Windmill Bicycles

The folks at Windmill Bicycles are just too nice. About a year or so ago, I passed through looking for panniers. They wound up just giving me a set of (granted, rather well-​used) folding panniers that someone had donated to them. Since then I’ve stopped by for odds and ends like tubes or CO2. Recently, they just straight up gave me hardware and assistance to attach a rack that I purchased elsewhere. Not only that, the employees behind the counter were sharing a milkshake and they gave some to me too! Wow. That’s what I call customer service. I should have tipped more!

they are in my neighborhood so i thought i would try them. first time i went in and busy cool folks didn’t have time to sell me a bicycle tire because apparently their cellphones held some dark secrets that preclude any interaction. second time was right now when i called to see if they would change a tire on my little beeny moped (2.25×14 tires… off the bike) but the woman there cut me off mid explanation of what i was looking for and said «we don’t do anything with a motor, bud». which is fine, don’t do motors. also don’t be a dick. now i bought some tire irons off of amazon, a new tube, and i’ll fix it myself. you cool kids can work on your friends bikes only. ill make sure i tell all my bike riding friends that you suck, bud. the people who don’t understand customers continue to open stores. this town is chock full of bike shops, why not be a friendly one?

This is a great little local bike shop. We took our bikes here for a tune-​up and to get my wife some fenders. They did a great job, charged a great rate, and were very friendly and knowledgeable.
I will definitely return here.

Broke a hard to find spoke. Got turned down from bicycle sport shop with a 30 min waste of time with the tech telling me «I don’t know» about 20 times. Took it to Windmill and homeslice came up to me and pretended he was not Maguiver. After talking to him and I realized that he actually was. $ 15 later, I said to myself, «dang this place just flexed all over my bike»
Great attitude, rocking music, too easy pricing, and they keep in all in the family

If you look at my reviews you’ll see that I tend to write at length, so here’s the summary:
I was charged $ 100 (full retail price) for a headlight w/​a rechargeable battery that was represented as new, but was in fact used and the battery was off-​charge. I will update after I return it tomorrow and let you folks know how they approach the situation.
Update: I brought the light in and told them it had been opened and used prior to being sold to me as new. The female salesperson stated that yes, it had been opened and used, and that they had charged it and were using it as a floor model to show to customers. I asked that it be exchanged for a new one. Rechargeable batteries are not infinite and I don’t want one that has been used already. They did not have a new one, and I will not pay full retail price for a used item. I returned it for a full refund, which I can appreciate, although the unethical behavior and attitude I cannot. Selling a used floor model to customers as a «new» item is unethical, as there is a reason stores charge «restocking» fees for returns, as they are supposed to be re-​stocked with a new item from the supplier, denying the store that item of salable inventory until the replacement arrives, hence the restocking charge to cover the opportunity cost of any lost sales during the replacement period.
Also, when parking, they have a raised white bar on the ground that is basically invisible, and there are no warning signs anywhere. I backed into it, heard a crunch, and my rear bumper fell off on one corner and has been cracked. I went in to inform them that the bar had done damage to my car, and that they should add warning signs to preclude legal liability for any damages caused. The male salesperson immediately became aggressive, denied putting the bar there, said it was there already, did not make any apology, began raising his voice, appeared combative for a moment, then got hissy and stormed off into the tool area. The female salesperson then asked tersely «is there anything else we can do for you right now?» to which I politely replied «No. Have a nice day.» and I left, allowing for a solution to be determined later on this.
Full story:
So earlier this evening was my first experience here. The people were friendly and cool, hence the second star (this is only on day 1, on day 2 they were dodgy, rude, aggressive, and unapologetic for engaging in unethical practices), and while I would normally have gone to the Peddler or Clown Dog, my regular spots, they both close at 7 and I realized I wanted a light at 7:30. I prefer riding at night, and over the evening read some legitimately terrifying stats on night bicycle fatalities, like you need to go out now and get a headlight should you ride at night if you don’t have one please kind of scary, and decided it was time to upgrade my headlights so that I could see the road and not just be seen on the road, you know, for your health. They were unsure about lumens and whatnot so I did some in-​store smartphone research on Amazon and some bicycling websites. Windmill Bicycles had one solid «see the road, not be seen on the road» power headlight by Lezyne, the chrome 600 lumen power drive headlight for $ 100, the same model sells for $ 69.99 on Amazon for the black version and $ 102 for the chrome version. I would have gone for the chrome one anyways, wanted one tonight, and amazingly Windmill was $ 2 less than Amazon, so I bought it, but was told by the salesperson to not expect to use it that night, as it takes many hours to charge the first time, so I went shopping and figured I’d ride tomorrow evening, still better than Amazon and getting it on Monday.
Upon getting home and inspecting it, the battery and cord plastic bag had apparently been cut and taped shut, so they’d been opened before. The manual said at least 4 – 6 hours for the first charge, but it took 1.5 and was done before I’d finished eating. Clearly, the battery had been charged and used before. I was sold a used item that was represented as new, for full retail price. They have a computerized SKU system so must have known that that particular inventory item had been moved/​sold, returned, and thus I would think should have been sent back to the supplier for replacement, not resold as new to another customer. I’ll be going there later to return it, apparently again, and will be purchasing a new one at a different shop in town, Peddler carries this brand I know as I picked up the Lezyne floor pump there, a wonderful object that I use before each ride for fully rotund rubbery awesomeness, but this time I will be making sure to inspect the plastic baggies close enough to verify they are originally sealed and have not been opened then cleverly taped shut.

