Belmont Wheelworks

They prioritize taking your money over being helpful, plus the service guys are not very good. I bought a $ 3.5k mountain bike from them in August. Having bought on-​line for the last 15+ years I decided to «do the right thing by my LBS» and buy locally, thinking I’d get good service in future.
How wrong I was! Back to on-​line bike shopping for me.
1) the bike had a loose back end from the get-​go. First they told me that was normal (it was not), then at the free 3 month service, they failed 3 times to correct it. On the 4^th return, they addressed it while I waited. It was a loose wheel hub assembly. However, they drastically overtightened it. Luckily I noticed (the wheel would not turn freely at all) and did not ride on it, otherwise, that would have surely destroyed the bearings. I had someone else service it and it’s fine now.
2) But the real issue and why I bother to write this review is what happened next. I wanted to improve the fork performance and I knew that the fork on that bike was upgradeable, so I called to see what they could do. First off the tech (Kevin) actually said «I wont tell you what the upgrade options are till after you come in and give us a deposit» Finally, after I pointed out that I’d already spent a tidy sum with them, he agreed to see what could be done. After two weeks, the store still did not give me any actual information and just told me that my only option was to buy a new fork for another $ 550 – 750, since any upgrade would cost $ 250 in parts and $ 140 in labor. I walked away and after a little research and the help of a useful internet bike store, I found that a $ 50 upgraded damper (motion control) for the fork was available and it it took less than 5 minutes to install. I’ve now installed it and it the bike is transformed — just what I needed. I can actually go another two levels up on this same fork for a mere $ 130, so I will do that next. So, either Belmont Wheelworks have no idea what they’re talking about or (more likely) they repeatedly lied to me to try and get me to spend a lot more money with them.
Maybe others have had good experiences, but mine were appalling: after taking my money, they refused to be any help whatsoever unless I spent a load more. The internet store, however, — Discount bicycles in Keene, NH. — was enormously helpful and are now getting my business.

Great customer service. Ken spent over 2 hours with me as I went on and on with questions about hybrid bike options. I went in there having no clue which bike I wanted. Something that screams on the road but can also handle some light off-​road terrain.
I tried maybe 6 different bikes. Ken didn’t seem annoyed with my relentless questioning and was pleasant the entire time. All the way down to picking out a helmet and showing me the best way to set up my car mount. (he did it for me while explaining stuff).
They actually made a mistake on the pricing of the bike where I ended up saving $ 150. I was certainly happy with that.
My only complaint is. well before leaving I mentioned that the disk breaks weren’t responsive enough, to which they said no problem as they do a quick tune-​up on new bikes before the customer leaves. But when I got home I noticed that the disk breaks were tightened to the point that the rear one was rubbing the rim a little! So it wasn’t exactly ready-​to-​ride until I figured out how to adjust disk breaks. Not the end of the world, but not ideal either.

