Bad Shops?

[Poke-em]

ust kind of taking a pole, I'm new to the area and know of a couple of shops around town. I was just wondering if there are any places I should avoid in particular. It's always nice to give business to the local spots unless they have a habit of screwing people over. I'm sure they would not be in business if they did it all the time, but if anyone could shed some light on the ones that have had problems I think it could benefit everyone. You can post names and reasons if you want, I don't think it will hurt anyone’s feelings. :cryin:

Thanks in advance.

[ThorSonic]

I think you might get further by asking for recommendations for good shops and people instead of bad.

[Tex]

I agree with ThorSonic. Asking for people to starting baggin' on local shops is like kicking open a bee hive.

Also, what area are you new to? You in the South Metro? Try the new shop in Bloomington, on 98th and Lyndale, Hollywood Cycles. You near downtown? Go to One on One down on Washington Ave. Maybe your going to school at the U? Go check out the boys at Varsity Bike shop, right next door to that other bike shop. You in the West suburbs? Try Gear West in Long Lake, or Tonka Cycle in Glen Lake Park. You on the East side? Sorry, I have no clue, other than the Now Bikes on Snelling.

There's a little list of some of the many shops in our area. I'm sure you'll have good luck with some, and bad luck with others. Just like the rest of us.

[nigel]

One On One Studios
Freewheel
Hollywood Cycles

3 of the BEST shops in the cities!!!!!!!!

[Trevize1138]

Ooh, yeah ... a list of "bad" shops on the MORC site. I smell a libel suit just waiting to happen :).

But, on that subject, I tend to avoid shops where the mechanics are 16-year-old kids trying to earn extra cash to pay for aluminum, high-performance mufflers on their '88 Cavaliers. ;)

[manual63]

One On One Studios
Freewheel
Hollywood Cycles

3 of the BEST shops in the cities!!!!!!!!

I like Dougs list.....except he forgot to mention his own services.

[Lil' Punk]

But, on that subject, I tend to avoid shops where the mechanics are 16-year-old kids trying to earn extra cash to pay for aluminum, high-performance mufflers on their '88 Cavaliers. ;)


Dude my buddy is trying to get a job as a Mechanic at Penn and hes only 15. . thats funny. . but the money is going twoards a good cuase, our Mtn Bike team :crazy:

[nigel]

Dude my buddy is trying to get a job as a Mechanic at Penn and hes only 15. . thats funny. . but the money is going twoards a good cuase, our Mtn Bike team :crazy:

I wish him good luck :) Even if he starts off just building bikes, i think that people often forget that when they walk into a shop and sometimes deal with the not so great employees, that the great employees were at one time not so great themselves. Everyone has to start somewhere, everyone that is a shop guru started off a lot lesser than that. Just something to think about when people bash shop experiences.

D

[Ish]

Add Kenwood.



One On One Studios
Freewheel
Hollywood Cycles

3 of the BEST shops in the cities!!!!!!!!

[Poke-em]

It would have been easy to ask which are the best, and chances are I'd get the whole gamut of shops since everyone generally has a positive experience rather than a negative one, but for some reason the negative ones stand out. It's easier to pick your brain to figure out which ones are worse and you don't frequent because of certain experiences. Like asking which bikes are the best, I'd get a million opinions from everyone, but it's easier to ask which one's don't you like cause it's easier to remember why everyone's steered away from one or another.

Make sense?

[Shickdawg]

I have had some very positive experiences at the Penn Cycle in Woodbury. The sales folks have been knowledgeable and not pushy, and the service techs have generally done a good job.

[TML]

. . . I'd get a million opinions from everyone, but it's easier to ask which one's don't you like cause it's easier to remember why everyone's steered away from one or another.

Make sense?

It makes a lot of sense. I see what you're saying but. . .

First off, welcome to the area and to MORC Don. You'll find lots of good rides to go on and meet some pretty great people here.

You're probably not going to get much of a response in a negative way about the shops around here. Most of peoples bad experience in any particular shop is more due to a particular employees bad day, rather than the shop as a whole. It wouldn't be fair to any shop to generalize about their service because someone happened to have a few bad experiences with an employee.

The bike shops support us and our cause, and even though this message board and the discussions on it, do not necessarily represent the opinions of MORC as an organization, we are still hosting the site. Our support and direct relationships with bike shops is growing greatly and we'd hate to put a black mark on any shop that is willing to support a great cause.