These ladies just rocked my world super nice and totally were patient with my flighty ‘I don’t know what I’m doing’ personality and made it a super easy SUPER CHEAP transaction… I love LoVe LOVE this place!!!

Awesome, friendly bike shop. I’m aware of bike shop stereotypes; if you aren’t buddies with the bike shop they can be arrogant know-​it-​alls who sneer at people who can’t change their own tube. Also, mechanics are almost always surly, which is why they’re quarantined in «the back». Windmill is none of these things. As far as I can tell there’s three folks who are mechanics and also help you out, and they’re all super friendly and helpful. Strangely, they talked me down from a full tune-​up with a new chain and cassette (I was certain my bike needed it), instead charging me $ 20 for new cables and housing and a drivetrain adjustment. My bike came out riding smoother than it has in a long time. They’re oriented towards city cyclists with older bikes too, which is nice.

These ladies rock! I was getting back into biking and needed a tune up. They were easy-​going, knowledgable and helped me out immensely. Definitely recommend this place!

This is not a comfortable place to be. One of the employees is really creepy, and stars at you the whole time like he wants to mug you.
After hearing a mechanic say it’s really hard for this to shift into the lower ring, on a bike she was working on. I asked her dropping to the lowest ring on the front? She said yeah. I said have you tried loosening the low limit screw on the front derailer 1÷16−1÷8 of a turn, and then re tighten the pinch bolt? The 3 employees all stopped working, and just starred at me like I was the biggest asshole in the world. The owner quickly yelled at me, that’s not it! She then answered me in a type of quite rage that can only be described as a mother who is seething with anger and trying desperately to talk to a child without showing that she has lost control of her emotions. She said we have had a shop now for 2, and a half years we are professionals.
I had a few things on my list to get, but now the staring employee had stopped working completely, had approached the counter and was now only a few feet away. He was just starring at me with a very angry, you need to go look on his face. So I did, and I’ll never be back again.
I’ve owned a bicycle shop in San Antonio for 7 years, and before that I worked in one for 4 years. I’m up her visiting family, and was just getting a few things for my nephew’s bike since he finished with all A’s and B’s, and I thought it would be nice for him to have a bike to ride around town this summer on while he is out of school. I went to the peddler on Duval, and was much happier with the way I was treated there.
In my experience it’s only the amateur mechanics that get defensive like this. They are afraid of being exposed. I’ve had to hire, and fire my fair share of employees who told me all about their experience during interviews. When it came time to actually work though, it was obvious they exaggerated their skill level.

I got a beautiful new bike yesterday that I love! The shop is open concept and professionally ran. The staff was so friendly and knowledgable. Aaron took me through all the options that for my price range and needs, and made some stellar recommendations! All in all, I’m very happy with my experience, my new bike, and would recommend this shop to all my friends.

I got a flat tire and came to them to repair it. They were fast and friendly. However, they charged $ 10 for a patch and then 1 mile later it was flat again. The patch was not only done incorrectly, but they took advantage of my limited bike knowledge to make money off the patch. I went elsewhere and the tube was replaced for $ 10. I’m really sad it turned out this way, as they were so friendly. :(

The ladies (and one gentlemen I’ve seen) are amazing. So fair and informative. I hate that when I stop in its usually because I’m stressing about my bike, but they always make sure I leave in an awesome mood.

The Windmill folks clearly had a crazy idea: open a bike shop, and don’t be condescending dicks to everyone who walks through their door.
Other shops sell car-​priced bikes to people through exploitation of insecurity and peer-​pressure, and these guys fix your old bike, or even sell you a new bike that less than your rent, and then they invite you over for karaōke and a movie.
Further, these folks are very hip, but if you’re a square like me, they won’t let you know. This isn’t just the place to go because it’s a community center, it’s also the shop that’s the most thoughtful and considerate of their customers. I know it sounds cheesy, but they make you feel special. There. I said it.

