i really think this thread should be cut up into multiple threads that highlight major biking cities with information about shops and events and such. its to hard to sift threw all this information to find my city. and shops in alabama dont really matter to me. anyway if anyone wants to start that up they should. i dont feel like it.

San Diego:

Adam's Avenue has lots of press right now, and a few of the guys that work there are really cool, but the repair service is crap and the shop has a 'holier than thou' vibe... you know, getting ignored for ten minutes while they're in the back joking and drinking beers. I gave their shop three different chances over the course of six months, and the results were 1) two botched things on one easy repair, 2) letting the bike sit for three full days when I asked them to fix their botched repair, and 3) taking six weeks fixing a broken spoke that was promised in 'two days'. On the plus side, they came through on a custom order for a Twin 6 jersey that took three months to ship, but it's still not enough to make me ever want to go back.

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Mission Hills is a good shop. I don't have much experience with it - only been there twice - but Erin treated me really well and took a lot of time out to talk to me. Very friendly and helpful. Good advice on my parts purchases, too.

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Velo Culture is a really good shop. I'm yuppie as hell, and I don't get any aggro scene vibe like I get from Adams. Sky really knows his stuff, Anthony designs beautiful bikes, and they have an insane amount of cool vintage stuff. They also give back a lot to the community, by organizing rides and having movie nights. Their location bites, though, and you have to ride them about minor details occasionally. The one time I had a real problem (a crank stripped on a bike I just bought) they made good immediately, no questions asked.

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CalCoast Bikes is my fave shop. Charlie (the owner) is super cool, their mechanics are thorough and experienced, and it's got a down-to-earth vibe. It's very 'professional' - the work orders are exact, everyone's helpful without being clingy, and they know their stuff. Their inventory is mostly roadie and MTB (i.e. Giant, Ibis), but they have Masi in stock and access to a lot more... I built a pimp Soma Rush from the ground up. I'd say go there if you're interested in a modern track bike (to, you know, ride track), something functional (Crosscheck) or SS MTB (Karate Monkey).

Also in Ottawa, check out Tall Tree Cycles they recently opened up a shop in Westboro. they also make their own frames that are super-rad and are very friendly.
http://www.talltreecycles.ca/
the address and phone number are at the top of the website.

when i get home - maybe i can merge all these posts into one - like a listings of some sort - off to work now :)

http://www.colonelsbikes.com
3053 S. University Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76109
817 924 1333
Very knowledgeable about both fixed and SS, road/mtb/track.
Tell them Shaggy sent you.

In Iowa City:

World of Bikes 723 S. Gilbert St.
www.worldofbikes.com

Chrispi will set you up right, especially if you're looking for help with conversions.

i see your points but have different experiences.

-adam's is always rad to me, but i could see how going in there would be intimidating. i'm not a super cool "fixie guy" but i've bought a couple bikes from them and generally most of the guys are awesomely nice to me, only a couple are neutral but i've never gotten attitude. only complaint could be that the special ordering can take more than too long sometimes but of course that can all come down to availability of the product. and yeah their turn around can take a bit but they're a small, typically high volume shop so i forgive them.


-mission hills seems cool. i haven't been there much myself but i'm gonna move back to that area soon so we'll see.


-velo culture, oh velo culture. i'm just not into this shop. it was kinda cool at first, then it got a little more cool. then it just got confusing. half of the **** in the store isn't even for sale. i mean, i understand it's a looser style of shop and obviously carries more used stuff. ehh i dunno, i don't like talking ****, pm me if you want my passive beef, but i'm simply not really a fan of this shop.

-cal coast seems ok. again i'll check them out more when i live down there.



-big ring cyclery still around? i've been meaning to go there for a while now. i've heard they have some dope stuff, too.


ok.

Portland:

Northwest Cycles (Old Name cant remember the new) NW
21st & Lovejoy (i think)
They use to have the best prices, knowledge, owners, employees in town. But they closed down and were bought by some bike shop. Ill miss them. Two mechanics still work there and theyre great, but now the store has some of the highest prices in town. Sigh.

Veloshop: SW
Burnside and 10th (Maybe?)
Ask for Molly
Carries all HIGH END road, track, and cyclocross gear. I alwasy have a good time when i go. Others have different opinions. I guess you just cant ask stupid questions.

Veloce: SE
Hawthorne and 30something.
Ask for Dimitri
Very very knowledgeable about bicycles. People are always coming in with highend and rare consignment bikes. This is where i picked up my Brew. His wheel builder is best in town (My Opinion). And Dimitri is always down to sit and talk to your for a couple minutes and troubleshoot or show you a thing or two.

City Bikes 7th & Ankeny: SE
Lots of used frames. Its a co-op so half the people know what theyre doing. This store is the one that carries all new parts. Very affordable.

