Pacific Northwest - Bike Tech vs. Old Town Cycles

Anyone have opinions about these two shops around the south puget sound area. I would be going to the Puyallup Bike Tech. Wanting to see if anyone has any horror stories or words of wisdom to follow that you've come up with along your journey.

Thanks.

Old Town Cycles is in Tacoma (not sure if theres more than one)

There was a post talking about this earlier...

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=526044

I have only been to BT once and just to look around have never really dealt with them, same for Old Town but the one time I was in there they seemed to have a bit of that snooty attitude. I could be wrong and sometimes first impressions are not the best. I like the shop in Orting, one man operation and he's very helpful. The shop in Sumner is pretty good too.

If you're looking to get a bike, I'd go with Old Town because they have better quality bikes there. I've never been to Old Town. I have been to the Puyallup Bike Tech, they had surprisingly good customer service aside from having to wait 5 minutes in line. I can't remember exactly what they showed me but they let me go back to the mechanic area to show me something. I had a product that I was going to purchase and they told me it was garbage and told me to get another product which was similarly priced and much better. Granted, that might not be exactly what Bike Tech wants its employees doing, I appreciate that sort of thing. I'd still recommend Old Town though, heh. Seems like more of a hardcore shop to me (Bike Tech is a chain, Old Town is... well... in Old Town, they might have another store in Gig Harbor but that's still much better than being a chain) so you'll get more knowledgeable employees and employees that care about the prosperity of their shop a little bit more than Bike Tech where everybody's just there to get a paycheck.

There's one of each in Olympia, and I've been to both, and I'm glad they're both in town so I don't have to bother with the other bike shops. The Bike Tech shop is maybe a mile form my house, so it's very convenient for tubes and such. They're a very busy shop, so getting help can take some time, but the guys who work there are all really into bikes and riding. Old Town is further away, but it's on the way to school and sort of near where I work. They're also very knowledgeable and helpful, and since the shop isn't as busy, things don't take as long. There are three other shops in town, and I have zero positive encounters with all of them together, so it's either Old Town or Bike Tech for me when I need a bike shop.

Thanks for the link on the other threat, I completely forgot to go check the search function. >_<

I'm still thinking about them and I'll have to hit up the shops in Orting and Sumner, i'll probably hit up sumner first chance I get cause it's closer by a tad. Old Town seemed to have much higher end bikes and a larger selection of parts and stuff but my very first impression was of a snooty shop...

I want to establish a relationship with a LBS since I'm still new to biking. Most likely since I live in Puyallup it'll end up being Bike Tech and i'll just order my parts and stuff via the interwebs.

Thanks for the insights ya'll. Any more info is always appreciated.

Old Town was doing support on the Daffodil Classic ride a couple of weeks ago. I stopped at the first rest stop because I had a squeaky cleat. The mechanic put my bike on the stand, dry lubed the pedals, and checked through a bunch of other bolts to make sure there were no other possible sources of noise...he was very nice, very thorough, very fast. Didn't strike me as snooty at all.

I always feel underdressed when I go into the Oly OT; it is my 4 yr old's favorite shop because the week they opened they had lollipops. Runner up for her is OlyBikes, she likes the stride-bike thingy (12" wheels, no pedals). But the one time they had candy it was atomic fireballs, not to her taste. Biketech has lots of pink stuff that she likes (including the 16" bike we bought for her)

Not a fan of BikeTech or OldTown. Bonney Lake Bikes in Sumner is OK though they rarely if ever have anything I need or want. Trailside in Orting is small but you can't beat the service. Brian is an awesome guy so I stop by everytime I'm in his 'hood and buy something and shoot the breeze with him. I like Tacoma Bike too. It's a huge shop with a pretty good selection across the board...I also like Spoke & Sprocket in UP. Small but they usually have what I'm looking for...

I checked out Bonney Lake Bikes in Sumner today and found that they had awesome service. I just walked in and was looking at some of their Specialized stuff and after a few minutes a guy came up and answered all of my questions and put up with my newbieness through all of it. They did an awesome job, after I go check out the Cannondale somewhere if I still like the Specialized more... they earned my business.

I checked out Bonney Lake Bikes in Sumner today and found that they had awesome service. I just walked in and was looking at some of their Specialized stuff and after a few minutes a guy came up and answered all of my questions and put up with my newbieness through all of it. They did an awesome job, after I go check out the Cannondale somewhere if I still like the Specialized more... they earned my business.

You were about 6 blocks from my house. I bought a couple of bikes from them when they were still in Bonney lake. Which guy did you talk to the older guy Jim or the kid with all the hardware in his ears. They really are pretty good. I've gotten to know them since they are so close to me so if I can't get it from Brian in Orting I'll go to them. Jim has been a wrench for years and there was and still may be a fellow there that has an artificial arm he's really a good mechanic.

I talked to both Jim and Eric. Eric was the one that came up first.

I have bought 2 bikes at Old Town in Tacoma. I have had service done on some older bikes I own there too. I have had nothing but good experiences.
I have gone to Bike Tech on Puyallup's south hill. I haven't purchased any bikes there just because they simply didn't have what I wanted. I have bought parts there though. I have always had good experiences there too.

I like both shops. Old Town has a better selection of bicycles and I prefer the lines they carry over Bike Tech. However, my experiences at Bike Tech have been positive too. I've bought bicycles from both shops and had both shops service my bicycles. I've only had experience with the shops in Olympia... they are both great. As for the post that didn't have a good experience with the other shops in the area... I couldn't disagree more! The only shop where I have not really enjoyed the experience is Falcone's on the Westside of Olympia. Olybikes, Joy Ride, Deschutes have all been excellent. But my favorite is still the Bike Stand (Olympic Outfitters.) They will take the time to discuss anything and everything bicycle related. I've never bought a bike there, but I have had my bikes serviced there and I have bought many custom accessories there. I support all the bike shops in the area and I think they are great people.

Yeah, everybody has good experiences in these places but me, so I'm thinking it's me after all ;) I've actually never been to Deschutes, but they have a good reputation. I'm just glad that there are so many shops in town, so we can find the ones we like. Nice problem to have.

Is Deschutes the one by the Safeway in Tumwater? Nice guy. He just bought it a year or so ago I think.

Good times at both here! The S. Tacoma & Lakewood Bike Techs have awesome customer service! Old Town has more highend stuff...