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YouTube10sun wrote >>
I paid the remainder of my balance with them ($5 as I had paid $100 at the beginning of this fiasco) and they gave me the wheel.Dave Baer has been working on my bikes since '92 with mostly great results. I'm not saying he is perfect, but any business can be at the mercy of its weakest link.
I'm curious as to why you were charged in advance-I've never heard of him doing that...Ghost of Clintonville past-Como Bike Shop-Bob could fix practically anything without new replacement parts, and he was willing to barter, too.
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion » Shopping
Any recommendable bicycle shops?
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0Angle
A brewery or my kitchen or my bicycle.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
FSonicSmith
Columbus-downtown for work, East for the residence
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I've been a part of the local cycling scene for longer than I care to admit. The bike shop biz is very very hard. The margins are too low for the overhead. Service is not that profitable either. The guys at B-1, Casey and Morgan in particular are first rate, but they kind of cater to fixies and hipsters (which is cool, that being the niche they kind of carved out for themselves. Generally speaking, with tightly constrained budgets, the best bet is to buy a used bike from wherever you wish and than take it into a reliable shop (B-1) to have worked on.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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FSonicSmith wrote >>
I've been a part of the local cycling scene for longer than I care to admit. The bike shop biz is very very hard. The margins are too low for the overhead. Service is not that profitable either.Really? I'm sure business is tough, but with B1, Paradise Garage and Roll all expanding and growing, it sounds like these businesses are doing pretty well right now:
http://www.themetropreneur.com/columbus/pastime-result-economic-growth/
Posted 1 year ago # -
10sun
Columbus, OH
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0Angle wrote >>
10sun wrote >>
I paid the remainder of my balance with them ($5 as I had paid $100 at the beginning of this fiasco) and they gave me the wheel.
Dave Baer has been working on my bikes since '92 with mostly great results. I'm not saying he is perfect, but any business can be at the mercy of its weakest link.
I'm curious as to why you were charged in advance-I've never heard of him doing that...
Ghost of Clintonville past-Como Bike Shop-Bob could fix practically anything without new replacement parts, and he was willing to barter, too.I paid in advance by choice after I asked if they wanted a deposit and they said sure. By no means did they demand for more than this.
I just want to say that I have not had a single encounter with Dave through the course of this wheelbuild.
I will be escalating it now to get some answers.
Posted 1 year ago # -
artzymorena
Weinland Park
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another -1 for Baer.
They take extremely long to finish work, are rude in general, and are not upfront with estimated times of completion. I will say that although I love the stock at Paradise Garage, I usually do not receive great service. When people are in customer service industries, I find it irrating to have to approach them in-store for help or guidance when they are chatting on the phone or with friends.
I say Third Hand, B1, or Bike Source on Bethal are your best bets.
Posted 1 year ago # -
paktinat
WP
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This is the very first critical thing I've ever heard about paradise. I've never had anything but a good experience there.
I think this thread goes to show everyone has had at least one bad experience everywhere.I will say Baer is hit or miss.
I took my bike there once for a full "tune-up" after I got hit by a car and the insurance company was paying for everything. They acted like I was asking a huge favor when I asked if I dropped it of in the AM if they could have it done by 5. When I came back at 5 they asked me to come back the next day. They told me they had trued both wheels and it was obvious that they had not.
Then again, I actually went there today for spokes; was in and out now problems.For me, Dave Baer is like Gordon Ramsey. He seems to be pissy for no reason and sometimes yells at people but everyone puts up with it because he know so goddamn much.
anyway, in summation from me:
+1 for paradise
+1 or -1 for Baer seemingly depending on the phase of the moonI've not had a chance to get into B1.
Bikesource staff in Clintonville always rubbed me the wrong way and I'm not a fan of Roll for reason unrelated to biking.Posted 1 year ago # -
groundrules
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big +1 on B1. Haven't tried PG yet.
i know this thread started as a recommendation as to where to buy a $300 bike, and I'm not sure either of these fits the bill, but in the context of local shops that will be attentive, get your shit done, and be professional, it would be remiss to leave out:
1) Westerville bike shop - Kurt spend a lot of time, including making an after-hours fit appointment to make sure i was happy with a purchase
2) Bicycle One in Gahanna - this is a great neighborhood shop, and the owner has been around a while. They support Pelotonia, do good work, carry decent stuff, and are nice.
Posted 1 year ago # -
10sun
Columbus, OH
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So, I talked with Dave today. Wheel was not ready, but he was quite pleasant about things when I asked what has taken so damn long. When I returned it to be finished, the staff just put it to the side and did not let Dave know about it. Dave said he will make things right with me tomorrow.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Fro
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I recently had a great experience with Bikesource in Clintonville. Had a problem with a shifter on a bike I bought there over 10 years ago. They fixed it while I went to La Patrona for a drink. When I asked how much I owed they said "nothing, just keep coming back".
