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Any recommendable bicycle shops?

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Started 1 year ago by soulwookie1
Latest reply from lifeontwowheels

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bldng4jstc
Downtown
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Baer Wheels: great place to pick up a common item such as a tube/spoke. Free air is always a plus. Service can be a hit or miss as noted.

Westerville Bike Shop: Kurt is awesome. If anything, stop in and talk to him about your options. Service is quick and friendly. Don't take shortcuts, but does tend to repair over replace. Kurt also gives so much time and service to the local bike community.

Third Hand: Third hand is a Co-op - aka community garage! Third hand is a space to crank on bikes, access to used parts, and get some advice from fellow bikers. Third Hand is not a bike shop!! Everyone there is a volunteer and they are over worked. Being a Co-op, to use the place you are expected to give a little time back as payment to keep the place open to the community. TH is a great resource, unfortunately not enough people become involved and only treat it as a free/cheap bike shop.

Posted 1 year ago #
rory
NW Short North
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bldng4jstc wrote >>
Baer Wheels: great place to pick up a common item such as a tube/spoke. Free air is always a plus. Service can be a hit or miss as noted.
Westerville Bike Shop: Kurt is awesome. If anything, stop in and talk to him about your options. Service is quick and friendly. Don't take shortcuts, but does tend to repair over replace. Kurt also gives so much time and service to the local bike community.
Third Hand: Third hand is a Co-op - aka community garage! Third hand is a space to crank on bikes, access to used parts, and get some advice from fellow bikers. Third Hand is not a bike shop!! Everyone there is a volunteer and they are over worked. Being a Co-op, to use the place you are expected to give a little time back as payment to keep the place open to the community. TH is a great resource, unfortunately not enough people become involved and only treat it as a free/cheap bike shop.

Baer is a great place to pick up a common item if you want to be mocked for your pedestrian bike part. I got a Sturmey-Archer three speed part and it was a giant ordeal. I got hassled up one side and down another. They're major league assholes on the best of days and I wouldn't go back if they were the last bike shop on the planet.

Posted 1 year ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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bldng4jstc wrote >>
Baer Wheels: great place to pick up a common item such as a tube/spoke. Free air is always a plus. Service can be a hit or miss as noted.
Westerville Bike Shop: Kurt is awesome. If anything, stop in and talk to him about your options. Service is quick and friendly. Don't take shortcuts, but does tend to repair over replace. Kurt also gives so much time and service to the local bike community.
Third Hand: Third hand is a Co-op - aka community garage! Third hand is a space to crank on bikes, access to used parts, and get some advice from fellow bikers. Third Hand is not a bike shop!! Everyone there is a volunteer and they are over worked. Being a Co-op, to use the place you are expected to give a little time back as payment to keep the place open to the community. TH is a great resource, unfortunately not enough people become involved and only treat it as a free/cheap bike shop.

Kurt no lomger owns WBS. Mason, formerly of B1, is now the owner.

Posted 1 year ago #
10sun
Columbus, OH
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rory wrote >>
Baer is a great place to pick up a common item if you want to be mocked for your pedestrian bike part. I got a Sturmey-Archer three speed part and it was a giant ordeal. I got hassled up one side and down another. They're major league assholes on the best of days and I wouldn't go back if they were the last bike shop on the planet.

As much grief as I had with the wheel build @ Baer Wheels, they are still the only shop in town with the breadth of knowledge that can be needed.

They've actually been rockstars with old Sturmey-Archer hubs for me. I didn't know spindle indicators came in different lengths & Dave was able to not only figure out which one my hub needed, but also find a spare one in his toolbox.

That being said, I've been having a great experience with Paradise Garage. I recently ran behind schedule for building up a bike for my father & they were able to complete the build up for a very reasonable price with a great turn around time and below the original quote (labor was around $30 & I dropped it off at 5pm on a Sunday, they had it ready to spec by noon the next day).

Posted 1 year ago #
rory
NW Short North
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10sun wrote >>

rory wrote >>
Baer is a great place to pick up a common item if you want to be mocked for your pedestrian bike part. I got a Sturmey-Archer three speed part and it was a giant ordeal. I got hassled up one side and down another. They're major league assholes on the best of days and I wouldn't go back if they were the last bike shop on the planet.