Belmont Wheelworks (BWW) has one of the largest selection of bicycles brands across most price points in the Greater Boston area; maybe *the* largest. I write this with confidence because I’m a bike fanatic and have been to or called many. Only the late, great International Bicycle Center in Allston and Newton was on par. BWW is a big presence in the market space between big box retailers who sell commodity, lower quality bikes, e.g., Dick’s, Target, etc., and high end boutiques that cater to people with specific requirements and deep pockets. The latter seems to be an emerging trend.
BWW differentiates in several important ways:
— Offerings range from quality entry level bikes up to exotic and ultra-​premium.
— There are cruisers, MTBs, hybrids, cyclocross, carbon racing bikes… you get the picture.
— Brands go far beyond the ubiquitous Specialized and Trek line-​ups which offer mass market quality bikes (vs. department store merchandise) as well as world-​class MTB and road bikes, but that’s where most LBS stop. Not BWW. Search their site by brand and you’ll see what I mean. There is Parlee, Salsa (a maker of gravel racing bikes, a hot new trend), Colnago, All-​City, Pinarello (they had a black on black Dogma when I was in last weekend) and 36 more. Yes, I counted. 39 brands in all.
— Belmont has a huge showroom with many bikes assembled and ready to test ride or in their adjacent warehouse.
— Expertise. Doug B. is a bike savant. Chris Duffy, a master fitter, is equally knowledgeable. Don’t take this for granted. In two locations of a «competitor,» it was clear that much of the floor staff are just clerks. In one, a college age guy told he «wasn’t that into bikes yet, but I’m starting to.» Uh, OK.
Some previous reviews knock price. Here’s the deal. Many bikes are at MSRP, but there are also lots on sale. You can’t compare an LBS to Walmart on price or products.
Some previous reviews say that the staff can be snobby. I think that’s really a matter of these guys knowing so much and having so much enthusiasm that they can gush information. I understand how that could be perceived as condescending.
A few bike buying tips (general; not specific to BWW): 1. Call ahead and speak to someone about what you’re looking for. They can confirm inventory and make recommendations; 2. Leave at least 90 minutes to chat and test ride; 3. Avoid Saturdays if your schedule allows. Weekends are busy and it’s tougher to get dedicated 1:1 attention; 4. Bring your own bike helmet.
My customer service experience during the shopping process was excellent. I can’t speak to maintenance and repairs.
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My wife and I recently bought bikes and we wanted a car rack for our bikes. Our experience at Belmont Wheelworks was EXCELLENT! I had talked to Ben a couple of times before visiting the store and he had shared a lot of information and opinions about bike racks on the phone to me. When I met him, he spent a lot of time with us going over the different kinds of racks and showing us how to assemble it on our car. He was clearly an expert and gave us great advice on which rack to buy. He patiently went through each step of securing the rack to the car and even brought out bikes so we could practice hooking up bikes to the rack.
My wife and I walked away happy! We had bike racks. They honored our discount (you get 10% off on purchases if you buy a bike at Wheelworks) and they threw in some extra cables and tools that we may need in the future. Service is very important to me. And I don’t like feeling rushed when I am buying something. At Belmont Wheelworks, I really felt like they gave me the time and information I needed to make my decision.
We will surely be going back for other purchases and bike tune ups when we need them.

Had an excellent fit analysis experience with Chris. He pays attention to all details, spends the time to find the right shoes, handlebars and saddle. Thank you! Thank you! Love my new road bike!

