There are some very cool people at CityBikes. Keep going back.

I actually used to run the Service Department last summer at the Adams Morgan shop of City Bikes.

The mechanics I would of given my right leg for, but some of the sales guys I wanted to shoot daily (hence why I left!)

The mechanics especially Paul, and Xavier know their crap.

Agreed (second person to do so). I'm from DC but make the trek out to college park for this shop and found it well worth it. Chad has helped me and my family out with 5 bikes at this point. Being in NYC I miss these guys.

Having bought my khs there, i wouldn't do it again. (do they even still sell khs track bikes? other than the bunch of unsold ones the had a year ago 03 and 04 models)

At the time they seemed like they sold them, but didn't really want to deal with them. Also my cog/lock ring never seemed to be on right and i eventually stripped the fixes side of the hub.

as previously mentioned
for converted road bikes, yojimbos
for street fixes i would suggest Upgrade Cycle Works (suppose to be good custom wheel builders also), Cycle Smithy

also less central is
Boulevard Bikes, 2535 North Kedzie Boulevard in logan square. www.boulevardbikeshop.com
they seem to know how to convert road bikes to ss/fixed and have a basment of used bikes they fix up in the off season to resell. so if your looking for a converted road bike is also another option. They are right off the circle by the train stop.

there was at least one ally cat race that started there, they also support critical mass.

sorry to hear about your bad experience there--my recommendation was based on receiving decent repair service in a bind, there's not much else around there. Also, I think it's called "Cycle" now. Anyway, thanks for the review.

i've gotten good repair service, but its been a bit hit or miss. seems in the off season/slower times its more pleasant to go to cycle/recycle what ever its ppl want to call it (i think its cycle you mentioned, since it was recycle when they sold more used bikes)

but i was also getting work done with out really know what parts i was getting, or any help learning what is better and what is cheaper. I wouldn't know if what i was paying was too much or a great deal.

my other, main beef is their hours suck (unless the have changes). And i think i mention it to them at least a couple times. They open after i get to work, and close before i get home. so i can only get there saturday. as a result if i needed tubes or tape or something i would end up at kozy in printers row.

anyhow sorry to potentially hijack the thread with my rant. the owner is nice but seems to get a bit stressed out and ... well you know the rule about glass houses.

But as shops go, most that are good for/with fixed/ss seem to have one or two guys that know fixed gear. I just wouldnt put re/cycle on the list.

as others have previous said yojimbos is your best bet.

I have a new build in the works - searching high and wide for a new frame and parts - These merchants have been the best!

ONLINE
--
1. businesscycles.com Thank you Judah for your recommendation
I bought a 36 cm Nitto Steel Track Bar from them ****- easy - fast - sweet! Recommended.

2. worldclasscycles.com
Bought a brand new Italian Lugged Steel Track Frame for $475 - shipped from Italy to my front door. **** Friendly - fast - easy - sweet! Recommended.

Locally (SF)
--
These shops have been super - Great service, friendly, and knowledgeable.
Thank you fixedpip for your recommendation.

In case you didn't know. Most of the people on this forum know what they are talking about.

Thank you!

neas

MILWAUKEE

CORY THE BIKE FIXER

www.corythebikefixer.com

best little shop in town. friendly staff/ great service. fuji, surly, on one, and de bernardi track. and custom calfee track bikes! tons of fixed gear and ss conversions and custom wheel building.

For an online shop specialising exlusively in NJS and Japanese track components, try www.kookiebikes.com/components/components.htm

stocking NJS saddles, and Araya NJS rims, for those wanting a complete NJS fixie

Anyone out there living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn...

I thought I'd let you all know that I made a trip yesterday to my true LBS, the unmarked place near the Lorimer L train stop, between Metropolitan and the BQE on Lorimer Street. The guy trued a wheel for me and helped me take a BMX freewheel off of an old wheel for ten bucks. He didn't work that long, but I thought that considering the city's prices, that was a reasonable price. I figure that if I had gone into Bicycle Habitat or someplace glamorous like that, there'd be a 50% chance they'd charge me extra for the 5 seconds of labor it took to wrench off the freewheel.