See ya on the trails Don!

[Tex]

I don't really know of any real bad shops, only bad employees. I do remember hearing a story on this website of a guy who put a bike on layaway, and then changed his mind about it. From what I remember, he went through hell to get his money back or change the model of bike. He thought it was a new bike, it turned out it was a demo bike. Something like that, I don't remember all the details, or even what shop it was. Maybe one of the other members might know what I'm talking about.

That's pretty much the worst experience I've heard about a bike shop in a long time. Anyone remember the details of this story. I tried to look back in the forum, but I couldn't find anything. That would be the one shop I would say to stay away from, if it's still even in business.

[SickBoy]

I would agree that no matter what shop you go to, it's all about the employee that you deal with. Obviously in a 1 man operation or a place where someone is working all the time (like One on One or H-Wood) your chances of interacting with a bad employee are slim to none.

And yeah, MORC shouldn't really be maintaining a bike shop blacklist, as shops are a source of income for us (MORC) as an organization. But you can't prevent people from making (positive) recommendations.

[ppgc]

That's pretty much the worst experience I've heard about a bike shop in a long time. Anyone remember the details of this story. I tried to look back in the forum, but I couldn't find anything. That would be the one shop I would say to stay away from, if it's still even in business.

I found the thread http://www.morcmtb.org/forums/showthread.php?t=12183

It was Bicycle Bills in West St. Paul

-pete

[corey]

I was in Grand Performance for the first time on Monday. I've got to say. That is one of the most customer friendly shops I've ever been in. It's not a big shop, but if you want the employees to take the time to get it right for you. That's the place to go.

[Ish]

You're probably not going to get much of a response in a negative way about the shops around here.

And, this is Minnesota nice territory Don!

[nigel]

It would have been easy to ask which are the best, and chances are I'd get the whole gamut of shops since everyone generally has a positive experience rather than a negative one, but for some reason the negative ones stand out. It's easier to pick your brain to figure out which ones are worse and you don't frequent because of certain experiences. Like asking which bikes are the best, I'd get a million opinions from everyone, but it's easier to ask which one's don't you like cause it's easier to remember why everyone's steered away from one or another.

Make sense?

The amount of people that read this site its not a good idea to bash shops. Ive done it to one (youll have to sift through my posts to find it) and that was my own personal opinion. I think BikerTex said it best when he said there are not bad shops, just bad employees.

And for whats the best bike, well after all any pro rider can make a huffy look like a great bike *winks* its the rider baby, not the bike!

D

[fasterfoster]

And for whats the best bike, well after all any pro rider can make a huffy look like a great bike *winks* its the rider baby, not the bike!

DSo THAT's my problem!

[LightWeight]

And for whats the best bike, well after all any pro rider can make a huffy look like a great bike *winks* its the rider baby, not the bike!

D

With how much money I've put into my bikes over the winter, I'd better not let my wife see that... :shocked:

[Thewavebb]

With how much money I've put into my bikes over the winter, I'd better not let my wife see that... :shocked:

No kidding. I spent a fair amount on some new upgrades for my bike as well and I am really glad my wife doesn't really notice when I get a new stuff for my bike as long as its not a new frame.

[whitt_travis]

Northern Cycle in Park Rapids! Awesome doods, a little out of your range, but worth stopping into if you come to the great up north.

[el gueche]

i'm glad kenwood was named, and don't forget county cycles. for such a big shop, penn is excellent. uptown and penn ave. are my favorites. and don't forget freewheel. why do i like penn? bought a $300 trek last april, decided i was enjoying myself. penn took back my trek and allowed my to upgrade to a giant iguana (don't you just love that name?) without a service or trade in doo hickey. a month later, bought a trek comfort bike for my chick at the same time as i traded the giant iggy for a g. fisher sugar 2. same deal. no monkey biz, straight $ for $. finally, for this valentine's day they allowed me to trade in the trek comfort for a bianchi auto-milano, almost 1 year later, and all they did was reduce it by $20 because they have reduced the '04 bikes by $20 - i don't now if this is common but what penn has done is ensured a life long customer. i've been in the uptown shop on a sunday and the owner was working. i have motorcycle friends that worked at penn when they were kids and the owner still treats them right. enuff already.

[SprocketHead]

The Penn Quasai Trade-in thing sounds very cool!...