As much grief as I had with the wheel build @ Baer Wheels, they are still the only shop in town with the breadth of knowledge that can be needed.
They've actually been rockstars with old Sturmey-Archer hubs for me. I didn't know spindle indicators came in different lengths & Dave was able to not only figure out which one my hub needed, but also find a spare one in his toolbox.
That being said, I've been having a great experience with Paradise Garage. I recently ran behind schedule for building up a bike for my father & they were able to complete the build up for a very reasonable price with a great turn around time and below the original quote (labor was around $30 & I dropped it off at 5pm on a Sunday, they had it ready to spec by noon the next day).

I'm glad your spindle hub indicator experience was better than mine because mine made a life-long impression and it wasn't a good one. That said he does know his stuff but I'll drive for as long as it takes to avoid going back. And I really can't think of anything else I'd do that for.

Posted 1 year ago #
jmathews5
german village
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HUGE advocate for Third Hand. Great group of volunteers there and I always feel comfortable fixing my bike there.
Also, B1 is another great resource. The crew in there has been nothing but friendly to me and even showed me a bunch of tips on maintenance which they didn't need to do but they did.

Posted 1 year ago #
Porky
C-Bus' East Side
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kathyhoke wrote >>
My shop is Cyclist Connection in Canal Winchester. It's worth the extra distance from Columbus. Ric Noland and staff really care about cycling and cyclists of all ages and styles.
http://www.cyclistconnection.com/

+1 on Cyclist Connection, Ric and his crew are outstanding, service wise, price wise, just across the board GREAT people to work with. Very passionate about cycling and his customers.
We've bought all our bikes from Ric and will continue to do so :)

Posted 1 year ago #
bldng4jstc
Downtown
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lifeontwowheels wrote >>

bldng4jstc wrote >>
Baer Wheels: great place to pick up a common item such as a tube/spoke. Free air is always a plus. Service can be a hit or miss as noted.
Westerville Bike Shop: Kurt is awesome. If anything, stop in and talk to him about your options. Service is quick and friendly. Don't take shortcuts, but does tend to repair over replace. Kurt also gives so much time and service to the local bike community.
Third Hand: Third hand is a Co-op - aka community garage! Third hand is a space to crank on bikes, access to used parts, and get some advice from fellow bikers. Third Hand is not a bike shop!! Everyone there is a volunteer and they are over worked. Being a Co-op, to use the place you are expected to give a little time back as payment to keep the place open to the community. TH is a great resource, unfortunately not enough people become involved and only treat it as a free/cheap bike shop.

Kurt no lomger owns WBS. Mason, formerly of B1, is now the owner.

When did that happen? Guess it has been a couple months since I've seen Kurt. Hope it worked out the best for everybody.

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Local grad pedals into Uptown as new Bike Shop owner
By BRET LIEBENDORFER
Published: Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Westerville Bike Shop has a new owner, but don't expect many changes. Mason Morgan, 31, took over ownership of the well-known Uptown business, located at 29 W. Main St., one month ago.

"My goal is to keep the integrity of the shop and its standing in the community.

READ MORE: http://www.snponline.com/articles/2010/11/23/westerville_news_and_public_opinion/news/webike%2011-_20101123_0655am_23.txt

Posted 1 year ago #
bababoohi

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artzymorena wrote >>
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.

Same experience here with Baer. The bike shop across from Chipotle (roughly) in Clintonville didn't seem to do me much good either. Took my bike in for a tuneup and basically noticed 0 difference.
I basically chose this post to quote and reply to to give a shout out on the WU/Hello Kitty colab avatar. Classic.

Posted 1 year ago #
shadytree
clintonville
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+1 for B1. I've only bought small items there but Casey talked to me for a while and seems nice. However, if you're looking for a $300-400 bike it may not be the best place for you.

I hate the atmosphere at BikeSource. Uniforms and bikes stores don't mix in my opinion but I guess some people feel differently. That said, I've bought a pump and brake cables there and they served the function. It's just a sterile environment. People are going to disagree on what makes a good bike shop. I used to work at one that had 4 locations and the owner said we should call it a "bike store" and not a "bike shop" because evidently that matters to some people. I usually don't like the kind of people who care if you call it a store vs shop and tend to stay away from places that cater to them.

+1 for Third Hand. Every time I've been there I've heard "who works here?" Nobody works there, they volunteer. It only exists because others are putting people ahead of profits.

