jmX

Got some cheap CF rims I'd like to change the hub on and change to lighter bladed spokes. Anybody have shop recommendations? One that has nice wheel parts in stock would be preferred.

idoru2005

I was down at Bicycle Discovery in Fountain Valley a few weeks ago. I was talking to their mechanics about some Campy issues I was dealing with. I asked them about their wheel-building experience. They have LOTS of experience building wheels (ie built thousands of wheels over the years). Talk to Richard, he gave me great advice about putting together a new wheel with a Shimano cassette that works on Campy 8-speed, even though I didn't buy anything from them! BTW, their mechanics are all 'senior-looking' (ie grey hair with long shaggy beards type of dudes). One was named Luigi, I think. They seemed to know what they are talking about.

I've been to two different shops (The Path in Tustin, and Bike Religion in Newport Beach) for wheel truing. I wasn't happy with either of them. Next time I need a mechanic or wheel built, I'm going to Bicycle Discovery. I plan on having my wife's mid-90's Campy Ergo shifter rebuilt by them.

Here's their address:
8800 Warner Ave.
Fountain Valley, 92708
714-841-1366

CritEastwood

Go see Hugh at Pat's 605 in Norwalk.

Uncle Jams Army

Two solid wheelbuilders: Shon Sweet at ARoadBike4U and Juan at Cycle Pro. Both are in Irvine and both build a solid set of wheels. I've used them both, and I highly recommend them, without reservation.

polobreaka

hey, what made you go to discovery instead of performance? they're right next door. ive never been in discovery before. ive been going to performance just because they're big name. is discovery much more knowledgeable? i have nothing against them, just wanted to know what your experience was. thanks!

Neccros

What hubs are you getting rid of??? I'm looking for some cheap ones

Neccros

Actually Cycle Pro is in Lake Forest off of Aspan

idoru2005

Well, I did go to Performance that day, after all, they are right next door to each other. However, to be honest, I get a better feeling from the mechanics I spoke to at Bicycle Discovery. They seemed to have more experience and knew more about "vintage" bike components. Especially when it came to the Campagnolo parts I was asking about. Performance Bikes is a chain, not a LBS (IMO). As far as my experience, I purchased nothing at Bike Discovery, but the guy spoke to me as if I was a long time customer (which I wasn't), and he gave me great advice. The guy (Richard) knew what he as talking about. If I went to Performance and started talking Campagnolo, I wouldn't expect them to be able to help me. Would I have Performance build a wheel for me, NO WAY! Their mechanics seem a bit "green behind the ear" for me....

CritEastwood

performance = the Radio Shack of bicycle shops

polobreaka

oh ok thanks for that info! ill def go check out discovery from now on.

mwandaw

+1 for Bicycle Discovery.

They are a small business, so expect the people who help you to have a personality of their own.

https://www.bicycle-discovery.com/

We bought a Trek tandem from them in 2005. They gave us good advice, good service and a decent price.

cjbruin

Juan at Cycle Pro is a great wheel builder. Many (including me) consider him to be the best in So Cal. Great mechanic too.

tFUnK

i took my bike to cyclepro once for a simple job and i found them to be unhelpful, unprofessional, and overpriced. they overcharged me for a simple job they couldn't complete and actually referred me to performance to have them finish it. i should've just went to performance in the first place instead of trying to support a small shop. my impression was that they were perhaps nicer to the local racer crowd.

cjbruin

That doesn't sound right. What was the job and why couldn't they complete it? The only time I've ever heard of them referring anyone to Performance was when someone brought in a GMC Denali and they didn't have parts to fix it. I've also always found Juan's prices to be very reasonable.

jmX

Thanks for the suggestions guys. First quote a got gave me a reality check on this, and I may just live with the wheels as-is for a while.