I’m not very happy about the way a recent bike maintenance issue was handled by this shop, which is a shame because I like to support local businesses and no doubt they have a great inventory of high end bikes.
My fiancée’s bike (2014 Specialized Ruby Expert) that we purchased from a different shop at the end of last season developed a grinding noise while freewheeling after less than 300 miles of use. I broke the wheel down to the freehub and determined that the noise was likely coming from a fouled cartridge bearing. Lacking the tools to pull or replace those bearings I opted to have her bring the bike to belmont wheelworks to see if they could service the freehub, with specific instructions to look at the freehub.
Much to my surprise the tech there wrote her up for an 80 dollar tune & true. Totally unnecessary as the bike was brand new and shifting well and the wheels were not out of true at all. She later gets a call that the bike is ready to pick up but they did not fix the problem, she is not a bike mechanic but I have quite a bit of experience wrenching on my family’s bike fleet, however the mechanic apparently did not want to talk to me on the phone. Instead he told her that she was going to need a new wheel.
I go into the shop to pick up the bike and wanted to find a someone to talk to because I wasn’t very impressed that the wheel issue was not taken seriously and I was going to have to pay for a tuning that was completely unnecessary in the first place. The mechanic wasn’t in the shop but I spoke to Peter Mooney who is apparently one of the owners. He basically tried to tell me that it was a cheap wheel and probably not serviceable but took down my info to have the mechanic give me a call about replacing the freehub. He also told me that the tune would’ve taken an hour and a half of labor, which may be true of a heavily used piece of equipment but cannot possibly be true for this particular bike. Not very sympathetic other than to say I should have been written up for a hub overhaul instead of a tune (not sure why this wasn’t the case in the first place). I walked out 80 bucks lighter with a bike that was performing exactly the same as when it went in.
I ultimately got a call from the mechanic, Jasen, but he didn’t really have anything to add other than to assure me that he had taken the wheel apart and that he didn’t think it was a bearing issue and that the freehub or the wheel would need replacing.
I was resolved at this point to just ordering a new rear wheel as it didn’t seem prudent to pay for parts and labor on a wheel that I was being assured was unserviceable and cheap. However I was back in northern New Hampshire in the area where I bought the bike in the first place and decided I would bring it back to that store to have them take a look as a last resort.
The mechanic at that shop listened to what I described and broke the wheel down right in front of me. He pulled the cartridge bearings out of the freehub and lo and behold the drive side bearing was fouled and experiencing a clear scraping or vibration when turned. He replaced the bearing with a new one and reassembled the wheel and everything is functioning good as new again after 15 minutes of work. He only charged me 5 bucks for the bearing and I tipped him an extra 15 for his troubles.
I was initially going to just chalk it up as an unfortunate miscommunication issue but after reading some of the other poor reviews on here I felt I would chime in. I feel like Belmont Wheelworks did not live up to its name. Their service department did not take the issue seriously or make a real effort to diagnose or solve the problem and had no qualms about selling me an unnecessary service. I also didn’t like the way they defaulted to saying that it was a cheap wheel. I don’t really care that they’re inexpensive compared to some of the carbon hoops they probably sell but it’s still a $ 3,200 bike that’s relatively new. At this point I just think they viewed it as an opportunity to upsell someone on a higher end piece of equipment rather than fixing a simple problem. For customers who aren’t experienced with bike maintenance I would be very specific about what you want when you bring your equipment in.
Ultimately this is a lost opportunity for them because I am in the market for a new road bike and the 80 bucks I wasted here is going to cost them the chance to land another 4 – 5 thousand dollars of business in the form of a bike sale, no doubt I was oggling their new inventory when I was in there.

We bought a Trail A Bike here. Bike repair guy installed the hitch on my bike upside down. The two bikes came unhitched while me and my 5 year old were riding. Sending us into a terrible, bloody accident!
Both of us were injured. Thankfully some nice people stopped to help.
Daughter never got on the bike again, too scared!
Buyer beware. It takes skill and competence to put together a bike!
This place didn’t have either.

This shop has an extensive inventory. They also promptly reply to emails, which is somewhat rare for bike shops. That is where my praise ends. I bought a $ 1500 Salsa bicycle here a few days ago. After doing research online to decide which model I wanted, I emailed the shop to see if they had my size in stock, and they emailed me back saying that they had it built at their Belmont store, and I could come try it out. I biked over, waited a half hour while they looked for it, and was eventually told that they had the bike, but it wasn’t built. I came back two days later after getting a call saying the bicycle was built, test rode it, decide to buy it, and began asking about racks/​fenders. Michael, the knowledgeable salesman helping me, whose job it is to sell the bike, was done with me the second I said I would buy, and immediately moved on to another customer, pointing me to the register and telling me another employee would help me pick out racks and fenders. I proceeded to wait under a sign saying «customer service» near the register for twenty minutes while about five employees aggressively avoided eye contact with me. Eventually I ran out of patience and started loudly asking every employee in sight «IS THIS WHERE I SHOULD WAIT TO TALK TO SOMEONE??» At this point a friendly but clueless employee helped me pick out racks and fenders. When he brought up the rack I picked out, I took it out of the packaging (because by this point I didn’t trust him) and told him he had brought up the wrong size. He protested, saying it was the right size, but then checked with one of his colleagues who confirmed that I was correct. The shop mechanics mounted the parts for me. Upon arriving home, I mounted the bike on my stand (I’m an amateur bicycle mechanic myself) and found a number of errors made by the shop employees who built the bike. The disk brake calipers were uneven and rubbing, the brake cables were too loose, the barrel adjusters were all the way open, and the stem bolts were alarmingly loose (this can be a serious safety hazard). In addition, the fenders rubbed, and I was annoyed to see that they used the front rack bolts that came with my bike to mount the fenders, rather than the bolts that came with the fenders I had purchased – and they never gave me the bolts that they didn’t use (I should have realized this in the shop and demanded my bolts, but I was so eager to leave that I overlooked this).
TL;DR:
Excellent inventory, friendly staff, but I had trouble getting attention from salespeople, and my bike was built without attention to detail.