City Bikes 20th & Ankeny: SE
Great back room with lots of used parts. ALways great finds. Used Dura-Ace everywhere. Ouzo Carbon forks still hanging (from when i sold it to them) My personal favorite shop for building friends conversions, ss, fixies, and everything else. Lots of wheels, baskets, bags, etc.. basically everything.

The Recyclery: SE
Madison & 13th (ithink)
Ask for Robbie. Only go here if you know what you need and know what your doing. Seriously. Great guys. Very down the for bike community. During the summer they throw a "Recyclery Swap Meet" once a month. So thats like three times haha. Very cheap to join "$10 fee to reserve a spot" Free to public. Tons of deals. Yet i was the only with high end track components when i went.

River City Bicycles: SE
MLK & Something (next to the Shell)
Probably the biggest and most expensive bike shop in town. They carry everything you need. EXCEPT track. Only new bikes and new components.

Seven Corners: SE
20th & Powell (i THink)
I dont go here that often but this guy is so down to earth its crazy. And i hear nothing but good reviews about him.

Best Spot to talk to messengers and get deals through them:

Stumptown: SW 3rd and ..... Haha something...

People say the messengers are *******s stuck up and this that. Its a lie i never get that. Maybe it because i talk enough **** back and have a bike that is just as sick as theirs. But if you want to sell something or look for something w/o the help of Craigslist this is the spot.


Theres many many more stores in PDX but these are my top choices. There is another shop in downtown that carries so much track **** youd die. But they dont know how to treat people so i dont go anymore. Such a shame too because id probably be dead broke with a Nagasaw njs to a tee.

I didn't see anyone mention anything about Santa Cruz yet.

One great store for fixed riders is The Bicycle Shop of Santa Cruz, on Mission St.

They buy a ton of used road frames and convert them, making them fairly sexy. Moreover, they keep the prices reasonable.

In addition to built bikes they have just about every component you would need if you already had a frame.

Pretty nice people to boot.

For East Bay bike shops

www.wheelgirl.com - Probably me and my brothers favorite shop at the moment. Super friendly, in the back of an olive oil shop, they have a decent amount of stuff and as far as I can tell will order whatever you want for you. They aren't specifically for fixies or single speed or whatever, but as far as I can tell they work mainly on that stuff. But I've seen em working on clunky mountain bikes and stuff too.

Missing Link is a nice co-op. Or at least they always help me for little to no money with all my dumb problems. I've dropped in twice when their co op is full of bikes and they just helped me out for basically nothing.

Dayton, Ohio
K&G Bikes
www.kgbikes.com

Cotati, Sonoma County, CA

The Hub Cyclery
http://thehubcyclery.com/Home.html

Chaz, owner for ~20 years, will be glad to help you with any ssfg needs. He will also gladly build you a custom, sweet wheelset.

heres my personal input...
OBS:
bens cycles- great customer service. and fast shipping. they are a very reputable obs as well as lbs. prices are decent but they can be found cheaper in other places. there online site is great and puts a lot of hard to get/find parts all into one place. if i were to buy online i would def buy from them again if i needed to.

thebikebiz- main store located in sacramento, ca. have deals every so offten on there website. and there prices are mediocre. shipping took me fairly long, 1/2 a week for me to recieve my pakage. pretty long considering there only a 2 hour drive away. customer service is great cause they always reply to my emails same day.

bikeworksnyc- people say they were a great shop to order from so i did. i must say there real eager to help u out if ur gonna order something but once i ran into a problem they completely left me to hang dry. shipping was decent considering it came from nyc to go to sf bay area. id deffinatly not recommending any one to buy anything from them through there online/mailorder. in store may be a completely diff deal.


LBS:
livermore cyclery #2- dublin location. shop looks great and the workers were very helpful. ive only personally purchased tools from them. but there customer service was a plus

dublin cyclery- store is PACKED w parts and bikes. customer service was good and were very informative. prices are average. id deff go back to them if i needed something for a emergency

real bicycles- HORRIBLE. couldnt of had a worse experience w a lbs. they came off as real nice and friendly but the owner(i believe) was a joke. he was a ex racer but when it came down to it hes only about the money. his two workers on the other hand were real nice. i wouldnt recommend any dublin locals to go there. theres better options in the area...

pegasus cycle works- located in danville, ca. real nice shop and cool vibe. its a HIGH end bike shop so i wouldnt mind going to them for service. though there labor prices are 5-10 bucks more than the other lbs. prices are a bit high but it matches everything else in the shop. customer service is good and they are very knowledgable. i stop by every so often to see whats new w the shop.

recycled cycles- located in berkeley. workers are friendly and parts are DIRT cheap. there used parts is heaven. u can find a bunch of old parts and its all real real cheap. my personal expierence was excelent. the employee ended up giving me the parts i needed free of charge and picked up risers for 4 bucks. i think this would be a great shop if ur lookin for parts for a conversion

montano velo- located in oakland. i must say the best bike shop ive ever been to. the enviroment is great and they really make u feel at home. id rate em at a 11 out of 10. there real knowledgeable about any questions i had. there show rooms is amazing. fixed gear wise they had "lower end" bikes as the se draft, iro's, and bare knuckles. and "higher end" bikes as ex keirin bikes, all the way to custom built broakland frames. i can praise these guys enough. i drive there over all the other lbs even when its a 25-30 min drive away.