CritEastwood, you're always so cheerful on here. Performance is great for tons of stuff. Assuming they sell an item I want, i know they will by far have the best price, the best return policy, and often times better salesfloor service. Nearly all the LBS's around here that I've been to couldn't possibly care less if I walk in their door or not (Incycle and possibly Jax aside)....the worst being Rock n Road in Anaheim hills. I'm invisible when I go there apparently. Same with Bicycle Johns in Burbank. If LBS's weren't so piss poor, there'd be no place for Performance Bicycle, but as it is I'm very glad to have them available as a choice.

tFUnK

I wanted to swap a new fork with a longer steerer onto my bike. I needed a crown race replacement, cut steerer, star nut install, and some extra spacers to take up the taller steerer on the new fork. I told them that I just wanted these things done; the guy at Cycle Pro acted like I didn't know what I was talking about and insisted that I leave the whole bike instead of just the forks, and wanted to charge me for a fork changeover for $35. I didn't really need the whole changeover but I didn't mind paying a few bucks extra if it meant my bike would be ready the next day. They said the bike will be ready within 24 hours so I left. I called back the next day and they said the bike was ready but they did not put in the star nut when I got there. They then went back and put in the star nut but my bike was still not rideable as they did not have enough spacers and told me to go to performance. Maybe I didn't communicate my needs clearly, maybe they didn't do anything "wrong", but I found them largely unhelpful and unattentive to my needs, and I likely would not go back unless I double-flat near their shop or something.

Al Bundy

support your local BF wheelbuilder: UrbanKnight
He has built a couple of sets fo me and I am very happy with them
cheers
Mike

CritEastwood

In case you missed it, I did recommend Hugh at Pat's 605 for your wheel build.

Radio Shack historically asks for your phone number on a purchase, as does Performance.

Thanks for playing.

Garfield Cat

The problem with small bike shops is that the mechanic portion of the business has to put a priority to their work. New bike customers are attended to first. Then comes emergencies. Then everything else. The more complex stuff requires a bit more thought and concentration and the mechanic cannot be distracted. Sometimes a 24 hour turn around cannot be met.

knowledgdropper

It's nice to see that someone actually likes Performance- I guess every industry needs at least one "big box" type of store. While they do have attractive prices, I can't believe that any of the staff at the FV location has more than 2 hours of experience on a bike- let alone in the bike industry. Then there's the horribly sparse in-store selection, especially in clothing. I really don't see the need for so many employees milling around when the store carries practically nothing on the shelves.

That place was 100x better as Supergo.

jmx, have you checked out Orange Cycle? I've only been in there a few times, but they seemed to have it together.

herbm

+1000

cjbruin

So by your logic, weasels have eyes, you have eyes, so that makes you a weasel?

...and of course, those are the only two retailers who ask for your phone number, right? Performance does that so they can see if you're in their database. If you are, they can associate the transaction with you so in the event you want to return the item and you lost your receipt, they can still serve you. They can even do that if you bought something in Mission Viejo and want to return it in Fountain Valley. They also use it to mail you promotion info. Pretty normal retail stuff that would actually benefit smaller shops too.

GP

Radio Shack used to ask for your address and send catalogs with their cool radio kits.

jmX, if you're ever in Oceanside, check out Pacific Coast Cycles. The owner built the wheels for the RAAM speed record holder. He builds good wheels and doesn't BS you or sell you stuff you don't need. All the celebrities go there, like robertkat.

cjbruin

Very "un-Juan-like" but I don't blame you for not wanting to go back. I'm sure I would feel the same way. By the way, the place I'm talking about is Cycle Care in Lake Forest. I'm sure it's the same place though. My experience with Juan is that he is a top-notch wrench with high ethics. Sorry you had a bad experience.

jmX

CF rims showed up today, 1410g for the pair. Not bad for $550'ish. Another win for Performance Bicycle in my book . They came with round spokes rather than oval/bladed, and no-name taiwanese hubs, so I've just got to decide if rebuilding perfectly good rims is worth the cost. First quote was $360 for just the front ($180 hub, $70 spokes, $90 labor, tax). Yeesh.

knowledgedropper, I actually bought my bike from Orange Cycles. I love that its a family business just down the road from me, but I know to steer clear if I'm ever in a hurry. Also, one of their mechanics was acting like every customer is a bit of an idiot, so I wouldn't ever go there for servicing unless it was warranty related. I'd buy another bike there in an instant, the sales guy was fantastic.

GP, added Pacific Coast Cycles to my contacts list. Cheers.