I just went to pick up a bike I purchased two days ago. Never mind I found out everyone else sells the bike for $ 20 less, we were excited to bring the bike home as it was supposed to be ready for pick up and my daughter was pumped to start riding it to work.
At checkout, I noticed the serial number, which had been written down by my daughter at purchase, had been crossed out and changed. I asked the salesman why it was changed to which his answer was «oh, they wrote it down wrong.» My daughter was a bit put off because she had written down exactly what the salesman Gregor had told her.
With paid receipt in hand, they wheeled the bike around for us. I had to ask for help to put it in the car. One of the bike builders said he’d do it. He asked if we wanted to take it for a ride? I said, not necessary, I have a family waiting for dinner and besides, she’d already ridden it and the seat had been adjusted perfectly just two days prior. When we got it out the door, my daughter said, «Is this the same bike I purchased and rode before? It looks bigger.» The guy had her get on the bike. She couldn’t get on it because the seat was too high. I asked, had anyone else ridden it after we purchased it because it certainly was lower when we bought it. He said he’d go get an allen wrench to adjust it. While he went inside, my daughter and I noticed her BRAND NEW bicycle had a scrape on the front fender and a dent in the back fender. We pointed this out to the guy when he returned with the wrench. He wasn’t sure what had happened to our bike, but said he could possibly swap out the fenders with another bike if we could wait.
I went back inside with the bike, and with all the finger pointing as to who did what and confusion as to what went wrong, I just asked for my money back and we left.
I phoned the store on the drive home and spoke with one of the owners, Clint. He apologized and said they had made up a new bike instead of selling us the one off the floor that we had fitted specifically to my daughter’s height. He didn’t really have an answer for why no one told us this or why they’d let a bike with scratches and dents be passed off unknowingly to a customer at delivery.
He kept trying to explain what had happened with no offer to make good on what had happened until I asked if I should post my experience on Unilocal or were they going to do something to rectify the fact that we didn’t have a bike and I had one very disappointed daughter. He thought maybe he could adjust the price, but never offered up an amount. Said he’d deal with it the next day as he was supposed to go home at 7, and it was now 7:15pm.
After sleeping on all that had transpired, I think my lessen learned is to go somewhere else where A) the bike is cheaper, B) the bike is delivered as promised as paid for, C) they are able to build a bike without scratching and denting it, D) they have customer service people who have attention to detail and don’t make stuff up just to sell a bike and get you out the door, and E) an owner who cares even when everything else has gone wrong!
In my mind, they clearly switched out the actual bike we purchased off the floor and gave us a dinged up, scratched bike, hoping we wouldn’t notice.
They’ve been open an hour now, and now one has called me or my daughter to follow up on what happened yesterday.
I’m headed to a competitor this morning to buy the same bike from someone else.

