I want to get a single speed bike. Does anyone know of good shops in philly that could build one for me for a reasonable cost. thank you

Don't go to Via or you will absolutely get ripped off.

A friend of mine went to revolution cycles on 4th & Catherine (or something) and got a Cayne Uno for $500 or so. Good deal on an out-of-the-box bike. Most any shop can order you one of those.

www.trophybikes.com

(I have no connection to ownership.)

Thank you i will most likely go to revolutions; it is right around the corner from me and the people seem nice. Around how much would a fixie minus the frame cost with entry level parts?

Unless your frame is very nice, you will probably get a better deal by getting a complete bike, unless you are getting used parts. You can't get used parts except at Via, who will rip you off.

Of course, if you want to DIY, you can go to bike church. But you want it done, yes?

guys at therapy (on south) are good guys. trophy bikes is ok; i bought a bike there, and don't hate them, but....i don't really think of 'em as reasonably priced. plus, no one should have to endure hearing a little man who looks like Count Rugen of _The Princess Bride_ talkin' about "hot hybrids" to describe a flatbar road bike. *shudders*

-rob

Firehouse! used stuff, and the people are actually nice.

I like therapy...

I'm a revolutions advocate. Especially for singlespeed stuff. Therapy was always hit or miss in terms of whether I got attitude (all depended upon who was waiting on me). I too bought a bike at trophy and while i don't have complaints, I still prefer revolutions.

while we're on the subject, anyone know which shop has a good selection of saddles? I'm desperate for a new one (and new bolts - mine are stripped).

+ infinity on Revolutions. With a few exceptions, fg/ss is all they do. Bryan will absolutely take care of you.

The owner of Bicycle Therapy on South St., Lee Rogers is a good guy and very knowledgeable.

why does everyone trash VIA? I feel like every shop in philly has its one thing it's good at. I get fine deals on used parts there, plus a great owner IMHO. It's the wrong place to buy a new bike though. Plus, we have frankenstein bikes to trash. Jesus.

long time reader, first time poster... (ive always wanted to say that)

all the shops in philly are pretty good, you'll figure out on your own which you like best. for now here is a synopsis that i have compiled.

therapy: good high end stuff, can be snobbish if they dont know who you are, ok repairs.

revolutions: good if you are a hipster/messenger/posenger and are overly concerned with the scene and what people think of you, but brian is a good guy and generally does good work.

frankenstein: most will agree to stay away from that place!

trophy: great repairs, great staff, will go out of their way to special order parts, but beware of the owner for he can be a handful!!!

via: good repairs, awesome place if you are looking for hard to find parts and used bikes.

firehouse: expensive but not so great used bikes, budget repairs, good for used frames.

those are the only shops i can think of right now! but stop by all of em and decide for yourself.

trophy bike garage or bicycle revolutions.

trophy bike garage so you wont have to see the owner, but eric and whoever works there can do all most anything especially when peter works there, he'll charm the pants off of you

trophy garage if you're up north or bicycle revolutions if you're down south. both are really chill places and everyone is nice to talk to. trophy garage has fuji and jamis as far as SS goes, i think bicycle revolutions has more of a SS selection: cayne, motobecane, redline... probably others that i'm forgetting. i think they're the only place that does bareknuckles in the city too (at least they were a few months ago).

Mike from Mikes Bikes was pretty ok with me. I like BicycleTherapy too. (I need therapy too), Fire House is the bomb.

I went to Revolutions to ask about a wheelbuild and I felt like he thought he caught a live one. He quoted me a ridiculous price. I left a-running! I actually went to trophy garage to get a quote. He is supposed to get back to me.

I did see a Soma Delancey frame at Revolutions. Sweet looking frame!

RIKARDI!!!

I just think I'm going to buy the hubs and rims and take them to Rikardi.

I think most shops are just fine, depending on the attitude you show when you come through the door.

I used to like Via. I sort of knew the owner, and he was always friendly to me. But then they tried to sell a ****ty gaspipe beat-up FRENCH frame to my buddy for a FG for $100!!!!! And a ****ty quando/weinmann wheelset for like $200 or something ridiculous. They wanted another $50 or something for the grindy bb and hs that were already in there.

Granted, my buddy didn't know **** and was a prime target ("We cheat everyone and pass the savings on to YOU"), but I felt that this was dishonest.

I also dislike the fact that many of the cool parts that they have are not available downstairs, and that you have to get them on the internet.

In order of how much you want to spend, go to these places:

Bike Therapy - My favorite high end shop.
Revolution Cycles - I hear good things about these guys a lot.
Firehouse Bikes - Great used bike selection, co-operatively owned to boot.
Bike Church - Very cheap bikes, volunteer run bike co-op but you'll end up putting time into the bike but learning a lot too.

I'm not a fan of Via.

Don't forget Chaz. The Bicycle Stable on Frankford Ave has good used stuff, as well as new Pakes and Caynes.

Yeah, Chaz is a cool guy. I heard the guy from Revolutions was from Bicycle Therapy who went on his own.

yeah fuzzy/brian used to be the manager at therapy.

also most shops can get you a bareknuckle if they order from EAI
i know trophy deals with EAI and can get you bareknuckles, they just dont carry in stock and they also are dealer of kona so if you are looking for a paddy wagon, they have that too along with surly

Via was the first place I went, I kept going back with cumulatively lamer experiences as much as I get along with their mechanics. Once I started doing my thing at Bike Church, I left them behind... the last straw was when the owner cussed me out for putting my bike over my shoulder when leaving the shop.