranks for me at no extra charge so I can get the odd crank length and chainring teeth count I want. Top notch all the way!

I have 2 that I call my LBS. One near my house one near my office.

LBS near home = Only in a pinch. fine for tubes and lube and things that I consume, otherwise useless.
LBS near work = Excelllent. service, parts, advice, lunch all in one place.

When I'm in NYC I'm amazed at how few and far between a really good bike shop is in comparison to some of the shops around here.

Below 59th or so, you've got several good ones to choose from, but they're pricey. Up where I live, they're fine for fixing flats but you're having a once-in-a-lifetime lucky day if you find somebody who knows what Proofide is.

I go to a few in town, so my vote was an average. I do almost all my own wrenching, so all I really do is go in and molest new bikes or buy emergency parts.
Bow Cycle - pretty darn good, especially the last couple of years
Eurotech - Roy and Almeda are awesome people, and kept me in used 8 spd XT when I was poor
The Bike Shop - I've gotten to the point where I refuse to buy anything there unless it's half-off or more
Campione - now that the ******bag manager is gone, it's quite a good shop

In the Lehigh Valley, there are actually quite a few GREAT shops. In Hellertown, Saucon Valley Bike Shop is my favorite and where I bought my bike.

Right up the street we have Action Wheels which is a Specialized dealer and they are all pretty cool too. The we have 2 huge parts stores named Gensis in Easton and Bikeline in allentown. Both are fine places to go buy some schwag.

I have access to several bike shops with different bike manufacturers, etc. My main shop is where I go for repairs, not necessarily to purchase any bikes or bike parts. Have a high end mtb shop that just opened up and I'm dieing to get in there. Or perhaps I should not ...

I rarely do service calls there, but when I do, they're good...they don't have much of a supply of actual commuting or MTB specific products - most is dedicated to race and group ride stuff...Their prices on actual bikes are rather expensive, and a good half of the people that work there are rather cold. I go in there when I must, but usually, I find myself going to Lafayette.

Lots of good bike shops in Austin. DH works at one, so I get special treatment :) plus his shop is only 1 mile from our house. Works out great for me, except that we spend A LOT of money on bike stuff.

Maybe you're lucky and have more than one. Go ahead and vote... comment as needed.

There are several that I've gone to over the years here in the greater Nashville area. Have found them to be impatient, condescending, and snobby. I get all my stuff online or off CL nowadays. It's sad, really because I like to support local businesses, but I live so far out in the country nowadays that a trip to the closest lbs is a major trek. Then to be treated poorly doesn't make it worth my while. I'll shop online and look for closeouts and free shipping instead.

There's 2 shops that I go to regularly. One the guys there are awesome, but they don't have much that I buy in stock. The other has a ton of stuff, even the obscure stuff I don't think they would, but the service is terrible.

They run from excellent to terrible around here. I'm fortunate to have figured out which ones are which now, and wont be going back to the terrible ones. YMMV.

there are two that i frequent. one is like 2 blocks from my house so it gets the most buisness. i get killer deals, but sometimes im not sure about them. the repairs are great.

my favorite lbs is about 13 miles away on country roads. getting there is an experience in it self, especially if its on a bike i need repaired. its run by an older lady. they carry limited stock and a lot of it is older. i've never met someone who went out of their way so much to save a person money. she always grabs stuff out of her parts bin and throws it on my bike for free. her repairs aren't the best (probably due to age) , better than mine though. its the only shop i've been to where the conversation was almost never about bikes. that means something

Gray Goat Sports (http://graygoatsports.com/) on Indy's south side!

I gave them a grade of "Excellent" even before I bought my new LHT there. This is the shop I pass the closest to on my commute into work. There have been several times that I have stopped in while commuting because I needed a repair and they dropped what they were doing to help. I wasn't even late to work.:) Since I got the Surley, things have only gotten better.

There are at least two more shops on the south side that would each rate at least a grade of "good", one being a little "odd" and the other being more of a "box" store.

D

Good for repairs, awful stock but that's down to the area the shop is in, Bikes are Avanti and equipment is crappy Specialized :o. The two best shops are in the city, miles away though. :(

Back in Minneapolis, I had access to numerous excellent bike shops. Here in NYC though, mediocre is the norm and "tolerable" is considered amazing.

Mine is a high end shop with many clients willing to spend the big bucks on carbon fiber time trial bike and custom bikes. My needs are given the same consideration even though I'm downright cheap. Great people & business.

Get a grip in Chicago. Highly recommended.

http://getagripcycles.com/

Michael

I have two (well three, the third I won't even go to or call any more). The one closest to my house is alright if you get the manager or one particular kid there, everyone else is just okay. They will help you but it always seemslike you are inconveniencing them, they always roll their eyes when they have to take their personal bike out of the stand to put yours in. The other one is even more hit and miss with staff, they ahve a higher turnover and it's hard to tell who will end up being helpful. They both have come through for me in the past and both have really disappointed me in the past also. All in all i would give both of them between a 4-7 on any given day...

There are several shops on island that I spread my patronage on. Mostly the language barrier does the harm. Also, they have to order almost everything. And they don't care a lot of the stuff we easily get in the States. This is why my bikes all have Shimano on them.

i'm lucky...
bicycle stable and trophy bike garage here in philadelphia and near my neighborhood (kensington/northern libs, respectively) are both top-notch. frankenstein bike works in center city is good too. unfortunately, all three are often too busy to fix a flat or other quick-fix to get me back on the road in a jiffy so i've learned how to do basic repairs/maintenance on my own bike. which, is a good side effect... in terms of 'hey can you do this now?' availability i would rate the three in this order: trophy, frankenstein, stable.

Interesting poll....in a good way.

Three shops in my town. Two work in a pinch....the third is shabby.

My biggest gripe about all these shops is customer service. I understand if they don't have the part I need, but for crying out loud....is it too much to ask to assist me in finding an alternative or ordering what I asked for to begin with??

With no business background, I'm certain I could open a shop in my town that would kick the pants off of what we have now.

End of gripe.

My LBS is a dream come true. Pete is always willing to impart knowledge and allow the use of his tools and stands. In the winter he does spin classes 3 times a week for free and you can rent time on the trainers if you can't make it to the classes. His prices are very reasonable and he has thrown me some freebies on more than one occasion. I am planning to move and I will still make the trip to his shop even if it will be more than an hour away.

I put okay in a pinch since One is really bad and the other is very good borderline excellent. The one I don't really like though is the only one that sells Bianchi around here. They didn't want to even order the bike which frustrates me a bit. Then on top of it they don't even know how to size someone to a frame. Then that is where my Very good place comes in and I stopped by yesterday and they helped me as I have bought parts from them and had them fix some stuff before. They were more than willing to help even if I didn't buy a bike from them. Which to me I really like. They do charge slightly more than online but for the service and advice to me it is well worth it. Plus they have a dog that runs around inside which I think is kind of cool.

Ugly? Thanks, the best ya said about me yet.
peace,
Bicycledon