The staff are incredibly rude.
I visited Wheelworks twice last week to pick up some gear before heading out of town for the long weekend. On both occasions the staff I encountered (three total) were disinclined to help, and appeared to be put out by my asking basic questions. Due to time constraints and location (they’re close to home) I purchased the gear we needed, which included a bike rack. I was told that with the purchase of a bike rack we’d receive free assistance with installation. It’s also worth noting that we paid them $ 30 more for the bike rack than what Amazon is charging for the same product, but we figured some help with installation and having the rack in time for our trip was worth the extra money.
I returned the same afternoon to pick up the rack and asked for the promised installation assistance. While they made good on assisting with installation, we received a hearty eye roll and truly condescending attitude from the staff person that helped us. The attitude was simply unacceptable, especially at the premium prices we paid.
In short, Wheelworks has some of the worst customer service I’ve ever experienced — and unfortunately after reading other reviews, rude behavior seems to be a pervasive problem with this business. Spend your money somewhere else — there’s plenty of competition that will appreciate it more than these guys.

I came here the other day to look at a replacement for my current bike. I am not very knowledgeable about bikes, but after having commuted on one for the past three-​ish years, I knew which features I wanted for my new bike.
My first attempt was on a Sunday morning at 10:15am. As I and four other random people found out, they are closed Sunday mornings! Total bummer, I was ready to drop some cash! So check the store opening times before you make the trek out :)
I came back a few days later after work (open until 8pm) and while the store seemed mildly busy, someone was able to help me right away.
Pros:
* large selection of bikes
* the guy seemed knowledgeable
Cons:
* they try to sell you the most expensive bike in the store (I think they work on commission?). We started at $ 1500 and I had to be very insistent to get him to show me a $ 600 bike
* my sales guy would talk to his buddies every now and then and just ignore me for 3 – 4 minutes at a time
* they only carry bikes from the current season, which are all pricey — I would have loved to get a bike from two seasons ago if it meant it was discounted
I think I would come back here, but hopefully the bike that I ended up getting will last me at least 10 years. I spent a little more money than I had planned to, but I am happy with the purchase, so I don’t mind.
If you are a newbie and don’t mind spending a bit more, I think this would be a great place to get a bike, because the bikes seem of good quality and the staff seemed knowledgeable to me.
If you are on a budget, you might want to skip this place and go somewhere else where they are not as aggressive about selling you expensive bikes and accessories.

This is a perfect example of a business doing well in spite of itself. I’ve been here several times, and everytime I’ve been treated rudely by the staff. They honestly seem to be the most miserable employees I have ever encountered in my life. Nobody ever greets you, acknowledges you, thanks you. They’re awful.
Additionally, their products and services are grossly overpriced.
I had a bike serviced there. They totally dropped the ball. Never performed the work. I went down to pick the bike up on my lunch break, only to find the work order had never been put in. Absolutely no apology (don’t worry buddy — JUST how I wanted to spend my lunch break) I could go on and on giving examples of their disgusting customer service, but I’ll spare you.
You can be arrogant or incompetent, but not both. Belmont Wheelworks succeeds at being both.
I hope some of those miserable, middle-​aged bike shop employees can find some joy in their lives, so they might stop treating their customers like garbage.
If you haven’t been here yet. Please spare yourself the bad customer service and overly-​priced everything. Horrible, HORRIBLE place.

Recently brought in my bike and my wife’s bike for a Spring tune-​up. Was disappointed. I have a Trek Madone 4.3C, with Shimano Ultegra rear dérailleur and Shimano 105 brakes. They didn’t bother to tighten up the brakes, and the shifting is not quite right. Even worse, when I called them to ask when the bike would be ready (my wife brought it in for me) they could not find the job ticket, nor the bike! Instead of an apology, the person on the phone had a, «bummer, we’ll figure it out, call back later» attitude. I am a HUGE supporter of the local bike shop, and there are some (like NBX in RI) which ensure that they do the right job. Wheelworks has gotten too big — it treats you like a number now. That’s too bad.
Note that I bought my hybrid bike at this shop, and we bought my wife’s road bike at the shop too. The initial fitting for my wife was a disaster, as they just couldn’t get the fit right. I then suggested that they may have given her the wrong frame size, and so they tried a size larger. It worked, but they should have figured it out, since we were paying for the fitting service!
I know that this shop is owned by true cyclists, and historically, it was a good shop. But as it has grown, I have the feeling that it has lost its sense of identity as a small local shop that really, really cared about its customers. Now, I don’t get the sense that the folks there — especially in the service department — really care. I should add that this is not a uniform problem. There are some folks there who really love bikes.