Posted 1 year ago # -
FSonicSmith
Columbus-downtown for work, East for the residence
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FSonicSmith wrote >>
I've been a part of the local cycling scene for longer than I care to admit. The bike shop biz is very very hard. The margins are too low for the overhead. Service is not that profitable either.Really? I'm sure business is tough, but with B1, Paradise Garage and Roll all expanding and growing, it sounds like these businesses are doing pretty well right now:
http://www.themetropreneur.com/columbus/pastime-result-economic-growth/
Yes, really. You can't get all of your information from business page quotes Walker. Have you been to B-1? To say it "expanded" is a bit of positive marketing spin for which I don't blame or criticize Casey a bit. He expanded his showroom space by one room. We're not talking prime real estate here. We're not talking expansion of locations here. Perhaps the height of bike shops in Columbus was Ten Speeds in Linworth on 161. The owner (his name escapes me) was independant but the store had more glitz than the current Trek stores, which are somewhat glitzy by Columbus bike shop standards. He carried multiple high end lines and had great well-paid mechanics and it was simply the Neiman-Marcus of local bike shops. And it failed. Low overhead, low inventory, low pay mechanics (with the owner often doing much if not all of the wrench work) mostly rules the day. As with restaurants, the list of failed bike shop ventures is very very long. I have no idea how BikeSource is doing but I can tell you they do have high turnover among the employees and managers. I am priviliged to be on the Trek Stores Team and they seem to be doing well thanks in part to great service and locations and largely due to the high marketing presence of Trek and Lance.
Posted 1 year ago # -
0Angle
A brewery or my kitchen or my bicycle.
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Like many businesses (restaurants/bars, wine shops/liquor stores, grocery stores, etc.) I choose a bike shop based on location. I tend to gravitate to businesses between downtown (where I work) and Clintonville (where the kids go to school). I've been here long enough to get to know proprietors almost everyplace I spend time/money. A good rapport and communication with businesses establishes mutual trust and dependability. I can only recommend communication, and hopefully communicating with Dave will rectify 10sun's wheel situation.
Posted 1 year ago # -
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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groundrules wrote >>
big +1 on B1. Haven't tried PG yet.
i know this thread started as a recommendation as to where to buy a $300 bike, and I'm not sure either of these fits the bill, but in the context of local shops that will be attentive, get your shit done, and be professional, it would be remiss to leave out:
1) Westerville bike shop - Kurt spend a lot of time, including making an after-hours fit appointment to make sure i was happy with a purchase
2) Bicycle One in Gahanna - this is a great neighborhood shop, and the owner has been around a while. They support Pelotonia, do good work, carry decent stuff, and are nice.Haven't been able to patronize Kurt or Westerville Bike Shop (yet) but I will say that Kurt is an amazing guy and huge supporter of cycling in Central Ohio. He was the designer of our pedal powered light system for the Pedal Instead corral and has been both a sponsor and active volunteer with the corral.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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Another -1 on Handy Bikes. I paid a lot a while back to have the brakes and gears adjusted and they did a mediocre job at best.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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FSonicSmith wrote >>
[quote]FSonicSmith wrote >>
Yes, really. You can't get all of your information from business page quotes Walker. Have you been to B-1? To say it "expanded" is a bit of positive marketing spin for which I don't blame or criticize Casey a bit. He expanded his showroom space by one room.I'm not trying to say that their business is up 1000 percent at B1, because I honestly don't know anything about their business. Just saying that it appears like they're doing ok from even the small amount of growth, as well as the other stores who are going through larger upgrades (PG) and new store openings (:roll).
Posted 1 year ago # -
GeoKel
Clintonville
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+1 Bike Source Clintonville
Not only did I find a decent new bike for about $400 (hybrid great for the bike path), but I found a shop that has checked and adjusted my bike for free on several occasions. I have never had a visit last longer than 20 minutes even when getting new parts and tubes. Some of the staff may not be outgoing or bubbly, but they have always answered my questions and suited my requests.
Posted 1 year ago # -
TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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I try to shop local, so I usually go to Handy Bikes on North High. I once traded Gary some tomatoes for an inter tube. He's flexible like that.
As for Baer Wheels, Dave helped me out over the phone a couple of weeks ago, advising me to get Kevlar tires (for puncture resistance) instead of Armadillo tires, given that the latter, according to Dave, makes cornering less stable because of their rigid side walls.
I've a pretty strong inclination to have a good experience at whatever bike shop I go to, though, because bicycling instead of driving is a good cause. You're smart enough to know why, so I won't go into that.
Let's don't forget Third Hand Bike Co Op. They even have a 'womyns' and transgendered night on Thursdays.
Posted 1 year ago # -
hugh59
Aboard the ultimate power in Olde Towne East
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I have had good experience with B-1 Bikes. They have done a few minor repairs on my old 10 speed and the cost has always been a lot lower than I expected: usually under $25. I try to buy something in the shop to make up for the low price they charged for the service.
Posted 1 year ago #
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