Lucky Bikes Re-Cyclery

My sister and I visited Lucky Bikes in August to find some bikes to take trail riding for a couple of weeks. Being in a large family, we were on a tight budget and found the shop on Craigslist. These guys are amazing!!! What they do is downright awesome and the attitude they do it in is uncommonly unique and contagious. They take in donations of bikes, tune them up and resell them at really cheap prices, barely covering labor I imagine, and then use the whole shop to get under-​privileged kids on bikes and out riding. They have programs where kids can work in the shop, learn a valuable skill and earn a bike to keep. They are generous, price things at way more than reasonable prices and really care. My sister and I found two amazing bikes, an older mint condition Cannonade and a little Giant Rincon and they sold them to us at a price we could afford, as well as throwing in some riding jerseys for the family and helmets. We were floored! We’d never had real bike jerseys before because the cost is prohibitive so it was so cool for us to have them to use with the new bikes. If you need a jersey, they have them in all styles and sizes, lightly used, for only $ 5!!! Can’t beat that.
They tuned up both bikes while we were there, changed out the fork on the Rincon as well as the tires, didn’t charge any extra. I was shocked at how much personal attention we got and how quick they had the bikes ready considering that they were as busy as could be and had customers coming left and right. In the couple hours that I was there, I saw several interactions with their customers that showed they actually care that people get bikes, get out and ride and are happy. It’s not all about the money. This is how a business should be run.
If I were local, I would love to volunteer and ride with them and just support them. Please, if you need a bike and are looking on Craigslist, go to Lucky Bikes instead, you won’t regret it and you’ll be helping some good people do a lot of good. (And no, for all you cynics and skeptics out there, I’m not a friend of the owner, don’t even live around there and wasn’t asked to put up a review. There are actually people out there DOING stuff, good stuff, that’s worth a rave review.)
I’m not mentioning names because it was several months ago that I was there and I’m afraid of leaving someone out. But every person there was kind, knowledgeable and cared. We are still riding the bikes, did some killer trails on them, including the 401 in Crested Butte and they haven’t needed a thing since. I feel so blessed to have stumbled on Lucky Bikes. Our interaction with them is still something we talk about and they made our weeks as a family riding together! Thank you, all of you, may God bless you and your work always!!!

Nice little Bike shop tucked away in SW Denver. Unpretentious, they sell new bikes and used bikes at a fair price and for a good cause… I will be back to suport these guys again

My boyfriend and I actually went here last summer (Not a few months ago) We got a couple bikes for an amazing deal .The guy was able to tune up the bikes right there for us and we were on our way. We picked up a trek and another one that’s not that common but very light, durable and comfortable to ride. I’m very glad with the bikes we have, and now that we’ve had them for a little while they’ve absolutely held up with quality. I suggest giving them a shot, they have a lot of bikes to choose from and if you need something for the mountains you definitely should find something to make anyone happy. Great place

AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE! Very helpful at buying our first bike. Threw in some nice gear as well. I highly recommend when looking for a refurbished bike!

I took my daughter here to find a bike for college — just a good used basic cruiser. The selection in this description was small but we found exactly what we were looking for. The staff was very friendly and helpful. It looked like they had a large selection of mountain and kids’ bikes. They also offered to assemble a new and very economical new bike for us, but the used bike we found met our needs. Best of all — this is a non-​profit enterprise that exists to help kids.

Great selection, incredibly helpful and respectful employees, and reasonably priced used bikes, services, and equipment. I was very impressed and will return.

Had a great experience here recently — husband was looking for a good price on a used bike, he called ahead and when we got there they had a few in mind for him to try out. We didn’t have to wait long for help, and they were taking care of us the whole time we were in there. Made it real easy to find a great bike, and the husband has already ridden it a few times since purchasing & loves it! They also took extra time to attach the lock and water bottle holder for us (free of charge) & made sure everything looked good before we left. Very helpful staff!

In their Craigslist ad, they said that they sell «refurbished» and «finely tuned» bikes. I rode my bike home from the store, my brakes malfunctioned as I went down the hills (unlike their flat parking lot). I dragged my feet and then walked the bike the rest of the way back, so that I wouldn’t get hurt (and they’re lucky I didn’t, since I went to a top 10 law school)! When I spoke to the lady from New Zealand over the phone, asking to return the bike, she ADMITTED THAT THEY DIDN’T CHECK THE BRAKE PADS! She kept reiterating that the bike only cost me $ 35. .. yeah, well, their ad gave me a reasonable expectation of safety! I mean, brakes are arguably one of the most important parts of wheeled transportation. She said she didn’t know how old they were, but that doesn’t matter, because one can see how worn they are just by looking at them — neither rocket science, nor time consuming! When I get my car tuned (we’re talking basic), they ALWAYS check the brakes. I figured it was $ 35 because it was a Huffy (Kmart/​Walmart brand) from the 90’s, and Huffy’s adult bikes start around $ 80, and this was a single speed, too. Only reason I paid $ 35 for it was because unlike many of the better deals on Craigslist, these bikes had been refurbished and tuned. I was willing to pay a little but more for peace of mind and safety, which I didn’t get. Anyway, they kept insisting on fixing it (no refunds), but I didn’t want to support them after they sold me a bike that they led me to believe was in safe, rideable condition. Because the New Zealand lady wasn’t there (she appears to ‘run things’) when I brought the bike in, I finally got my refund, but not without resistance. Safety is crucial, and if the bikes under $ 100 (of which there was one, when I came in) aren’t inspected completely or as carefully, they have a duty to notify me of this before selling me the bike (otherwise, they’re negligently, if not recklessly, putting my safety and life at risk).
What they ARE good for: their Pearl Izumi gloves are around $ 10 — a bargain. They have a decent selection of parts, and they’re willing to negotiate, somewhat, on parts (if you point out better deals elsewhere), and I heard them negotiating with one person on one of the more expensive bikes.
But. .. their parts are kind of expensive (especially considering their condition) — you can get nicer parts for less on Craigslist, or make a non-​tax deductible donation to their cause by paying their prices (personally, if you like their cause, I think giving them the money or donating a bike is the smarter way to go, because then you at least get a tax break). Really, re: their prices, especially on bikes, they don’t seem to get the concept of depreciation. Would’ve been a much better deal had they actually performed a decent inspection on my bike, which should involve taking two seconds to look at the brake pads.
1 star because they put my life at risk –brakes are really, really important! They might do a better job if you’re paying for a tune-​up on a bike you already owned, but if they’re not getting much money from you, they don’t live up to their promise of safety.

Lucky Bikes is a new community bike shop in SW Denver. The shop has a great selection of used, affordable bikes of all sorts — road, mountain, cruisers, and kids bikes. They have a pro service department that have expertly helped me keep rolling this season. And the best part, all Lucky Bikes sales are reinvested back into Trips for Kids youth cycling programs.

I took my bike here to get a tube up before Ride the Rockies and probably saved $ 100 after 800 miles of riding. The 550 mile ride went great so I bought a commuter/​mountain bike here and use it almost every day!