Originally Posted by
MKahrl
I would consider Baer Wheels to be the very best bike shop in the Columbus area. The shop's reputation is centered on repairs and the more difficult the repair, the more likely you will want it done there. He has provided thousands of cyclists with on the road support at TOSRV and GOBA over the last twenty years. The Bike Chain stores are conspicuous in their absense at these events; which I understand, chain stores are in the business selling bikes and accessories at a price that brings the customers in. Baer Wheels is more into supporting the cycling community and building customer loyalty.
I have never bought a bike there and have always been treated quite well. What he charges for repairs always seems to be half of what you would think it should be. The bicycles that he sells new are always an interesting mix that you won't find at other stores. Surly, Bianchi, Waterford, Seven, Colnago. I have sent friends to buy new bikes there and they have been pleased with the experience. They did not get the lowest price in town but they appreciated being listened to as they described what they wanted.
I've never purchassed a bike there, just parts. The three experiences that made me stop going there were:
1) Going into the shop and selecting a part I'd like to buy, a rear derailer. It had a price tag on it, no sale. I was ok with that, I wasn't trying to haggle, just buy a part at the listed msrp price. I proceeded to attempt to pay for the part at the counter and was informed that the the price was wrong. It actually cost 1.4 times what it was marked for.
Me: But you have a price marked on it.
Baer: Well, it's wrong, the price is higher than that now.
Me: You have an advertised price, and you aren't going to honor it?
Baer: If you want the part you'll have to pay (lists higher price).
In my stupidity I paid the higher price instead of going down the street.
2) This has also happenned to a friend of mine who went in to buy brake levers.
3) I had just painted one of my frames and needed the headset cups to be pressed in. I didn't realize how easy it was to make a press so I took it to him, said that I wanted the cups pressed in, and nothing else. I inquired as to what it would cost and was told $5. I had expected that to be higher so that was fine. I gave him the frame and headset cups, and he pressed them in. I asked if he would glance at the crown race I had set on the fork to be sure it was on right. He said that would be $5, I found that reasonable, and handed him the fork reiterating that I wanted to assemble it myself. He asked if I wanted him to assemble it, and I said no. He said it would be just a moment and started to thread the rest of the headset stack off the fork. I stated again that I wanted to do the assembly, not him at which point he was inserting the fork into the tube, really "It'll just be a moment". I pointed out that I 1) Wanted to do it myself, 2) Didn't want him to do it. 3) Was going to take it apart the moment I got home and redo it myself because I wanted the learning experience. At this point he once more stated that it wasn't a problem and would really just be a moment. I asked for my bike back, specifically stated (again) that I did not want my headset assembled, and he turned his back to me. After a couple of minutes he charged me the $10 for putting it in, charged me another $15 on top of that for the assembly (didn't I make it clear that I didn't want it), and finally gave me my bike back. To be quite frank I've gotten better service from Nashbar.
I've got several other instances but I think that's enough ranting for now.
I've bounced around a lot through summer internships, places I've visited, and so on and have never had a problem with another shop. So, does he carry nice stuff, yes. I also generally find his employees to be both helpful and considerate. He on the other hand makes sure that I'll never buy stuff from him unless every shop in the world has closed.