So anyway, I asked the guy if he needed any labor. He gave me a sarcastic smirk and in a thick Brooklyn accent, said,
"What I really need aw customaz!"
I told him I was kind of surprised by this, because there were so many bike riders around, and he shrugged and said everyone seemed to love "that guy ovah on Havemayaz." As I take any opportunity to rip on them, I began to do so, to which he immediately responded,
"Hey, you don't need to tell me 'bout 'em! I've had customaz tell me that they told 'em it would take a week to fix a flat!"

Anyway, I found the guy to be pretty straightforward and obviously hard-working. He also didn't make me wait too long. I don't think there's any reason he should be hurting for business other than the fact that the locals (esp. the hipsters) probably don't trust an unmarked storefront with a bunch of ratty old bikes in the window. And besides that, he doesn't advertise. I don't think he even knows what Craigslist is.

For me, I appreciate having a good LBS provided I don't think they're going to scam or overcharge me. It's nice to be able to walk down the block and get something fixed quickly, instead of having to do it all in my tiny apartment. Furthermore, I hate NYCBikes, and since I've now found what I consider to be a better option (his place is also closer to mine), I thought I'd spread the word. It's in my interest to for him to stay open . I thought I'd put this plug in for anyone in the area to at least give him a try. He definitely seems to know his way around his bikes. He also has a lot of older bikes and frames, thinks he sells them for the going Williamsburg prices. But at least if something needs fixing, he'll probably be around to help.

Also, I don't assume most people in this particular forum really need to buy a used bike, but I figure that like me, you all probably get requests from friends for help in buying a bike. Might want to try this guy out first. He's local, after all...

I don't know how much of the stuff he does is track/fixie specific, but I bet he can help out.

I posted a thread about this in the fg forum, but someone recommended I put it in here, so I do,

max

Minneapolis:

The Hub Bike Co-op (www.thehubbikecoop.org) has two locations:

South Minneapolis
3024 Minnehaha Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55406
612-729-0437 Fax: 612-724-2084

West Bank
301 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55454
612-238-3593

I've heard good things also about Varsity in Dinkytown and Express in Saint Paul, and I've had mixed experiences at Freewheel on the West Bank. Sometimes I have to go to Bikemasters in St. Louis Park because it's near one of my jobs, but I find it's best avoided.

not sure if anyone is checking this sticky anymore, but i just remembered another good MINNEAPOLIS resource (caps for easy scanning), the Grease Pit.

as a caveat, I should mention that going to the Grease Pit is somewhere beteween dumpster diving and going to a "real" shop, but they have tools and workstands and they'll let you come in and wrench around and maybe find some free or cheap used platform pedals or whatever. here's the address and info:

http://home.mn.rr.com/collectivecycle/
504 cedar, west bank, minneapolis. they're in the basement of the bedlam theater, kind of set back near those ugly tall apartments that everyone has a funny name for ("crack stacks," "ghetto in the sky," etc.).

i guess the only thing is that often the help will assume you know what you're doing, so if you don't, like i often don't, it's best to tell someone right off the bat so they can help you. otherwise they'll just leave you to flounder.

it may take time to find what you're looking for....having to dig through all the crates of stuff, crazy....last time in i pulled a couple of nice stems....

did i mention that it may take you a while because there is so much stuff, kind of like digging for vinyl....

probably why i like it....

Can anyone recommend an lbs in the west los angeles area (I'm in Canoga Park...)? I haven't been into BillRon's yet, its a bit far. I'm planning to go into the Encino Bikes store, since they're so close to the velodrome I figure they must be into it.

I'd like to support "my lbs" but I'm basically cheap and I don't want to wander in and out of places just asking prices to get an idea. Reseda bikes (I think that's their name) near parthenia and reseda seems to have a pretty cool repair shop and relatively good selection in the sales area. Haven't been to I. Martin or Helen's, been to Supergo's, wasn't real impressed with the brickandmortor store.

