Bicycle Chain – Chapel Hill

just had them replace a tire tube on my daughter’s bike this weekend. I’ve had consistently great service from this location — good people.

Their Unilocal page says they rent bikes, but when I called, they said that they don’t.

I have come here since I moved to Chapel Hill in the early 2000s. I’ve always gotten great service and reasonable prices for everything.
I most recently came in to fix a flat, and the staff went above and beyond in being helpful. They took the time to explain the problem and showed me how I could keep the bike running better in the future. The staffer also politely inquired about how often I oiled the bike chain, and since I’m a bike amateur, I had been doing it wrong (which was apparent from looking at the bike chain). The staffer took the time to show me the best way to do it in the future which was incredibly helpful.
I’d definitely recommend this place.

This place completely hooked me up when it came to shipping my $ 800 road bike across the country. They were professional, courteous, and just totally accommodating to my needs and budget. THANK YOU!

Stuff is a little pricier here than at Back Alley Bikes, but there’s more new stuff. Stopped by here twice now, and it seems that at the beginning of the semester these places are busy, hard to catch someone’s ear to talk to. Came looking for a bike helmet, but they were all sold out of the kind I wanted and it was unclear when they new shipment would arrive. People are friendly enough here, but I prefer Back Alley.

I’m not a cyclist or someone who even knows much about bicycles. However, when my neglected Schwinn needed work I took it there, they made some adjustments, replaced the chain and for $ 35 and 10 minutes I had a bike that actually worked.
I did feel like an idiot, however It was entirely self imposed as I don’t know much about bikes! Really friendly and speedy service.
For service I’ll definitely be back.

I really wanted to buy a bike from these guys, despite the inattentive and sruly service I had received years ago. In fact I knew what I wanted to buy and just needed to place the order. After 15 minutes of waiting with zero recognition from the staff I finally had to walk out. There are better bikes shops in the area.

The guys who work here are very helpful, and definitely willing to deal with you on the price of a new bike. I’ve been shopping around for a higher end road bike than the one that I have, and this is one of the places I looked that actually had a bike available that would fit me. They have been pretty patient and awesome while I take my sweet sweet time making my decision, and have shown lots of interest in their customers and helping out the random person who comes in from the street.
I didn’t end up buying the bike from there, but would definitely go back for other products.

I went to the Bicycle Chain once. Once was enough.
The entire staff seems to think that anyone who is not an avid sport cyclist is a moron, freak, degenerate, or all of the above. I have seldom seen such condescending rudeness from an entire staff. No, I do not know how that is supposed to be aligned. That’s why I came here for your help. Don’t look at me like that.
I may not know much about the technical specifications of bicycles, but I do know when I’m being price gouged. These guys wanted to charge me more for a basic tune-​up than the bike was worth in the first place. I managed to talk them down, but Jesus, let’s have a little decency, shall we?
Then, the kicker. The tune-​up wasn’t even properly done. After all that trouble, the bike breaks down in a week and a half from an improperly tightened chain. Which I had just paid them to take care of. What the hell, guys?
There’s a large selection of bikes here, though accessories are less well stocked. They have the repair shop there, and it seems to work with great speed (does fake-​repairing something fast make it better service?).
If you’re a dedicated cyclist, maybe you can find something of value here. For my part, I’m going to try greener pastures.

The Bicycle Chain, offers repair services of your two wheeled vehicle, bike sales, and a range of bike accessories. Get yourself a helmet, new lock or perhaps you just want a bell or horn to let others know you’re coming through. They have some really high quality wheels here (Canondale and many others), for the bike enthusiast or someone that just wants to get some exercise around town.

There are a number of specialty products that have entire pocket communities surrounding them. In my admittedly limited experience I quickly learned that cycling was one of them.
What’s more important is that some factions of these communities are open and eager to teach you about that which they love so much, and others would prefer to cater exclusively to those who share their appreciation and wealth of knowledge.
Unfortunately I’ve found the Bicycle Chain to fall into the latter category. What’s more is they have a competitor down the street a half mile (Performance) that completely out does them in every department. The Bicycle Chain staff is knowledgeable, but every time I ask a question in there I feel like a moron.
Their store is mostly actual bicycles, with a slim selection of accessories and apparel (a stark contrast to the more balanced Performance shop).
I will say that the one time I left my bike with them their repair shop was speedy, alas my poor impression of their staff and business philosophy has tainted my opinion of them regardless.