Fort Street Cycle

The best bike shop in town! I speak from experience.
Thank you guys!

Honestly the most amazing bike shop experience I have ever had.
I took my dad here to look for a bike to replace his cheapy Walmart special that sucks and was not the right design for what he needed it for. My boyfriend came along to help out.
My dad has Alzheimer’s. I won’t go into all the details about how awful this disease is, but I will say that it has affected my dad in ways I never thought possible. He has a lot of trouble with fine motor skills, and his vision has been altered, much like looking through water. Learning new tasks is hard, if not impossible. And confusion and frustration makes everything that much worse. When he expressed interest in riding his bike, with a companion, we worried. But he seems fine and stable, he just needs a new bike. Thus, the bike search.
We happened in to Fort Street Cycle by chance. It was the first one I selected from the list of places, and it was amazing. We were greeted right away and asked what we were looking for. I explained my dad needed a new bike, something simple, just for easy rides on the Goose, and comfortable. We immediately got set up for a bike fit. They have this great machine in the center of the store made by Cycleops. The nice woman helping at the start got some basic measurements on Dad then adjusted the Fit machine. We got Dad on and off that a few times as she made adjustments and then passed us off to Don. Don is the main Fit guy, and has been doing this for years. As he explained to my boyfriend later, they brought this system to Canada. Once Dad was all comfortable the measurements from the Fit machine were taken and we went and looked at a bike that would work. We tested it out in the parking lot and immediately there were problems with the gears. Dad was stable but he couldn’t use the regular shifters anymore. It was just too complicated. So we went back in after testing it out for a good 15 minutes. Up until this point, Don did not know of my dad’s condition. He had been patient and caring as we went through the fit process even though Dad was slow to respond to questions, and a little clumsy with certain tasks. My boyfriend filled Don in on the situation while Dad and I were in the parking lot.
When we came back we explained the gears were too complicated, and maybe fewer gears and grip shifts would be better. We had a look at a couple styles (the cruiser Dad vetoed on first glance) and went and checked the catalog for a bike they currently didn’t have in. Same brand as the bike Dad rode, but only 8 gears, and on one side only, so even better. Grip shifts would be no problem, and fit would be the same. Perfect! But there was only one left in Canada, so they would have to order it. We asked about swapping some parts, and those were also not a problem. Prices were quoted and we were told to call Doug on Monday to order if we wanted it. There was no pressure, and just courteous service and understanding throughout. No snobby bike elitist attitude, despite the $ 7500 Cervelo in the shop.
My dad and his wife put the order in for the bike and they will have it at the end of the week. I couldn’t be happier about this experience! Dad is excited, and I feel good knowing he will have a safe bike fitted just right to ride on. We got him the Giant Via 2, if anyone is interested…
Probably the most telling thing about the experience was Dad’s reaction. He was still feeling good and was okay to look at another shop afterwards. This is not usual, as frustration can make him completely shut down and not want to do any more. I thought he would be tired, but he wasn’t. And when we got home later he was happily telling his wife all about the bikes we saw.

Just bought my 4^th bike at Fort Street Cycle. Great staff, excellent customer service and competitive prices. Proof that you don’t have to be the biggest shop in town to give the best service. Doug and the guys (and Carla) do a great job.

Great little shop. I’m borrowing my buddy’s bike for the week. It gets a problem with the seat. I pop in here to ask for a wrench and the bloke in the back fixes my seat for no charge. That is great customer service and gets my vote. Thanks guys.