Only two spots I've been to that I'll ever return to, which is a real shame. I just don't get why a bike shop can't succeed in this city even if the rent is high.
My experience is the same with Toga. They never have any decent parts in stock which is crazy considering all the high end bikes they sell. Sid's is hit or miss for me. One of the mechanics is great, as is one of the higher up employees but many of the people working there have some issues.
Signature Cycles is the only place I've been to that I trust 100%. From sales to service, these guys know how to operate.
The other, which is now defunct, was Cadence Cycles. Overpriced but great service.
I'm surprised to see support for Tread. The sales is fine, but the mechanics have cost me a lot of money and were the reason I've learned to do nearly everything on my own. I suppose I should thank them and think they actually saved me money.
Tread's mechanic ruined my rear wheel with a chris king hub and revolution spokes after it was only a few months old. I asked him to redish the wheel from 135 to 130, at first asking if this was even possible, sure sure, no problem, it is. All he did was crank the hell out of one side of the spokes to move the hub over. Two days later, total rear wheel failure leaving me stranded and walking. About a year later I decided to give them another chance, and it was basic service so I figured it would be safe. They installed a dura-ace crankset and BB on my commuter. The left arm was not installed properly leaving a gap between the BB and crank arm. I thought this was perhaps because the BB width was different and just assumed such a simple installation couldn't be botched so rode it that way for a few months. Last week, my crank arm fell off while pedaling up a hill. Half the grooves the crank arm uses to attach to the other side were stripped. I limped back home on one leg, and now that I have a full mechanics kit, I reinstalled the arm thinking it was probably ruined. To my surprise, it slid on right up to the BB, just like I've always seen with the dura-ace 7800 cranks on other bikes. So far it works, but it doesnt inspire confidence knowing half the contact point is ruined.