Bike Works NYC
 

Does anyone have any experience with this particular LBS (repair/mechanical work, rather than e-tailing)?

yeah, the guy who runs the place is kinda sorta ok, but can also be a dick. i have built 2 bikes, getting most things from here as i wanted to support them as a small lbs, but even after all the time and money i spent there, dave isn't really that helpful, nor friendly. even tho i'd always been cool and patient. they pretty much ruined a profile bottom bracket cup that was binding, they really didn't know what to do, nor did they really have the correct tool to get it done right. dave ended up whacking the spindle so hard it shot the bearing out the other side. I took it home and managed to reset the whole thing with a homemade press, which is exactly what i didnt want to do in the first place as the cup is aluminum. so now it just binds less and the cup is all f-d up looking.

i would never go back. i can appreciate being busy and absentminded and slow, but you could at least not be so irritable. still havent found a place i really like in the city, even after 9 years. i though bikeworks was it for a while.

-t

It's a great shop man. I got my single speed conversion there (and I am going to get an other big job there soon i.e. my gardin). They have pretty good prices with a very fast turnaround. Defiantly a good shop.

I have to put in my 2 cents on this place as I had a rather unpleasant experience there-- actually, the most unpleasant NYC shop experience to date.

I have a converted Schwinn traveler fix that I dearly love, and after running from shop to shop in search of a compatible stem, I went to them. They weren't busy at all that day, just me and another guy in the shop. I was also looking for a holder-bracket for my U-lock.

The guy behind the counter (young, tall, glasses) practically yawned when he saw me. He pointed me towards a couple used stems that would fit -- I really wanted a road stem but exasperated I shelled out a little bit for a MTB stem that was at least long enough for me. Then I bought some VERY overprice bar tape. I then asked him about the holders for the U locks, and he produced a large box with about 40 of them of all different sizes. He said "Look in here and you might find something you can use." Fine, great... until no more than 3 minutes later he sharply spat "You know, you can't just spend all day here going through those." JESUS-- pardon me for walking in and giving you my money-- god forbid I should leave a satisfied customer after finding something that would enable me to spend more. I left very shaken by his rudeness--- he also told me it would be hopeless finding replacement handlebars for my bike.

If you ask me, this attitude from a store that is praised (or praises ITSELF) for being amenable to those who ride bikes a little left of center is puzzling; shouldn't they be the ones who are supportive of trying to find parts for the fixed gear rider? It always bugs me when people at little stores that aren't busy treat you like **** if you ONLY spend 20 dollars-- and are friendly the whole time, as I was. I had read about Bike Works for ages on the internet and was really enthused to check it out-- only to be very disappointed.

The new Trackstar place on 1st st. and 2nd Ave. looks promising; they slapped a new track cog on my bike for not too much and the guys are nice, if a little elitist. For non track-specific stuff, Bicycle Heaven on 62nd btwn 1st/2nd is GREAT, friendly without being pushy or obsequious-- just real, nice bike guys. Toga's nice for accessories, although I can see being pressured if you came in for a bike.

The guys at Bicycle Renaissance on 80/Columbus are a mixed bunch; they do good shop work. Beware, though: their 'free' air hose is only a good thing if you have Schrader valves or an adapter on you. The ****head actually made me BUY one to use the pump yesterday-- and I was riding my bosses bike (that hadn't had air in 2 years)-- because MY bike was sitting IN THEIR SHOP.

Whew. I feel better already. I hope this helps.