Sometimes I wish there was a shop that would take trades.. I don't expect top dollar, but there must be some shop that can make a buck on used bikes.. A good example is: I had a 5 year old Specialized Stumpy that I paid $900 for, it was in great shape!, New Tires, Chain and very clean. I had trouble getting $150 for it. Heck, the new tires & chain alone were worth $60 bucks.

Most people I offered it to seemed to think that a "brand-new" bike at K-mart was much better.. That really burned my butt!:mad: I HATE dept. Store bikes! The only thing they are good for is hanging in the garage.

I am CONSTANTLY advising people not to buy those by telling them the truth that it will only last 1 year if you're lucky.. I say, Go to a bike shop and pay just a few more dollars and get something worth riding.

[flombe]

I am guessing that LIABILITY has a lot to do with why a shop would not take MTB's trade-ins. They have no way of knowing if the bike has been pampered or thrashed. Selling such an unknown would be risky business.

[pefozzy]

Varsity Bike on the U of M campus (4th Street and 13th Ave) next to the old Varsity Theater takes trade ins...

[jitterjepp]

I like Kenwood Cycles for any work on my bike or parts. If I'm in a hurry I've also gone to The Alt because its about a block from my house. They've swaped parts that I didn't buy there and have an overnight turn around on repairs. I've also get overnight turn around on repairs at Kenwood too.

[waitabit]

Boehm's on Selby and Snelling is a good shop, and they just bought Mendota Bike on Hwy 110 and 35E, alway's treated me right and they carry Klein's.

[Magic]

Gateway Cycle in Oakdale is good to deal with. Talk with Troy or Hunter and they will set you up. Also Penn in Woodbury is good for a chain store. Ask for Jimmie Steffans, he is the store manager and knows how to treat bike folk. These are the two I use the most for small things. But they offer great service at both. But I do all my own work on my rides, so I don't use the service all that often. Maybe when I'm short on time I'll have Gateway lace up my wheels but I normally don't trust anyone to work on my rides. I'm kind of funny that way, something about having someone wrench on your bike that you don't know from Adam and I'm supposed to trust that he made sure everything was tight and on right before a race or ride. I can't blame anyone but myself if something bad happens when I do my own wrenching.:etard:

[fisherbikefreak]

County Cycles and Penn in Woodbury make me happy. Gateway would also get my business (I have only done research there and haven't purchased yet) if they were a little closer to my house -- they seem like a great bunch of bike nuts.

There are good shops around. Oh, One On One is pretty decent too. There are also places that aren't as consistent time after time. Shop around, spend some money at various places and find which shop best fits you.

[flombe]

As long as we are plugging shops, Erik's in St. Louis Park has always treated me well and fairly. I did not purchase my bike from them but have done my major upgrade$ through them. I love bringing my Fisher into a Specialized dealer! Although Aaron (Erin? Air-on?) and Jeff are close to converting me to the big S or Santa Cruz. Actually close to converting me to all-mountain too!

The mechanics are great and offer service while you wait as long as you don't show up at rush hour on a sunny day.

[Thewavebb]

I am a regular at Adventure Cycle and Ski down in Winona. I know some of the shop guys personally and they have always hooked me up. They also changed ownership last fall. Brad the new owner is a great guy and is really good at what he does.

[Fool4TheCity]

Penn in Bloomington gave me a raw deal last year during 24 hours of Afton. My newly purchased bike lost a gear off the rear sprocket. They replaced it, charged me, and said they'd reimburse me when they were credited by Shimano. They never reimbursed me. :mad:

Bohem's in St. Paul and Mendota Heights is the place to go!

[noise_is_life]

As long as we are plugging shops, Erik's in St. Louis Park has always treated me well and fairly. I did not purchase my bike from them but have done my major upgrade$ through them. I love bringing my Fisher into a Specialized dealer! Although Aaron (Erin? Air-on?) and Jeff are close to converting me to the big S or Santa Cruz. Actually close to converting me to all-mountain too!

The mechanics are great and offer service while you wait as long as you don't show up at rush hour on a sunny day.

I'll second this, although I don't get in there as much as I used to, Aaron is a great guy and MikeNendza ("][/url][url=") is a killer wrench.

Have to put a plug in for Arden Hills Now too, they are my regular shop these days (more from a friend commitment than any level of convenience). Ask for Jeremi and tell him I sent you. Talk to Mike the Mechanic if you get the chance too, he really knows his sh*te.