This is the first review I have ever done, and the reason I created my account. Windmill Bicycles are so awesome. Visiting from Boston, I rented a bike and i’m 6’1″. They had a bike my size and gave me a killer deal.
Sarah was incredibly friendly, and had the best energy ever, quite a breath of fresh air from the cold harsh north of Boston, where all we do is scowl and give sarcastic remarks intended to cut others down in the hopes that we forget we live in an arctic tundra wasteland.
Can’t wait for SXSW, so I can rent again.

Great bike shop. I bought a Biria citibike and it’s been a really fun commuter bike. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and very helpful!

These guys are the absolute best. We were stoked when they opened, stoked when we moved a few blocks away, stoked to see them thriving, stoked to buy two bikes from them, stoked to buy accessories from them and stoked to get our rides repaired there. The whole gang is always awesome, friendly, knowledgeable and inviting to help you get what you need to get rolling.
They’re the best, a true treasure for the neighborhood, and great for anyone who’s looking for a bike to live on, rather than to race on.

Let me let you in on something, Unilocalers. Windmill Bicycles is why the five-​star Unilocal option was invented. They’re a local business partly run by two awesomely adorable women knowledgable about all things bikes: add a whole star.
My own experience with Windmill first included buying a Biria citibike. It was exactly what I was looking for, and Kari and Sarah customized it exactly how I wanted completely free of charge. Add another outrageously grateful star.
Aside from being super bike-​savvy, they’re extremely friendly. They assist you in choosing the right bike and accessories without making you feel totally useless, and they genuinely care that you are satisfied and comfortable. Not to mention, any time I see these ladies in the cherrywood neighborhood, they always stop to say hello and ask about my bike. Taking such an interest in your patrons is such a fine quality that makes a local business really thrive. Add another two stars.
Aside from their in shop customer service, they also manage a blog that keeps customers informed on in shop events (movie nights!) and the shop’s daily grind. Add another star and you have an absolutely stellar, one of a kind five star bike shop.

I went to Windmill for the first time yesterday and now it’s my favorite! I had managed to get a flat tire after a long day at work, on a Friday, in the rain. I’ve only gotten this (second-​hand) bike recently, and my dad showed me how to change a bicycle tube once but that was like ten years ago; anyway I didn’t have a spare tube and I was stranded really far from my house. Happy Friday!
I remembered that the bus I take when I’m not biking goes right by Windmill, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I was really happy when I went in to see that it was two women working there; often my experience in Austin bike stores has been that they’re filled with super-​condescending, intense, triathlon obsessed dudes. None of that here. I explained my predicament and they fixed it up and even explained everything to me while they were doing it, AND gave me an awesome laminated card with detailed flat-​fixing instructions that now I can carry around with me. Sweet!
They were super good, fast and reasonably priced (I bought a few extra things and I still came out spending less than $ 20). Oh yeah, and there was an adorable dog. The whole experience really turned my Friday around, and I’ll definitely be back!

I love Windmill Bicycles.
I just got back from there because my tire blew up while riding home from work. I was a little embarrassed, but everyone was helpful and understanding. While they fixed up my bike, I grabbed a few beers at the School House Pub and was well buzzed by the time I paid at the counter. I knocked over and broke a candle. Super embarrassing. But they were even kind and understanding about that.
And something really needs to be said about a majority female run bicycle shop. Maybe I don’t get out much, but I’m used to dudes working on bikes. So much so that I never even thought about it. It’s a different kinder feel.
It’s wonderful to have a place like Windmill in my neighborhood.

I was an idiot and really damaged my Surly one day, to the point where it might have been unsalvageable.
I brought my bike to Aaron at Windmill Bicycles hoping something could be done… and within a few days my bike was ridable again and for an extremely reasonable price.
From this experience I’d have to say that Windmill is a very honest and humble bike operation. They probably can’t work total miracles on your bike for every situation, but they’ll be straight to you and make an attempt if there’s any hope.
As for the shop, they seem to sell a lot of mid range bikes like Fuji’s and Biria’s as well as repurposed bikes that they’ve prettied up (they have a tumblr that you can check out). They also have a lot of cool bike accessories and bags that I haven’t seen in other shops in town, so it’s worth taking a peek just for that.
So… yup. If you’re looking for a reliable local bike shop, I’d recommend going to these guys.