I was in the market for a new bike — admittedly a beginner into the intimidating bike world around Boston.
After reading about the selection I decided to check out Wheelworks.
In short — never again.
After walking around for over 20 minutes, someone final offered to assist me. When I said what I was looking for and I’d like to stay under $ 500 I was given a disdainful look and told to «look downstairs and I’ll try to help you after I’m done picking up after my lazy co-​workers.»
I did take a look at their upright hybrids but after another 20 minutes never saw this sales person again and yet again couldn’t find anyone to help me.
Left the store and happily spent my money at a store that actually provides customer service.

Hello? Can anybody help me? No, you’re all too busy (just look up from the register). I’m so sorry I spent over 3gs here, just to be greeted with such a crap attitude.

The folks at Belmont Wheelworks have the largest inventory of bikes in stock known to man. Although when they are busy you might have to wait, I have found, for the most part, their sales people are incredibly helpful and quite knowledgeable. I had a fitting with Sean B. and the man is super fastidious and a wealth of information on bikes. He will work with you to find the right bike and make it fit so you will love it. It is worthwhile to make an appt or schedule to come into the store at non-​peak times. They will spend a lot of time talking to you so if you have to wait — it is because they are doing a really good job for the person before you!

Short Story: I had an awesome experience and our family will be buying future bikes from these guys… Especially Ben. He is AWESOME.
Note I am not putting a price review on this as they run the entire range from affordable, reliable bikes to really high end triathlon gear. You can spend from $ to $$$$.
Long Story:
Like several other reviewers I had been researching bikes online and found one I was interested in. After looking at the manufacturer’s website, these guys were the closest dealer to me. (I was looking at the Montague Paratrooper and these guys had it in stock)
To start, we take the not so short drive down from the north shore to Belmont and locate the place. There is a nice municipal parking lot around the corner for parking which had plenty of empty spaces. With the snow, it was a bit of a challenge navigating Belmont streets.
We get into the store and wander around for about 10 minutes looking at the stock on the floor. We kind of have the lost puppy dog eyes and are asked if we need help (they were shockingly busy for a winter day). The first gentleman asks us to hold on and then gets on the PA to ask for help (he is already with another customer). A few minutes later up pops Ben (yay ben!). I told him that I was looking for a folding bike that would fit in a car or be allowed on the T during rush hour and that I was specifically interested in the Montague. Ben asked what the distance was. After I told him it was about two miles he suggested one of the smaller bikes. We discussed what I wanted in a bike (commute as well as longer, weekend riding) and came to the conclusion that this was the bike for me. We brought the bike out for a test ride around the block and he was spot on with all of his adjustments. I got on and it fit perfectly. He did an exceptional and thorough job of going through the features of the bike including break down and folding as well as cleaning and maintenance.
The really impressive part was the time he took with my wife and son going over bikes for him. He made many practical recommendations which we found extremely useful. All in all I am very pleased with my experience and my purchase. I will happily go here again and again. Highly recommend.

I have to say I keep being disappointed in this place. Bought an expensive bike from them (a brand only they carry close to me). I was originally put by the shop’s shitty attitude but decided to power through it thinking it would be great to have someone close by to deal with warranty issues and service requiring specialized tools I didn’t care to purchase.
BIG MISTAKE. Finally had a part fail on the bike (a common issue) and brought the bike in for warranty service. Terrible experience with rude man (some guy named Scott) who ridiculed me for «expecting someone to look at it now». Mind you, diagnosing this issue and at least being decide whether a part needs to be ordered, or whether an issue is covered under warranty should have taken less than a minute, but for these snobs you need an appointment. I guess common decency and respect is too much to ask from these numbskulls.
I tried to do good buying local and regret it. Support JRA Cycles in Medford instead. Much better attitude and service.
Good bike and brand selection, but NOT WORTH IT!