It's funny. I had heard a lot of horror stories about bike works on these forums before, and I went in the other weekend to talk about a BIG project and was very surprised that the guys who were there that day (Dave and John) were nice, friendly, knowledgable, and eager to help. We talked for a long time about different options, and they never tried to make a hard sell or recommend something expensive just for the markup. I don't know if it was that I'm considering dropping a ton of money in there, or whether they (John particularly) were actually quite nice and eager to help. What i don't want, though, is an eager to please LBS that's sh*t, mechanically speaking. If I could afford a headset press and a bb facer and all those other big expensive shop tools, I'd much prefer to do all the work myself. Failing that, though, I'll take a competent mechanic with a bad attitude over a nice guy who's all thumbs any day of the week. So, that being said, any positive mechanic experiences?

i guess it all depends on how much u intend to spend,the more u spend- the more patient they are with you.

larry & jeff's on 87th and 3rd...ask for larry, he was one of the first track bicyclists in the city back in the day. the boys at trackstar we're cool, i will continue supporting them...screw bikeworks, their operating hours are very inconvenient.

I have an old one piece crank I like to carry into shops so I can judge if they are any good or not. If the losers won't help you with a $15 dollar bb rebuild kit.... leave and never come back becuase sooner or later, you're going to get screwed over dealing with them.

I personally stay away from trendy places and stick to older shops. Fixed gear bikes are not hard to work on... any good tech can help you.

so how many $15 bottom bracket sets do you own now?

One as of now. I try to keep one or two around becuase I always have a family beater who needs it-- my clan seems to breed crap bikes.

When you take an old crank out of a paper bag, 3 things happen.

1. The counter person doesn't know what it is and tries to sell you a new bike.

2. The counter person has a look on there face like you just took a lump of doggie doo out of the sack.

3. The counter person asks about what kind of bike it's out of and has a general interest in the bike and helping you put it back together.


If you're not a #3 type of person, I'm not sure why you're working in a bike shop, but there are a lot of posers out there.


And in no corner of cycling are there more posers that single speed. I look at single speed as a rejection of $5,000 road bikes, pricey gear and the endless banter about bike weight, training methods and gruppo wars.

It's just you and the gumption to peddle--- the trendy *fixie* shops springing up aroud the USA---well, all I can say is, Yuck!

I had a pretty good experience at Bike Works. Dave is a little spacey and easily distracted, but he was attentive and answered all my questions without making me feel dumb for asking novice questions. Of course, I spent a lot of money on a nice set of wheels so I may have gotten better treatment than someone who walks in with a crappy set of cranks. I have had a lot of bad experiences in bike shops -- Bicycle Habitat, R & A Cycles, Bicycle Station, Metro Cycles... you name it, I have been there and been treated like crap. I don't know why bike store folks are such jerks, but I almost always find that they are. Bike Works was OK on that score.

Well, here's the update: I took the bike in, and Dave was totally friendly and helpful and didn't seem to mind that I monopolized his time for a good 40 minutes talking about bike parts. I guess we'll see the quality of their mechanical work when I pick the bike up. For what its worth, I watched one of the other wrenches putting a bike together while I was there and he seemed quite capable; at least as capable or (most likely) more so than myself.

i got my wheels from them....when i finally got them they were decent, but it took a month, not vey helpful either ,,,maybe it was cuz i ordered mine via phone, but i doubt i would use them again.

bike works is not perfect but it's my favorite in the city. They always answer my questions patiently. Sometimes they are out of stock on basic stuff for a couple weeks, but they have the best used parts selection. They definitely have a distinct mood or attitude in there. I've spent a lot of money with them and been in a bunch, but they don't act particularly like they know me. On the other hand, I like how chill they are. When they try to talk you into something, which is rarely, it's likely to be something cheaper.

alright. here's the low down...i walk into bikeworks and get the service and the attention that every overpaying customer should get. then i walk over to 'trackstar', the new bike shop in the east village (www.trackstarnyc.com). brad, who i gather is one of the owners, is not only eager to talk to me, but is super enthusiastic that he's helping out another customer. i just had my track bike put together by him (and another employee, forgive me i forget her name...who rocked by the way) and he did a fantastic job...he even went out for a ride around the block with me afterwards. it's worth checking out this new place, they're just starting out and don't have too much inventory but are willing to order things for you asap.