Anyone got a shop they like?

I went into Revolution bikes yesterday. Kinda small, but lots of good stuff to drool over. I guess the shop used to be in JP. Now it's on 753 Atlantic ave. across from the bus station. (where garage de velo used to be) They have a website http://revolutionbicyclerepair.com/ .

umpts... anything in/around philly?

that sounds good to me...with all the dust and grime i imagine it is more like digging for 78s, one of my favorite ways to get things i don't need...will have to check it out.

i keep having mixed feelings about Montano Velo, but every time I go in there it just gets cooler and cooler. they opened up the back wall and have like this track-workbench area, all the fixed gear stuff in one place, cogs and hubs and things, arranged very pragmatically on a genuine workbench with all sorts of tools and junk. it is extremely cool in my estimation...nothing appeals to me like the aesthetics of function. I went to check if they'd got my Phil cog in, and no luck, but I decided to try a Miche splined cog and adapter, to see how they work. got it for a decent price, $25 for the whole thing.

it's like living bike porn in there. they carry IRO frames now as well as bareknuckle, and always seem to be building one up for someone. I saw an IRO frame being built up into a 7-speed (internal) city bike! the owner has built his own Rob Roy SS cross bike with fixed on one side.There's a big spread of the new colorful deep-Vs. and they have all sorts of gorgeous vintage junk, most of which is apparently not for sale. I saw a pair of incredibly cool adjustable-drop major taylor bars just lying on lower shelf of the workbench. i asked about them and they are NOT for sale, but they sure are cool. damn. anyway, nice to have a local shop that is as geeked out as I am.

jeez, i shoulda taken some photos.

reload is in philly right? have they not been mentioned?(1 havn't gone back and checked)

Chicago: Everybody knows yojimbo's. Which is a great store But few will tell you Johnny Sprockets (http://johnnysprockets.com/) also has cogs and such.

Another positive vote for Montano Velo in lovely oaktown. They were able to do an emergency headset install for me this morning, while I waited. Also got to ride the IRO rob roy, which is pretty nifty.

Nice guys, cool stuff.

a bad story:
I walked into Yellow Jersey in Madison, WI last week, looking for a Nitto Crystal Fellows 27.2 seatpost. I asked the guy at the counter for exactly that, and he slammed one on the counter...
"Wow, that's heavy. Feels like steel."
*sighs* *rolls eyes* "It's aLUMinum." (in "well, duh!!!" kind of voice.) *huff*
"I'm sorry. I can't believe you just talked to me like that. I'm just going to leave now."

ok, we've talked about my hypersensitive-girl thing before, but I couldn't believe that guy was such an ass. He really gave me this pretentious BS that nobody should have to put up with.

yeah, they have great stock. but F* yellow jersey. Anyone that treats customers like that doesn't deserve customers.

Had nearly the same experience at the Missing Link in Berkeley, about four years ago . . . which was the last time I went there.

For good deals and friendly people in NYC

Frank's Bike Shop
553 Grand St.
New York, NY 10002
(212) 533-6332

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:

Low End:
Kraynick's Bike Shop 5003 Penn Ave Pittsburgh PA 15224 (412) 621-6160
- Awesome, chaotic, spectacularly cheap and knowledgeable LBS. Doesn't carry many high-end parts, but has or can find anything you need - cheapest track cogs in the city. You can use his shop area and tools for free; he will, in fact, refuse money even if you spend all day there.

High End:
DIRTY HARRY'S 730 Allegheny River Blvd. Verona, Pa. 15147 (412) 828-2667 <a href="http://dirtyharrys.net/site/">http://dirtyharrys.net/site/</a>
- Carries and / or can order Surly, Iro, White Industries, etc. Good prices, nice staff, full service shop.

Weed Eater, Karmical, Jim-Bob:
thanks for all the east bay recommendations. i've been thinking of a triumphant return to the bay, and the good words just get me a little more motivated...