For your price range I'd say go with CL. You'll spend nearly $400 for a Trek Navigator 1.0 which doesn't have anything better on it than some old road bike from the 1970s except an upright riding position but you can probably find something with that riding position on CL too. If you can find someone who knows enough about bikes to say "yeah, that's a fine fit" then you'll be ok.

Whatever you do, run if someone starts talking to you about the new Ultegra grouppo.

Posted 1 year ago #
shadytree
clintonville
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There's a guy who volunteers at Third Hand who could pass for a middle aged accountant but I've been told he owns a bike shop. Anyone know who he is or the name of his shop? If he actually does own a shop and still volunteers at TH then he deserves some props.

Posted 1 year ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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shadytree wrote >>
There's a guy who volunteers at Third Hand who could pass for a middle aged accountant but I've been told he owns a bike shop. Anyone know who he is or the name of his shop? If he actually does own a shop and still volunteers at TH then he deserves some props.

More thank likely Kurt, formerly the owner of Westerville Bike Shop. As I said in my post, Kurt is an amazing guy and great supporter of all things bike here in CMH.

Posted 1 year ago #
TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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It depends on what you're looking for (and where you're located too.)

I got a problem with my front derailleur quickly fixed at Bike Source in Clintonville that wasn't resolved at Handy Bikes on High Street after about 90 minutes of effort (from the guy working there).

However, I am taking my bike back to Handy Bikes on High Street today to fix both shifters and my rear rim because Gary, the guy usually working there, allows me to sort of work along side him in my attempt to learn bicycle mechanics. He also occasionally allows me to trade produce from my garden for parts and service.

The guys at Bike Source don't seem comfortable with me standing nearby and watching them work. But as for bartering, maybe this summer and fall I'll try offering them tomatoes, peppers, or collards. (By the way, where are all the women bike mechanics ? )

Yeah, Bike Source can get something fixed fast and without that much money. So I think they generally have good customer service, if good customer service is what you're looking for. But often I'm looking for collaborative relationships, not good customer service, per se.

As for Third Hand Bike Co Op, it's for me a resource for long term skills development and camaraderie. But it's a bit of a challenge to use it for getting my bike fixed when I'm pressed for time. It's hours are limited. The skills and knowledge of those present varies.

Yeah, I know, the key issue here is that I got to learn to do most of this stuff myself, and then, in turn, share that knowledge with others.

Like riding a bicycle in place of driving a car or truck, working on a bicycle can be a form of meditation, a process of harmonizing head, heart, and hands.

Posted 1 year ago #
hugh59
Aboard the ultimate power in Olde Towne East
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shadytree said:
+1 for B1. I've only bought small items there but Casey talked to me for a while and seems nice. However, if you're looking for a $300-400 bike it may not be the best place for you.

I hate the atmosphere at BikeSource. Uniforms and bikes stores don't mix in my opinion but I guess some people feel differently. That said, I've bought a pump and brake cables there and they served the function. It's just a sterile environment. People are going to disagree on what makes a good bike shop. I used to work at one that had 4 locations and the owner said we should call it a "bike store" and not a "bike shop" because evidently that matters to some people. I usually don't like the kind of people who care if you call it a store vs shop and tend to stay away from places that cater to them.

+1 for Third Hand. Every time I've been there I've heard "who works here?" Nobody works there, they volunteer. It only exists because others are putting people ahead of profits.

For your price range I'd say go with CL. You'll spend nearly $400 for a Trek Navigator 1.0 which doesn't have anything better on it than some old road bike from the 1970s except an upright riding position but you can probably find something with that riding position on CL too. If you can find someone who knows enough about bikes to say "yeah, that's a fine fit" then you'll be ok.

Whatever you do, run if someone starts talking to you about the new Ultegra grouppo.

Interesting. I happen to own an old road bike from the 70s...a Raleigh Grand Prix to be precise that I got in 1977. Last night I took a Trek Navigator 2 out for a spin (price around $500; the Navigator 1 is about $440) and it was wonderful to ride. My poor old Raleigh has had a rough life and it is doing its best to return the favor. Any old bike you buy on CL is probably going to be a rough ride. The new Trek was sweet riding and much more comfortable.

That said, anyone know where I can find a decent step-through Dutch style bike?

Posted 2 weeks ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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^ Paradise

Posted 2 weeks ago #