I’ve given this place too many chances and now I’m writing it off forever.
I started thinking about getting into bike riding about a year ago, given how close I am to work and all the great bike trails in the Fresh Pond area. I had driven past Wheelworks many times and decided to drop in. All I can say about all three times I’ve visited is that it’s awful, awful, awful.
On my first visit, I looked around for about 15 minutes before I finally had to approach one of the sales associates for assistance. (They were not helping other customers, just hanging around the counter by the entrance talking about their weekends.) She knew less than nothing. I at least had a vague idea of bicycle types, heights, etc. and was looking for some more info to make an informed purchase. All she did was direct me to a $ 750 bike and say it was the bike for me, with no real explanation. I don’t think she understood anything about it, either. My guess is, she was told by a manager to direct any newbie who comes in toward this model.
The under-​informed employee who wants to help, but really can’t, is actually a theme of this place, apparently. The «managers» are the real problem. They’re extremely arrogant and dismissive of questions. They don’t seem to understand that most of us haven’t given bikes a second thought since we were 12.
My second visit was with my 2-​year-​old daughter in April or May. I was interested in looking into balance bikes and had seen a mention online that Wheelworks had kids’ bikes. I was not aware there was a separate shop for kids, so when I walked into the main store and asked the gentleman at the counter if they had balance bikes, he gruffly replied, «Around the corner.» No direction or anything. «So, which way?» I asked. «That way,» he said, pointing up the street toward Beaver Brook. I sarcastically thanked him for his help and told him I was sorry to bother him.
(As a side note, the service we received at the kids’ store was excellent. The prices for balance bikes were a bit steep, so we purchased one online, but the prices for other kids’ bikes are very fair. We would most likely go back there once my daughter is ready to move up, except that I don’t think I want to give any business at all to the Wheelworks name.)
My third and final visit was this week. I purchased a child’s seat secondhand and needed a rear rack and an adapter to clamp to the seat post, which does not have pre-​drilled holes to bolt the top of the seat in place. Again, I began with a younger employee who was eager to help. I had researched online for the specific rack that was compatible with the seat and was happy to see they had it – except I was told that I actually needed a different seat that was slightly more expensive. Given my previous experiences here, this raised my suspicions.
I then asked about the adapter and he had to go ask a manager. When he returned, I was told that they needed the diameter of the post to know which size clamp I needed. That’s fine, I said, I’ll measure it and come back. No, he said, it would be best if I just brought in the bike and they’d be happy to install the adapter and the rack for me. My response: «Yeah, plus an upcharge for labor, right?» I’m no master handyman, but I can measure the diameter of a metal cylinder and install a bike rack on my own if I have the right hardware. I hope these folks understand that selling, assembling and fixing bikes for a living is not rocket science. Also, letting them install the rack would have been a convenient way of preventing me from installing the original rack I came in for and realizing that, whaddayaknow, it was the right rack all along.
As an added bonus, the associate told me that his manager also informed him that the actual rack I needed was not the one I looked up online ($ 40) or the one he suggested ($ 50), but one that was priced $ 75. How convenient.
I told him I’d think about it and left — this time for good.

Bought a bike here the other night after a friend told me about her great experience. Mine was nothing short of awesome. I know NOTHING about bikes and definitely felt comfortable trusting them to tell me what I needed and not make a quick buck.
I went back a week later for a fitting. Again, great experience. Ed even took the time to fix some really shoddy assembly work I had done to get my rack on the back of my bike.
The true sign of a great retail business for me is when I know I can find much of the merchandise for a lower price on Amazon or at Target, but I actually WANT to buy them here to support the local business and thank them for my awesome experience.