Oh, yeah, I want to say Montano Velo as well. How did I forget that?

Wheres that recycled cycles place?

Also sometimes I've seen some cool used stuff at Karim, but in general I don't know if I like the shop.

Louisville, Kentucky

Bike Couriers Bike Shop- 1st and Market
bikedepot.org

Bardstown Road Bicycle Co

Cycler's Cafe -www.cyclerscafe.com

My only experience with a shop that is dedicated to FG/SS/Track is 66fixed. The owner seems to be very knowledgeable and the prices are good. I was having issues with my bike and they made a recommendation that helped. I also needed a chainring bolt tool, which they currently didn't have any for sale at the time; he let me borrow the shops to help me out getting my problem resolved. Yes, I know that the tool isn't that expensive, but little things like that make me want shop there again and to tell you all about it.

Tampa,FL / Saint Petersburg, FL
66Fixed
901 1st Av N
St. Petersburg, FL
www.66fixed.com

I originally stumbled on black sheep while shopping for a mtb. I visited them in person and did notice that they do cater to the fg/ss folks just as much as mtb (maybe more). My experience with them has been that the prices are good and service is great as well. I am doing a custom 29er build and ordered a fox fork from them. Fox was behind the ball on orders, but black sheep loaned me a rock shox reba race fork to use in the mean time. Totally impressed and wasn't expecting them to do this for an out of town customer. Again, little service things like this is what makes people like to do business with them and gets the word of mouth...

Charlotte, NC
Black Sheep Cycles
142 W. Morehead St
Charlotte, NC
www.blacksheepcycles.com

Newport, Ky. 2 miles south of Cincinnati, Oh. http://www.reserbicycle.com/index.html
Lots of SS/FG stuff, very nice place as well.

if u want some hyped track parts hit up shop gentei. good guys over there :thumbsup:

Peter Moore's +1 :D

BSC are generally arrogant and rude when you mention SS/fixed. Probably due to the massive fashion element in Melbourne. This is understandable but frustrating when you actually know what you want...

North Jersey:
The Cosmic Wheel in Ridgefield Park is a good shop. The owner John knows his stuff.

+1. Not to mention there is always at least one used fixed gear for a very affordable price.

I prefer Bikesmiths though, Cory's second. Bad experiences with Ben's staff, but good for online orders.

Anyone know of any good bike shops in or around the NEPA area?

Metro Detroit Area, Michigan

Paint Creek Bicycles
(http://paintcreekbicycles.com/index.cfm)
Lake Orion, MI

They have no stock of Fixed Gear bikes, but can order from Raleigh, Schwinn, Felt, and Cannondale, all of which offer fixed gear bikes. The shop seems to be run by about three guys, and the main owner rides fixed gear. Most stores around here just sell mountain bikes for people to ride up and down trails with, so people who even know what a fixed gear is are few and far between. Great service and friendly staff who are willing to chat it up and help for however long you want.

Continental Bike Shops
http://continentalbikeshop.com/
Hazel Park, MI

They stock Cannondale and Bianchi, as well as Serotta, DeRosa, etc., and can get their hands on pretty much anything. The source for anything high end. I haven't actually bought anything but I've talked to their staff and they have a very well organized and stocked mechanic area. Probably the most impressive bike shop I've been to. I hear their service prices are high though.

The Hub
http://thehubofdetroit.org
Detroit, MI

Pretty much the only bike shop in Detroit. They're a non-profit shop that also runs Back Alley Bikes, which is an organization to teach kids bike maintenance and promote cycling in Detroit. The shop has very few new things in it, except for maybe grips, fenders, tires, and a few other accessories. However, they will order you anything out of the QBP catalog for a very decent price, so go in there knowing what you want. All the staff there are friendly and very involved in the Detroit cycling scene. The best thing about them are the random odds and ends that they get. I've found old cranksets, frames, and other vintage bits in their store, and bought some Nitto ABD-x aerodynamic track bars from them. On the downside, the place kinda looks like a meth lab that sells bikes, but they are entirely non-profit and it kinda adds to the charm. I've seen them fix bikes for people for free.