R + E Cycles

Friendly knowledgeable staff, Smiley is great. If you decide to purchase a bike here make sure you know what you are getting. Know the quality of the gears and cassettes. If you are getting a special made bike make sure it is made to your geometry and not an off the shelf frame were they added spacers to raise the handlebar or put in a very short handle bar stem. If you don’t know much about bikes go with someone who does.

After someone’s botched attempt at stealing my bike by taking off the quick release to my front wheel, but then leaving the tire, I was left with an un-​rideable bike. I walked it over to the R+E shop and the gents helped me out in a jiffy. They gave me the rod, spring and new lever all for free. Thanks guys! You were immensely helpful and kind.

I am new to Seattle and tried two bike shops — both had good technicians — but R+E had NICE and FrIENDLY service. Gregge bike shop had arrogant, stuffy people who didn’t really care.
If u want quality and great service — go to R+E bikes !!!

I took two classes from Beau, one of R + E’s bike mechanics, and loved both of them. I worked on my Surly in one class and revived an old Specialized RockHopper in the other. I came away feeling much more confident. Beau is an excellent teacher; he’s low-​key, organized, knowledgeable, patient, and professional.
The other folks who work at R + E are great, too; they’re always helpful and friendly and know what they’re talking about.

Just be ready for a hard sell if you go in.
All in all the salesman was extremely committed to helping us and I would give the customer service a 5 star rating, minus a star for the excessive hard push which isn’t my preferred way to be handled but nonetheless he was very knowledgeable and I’m sure would be some people’s dream.
Details:
We had called interested in what R&E has to offer (house made, 18 sizes of steel frame, custom-​fitted bikes ranging ~ $ 2600 – 3000.) and since they make Rodriguez bikes on site (steel frames) they are obviously strong believers in them.
I spent a very long time getting fitted by Smiley, he was dedicated and very knowledgeable and offered some good tips on technique (handlebar grip, etc) however after at least an hour of fitting/​test riding I just didn’t feel like the bike was a fit worth the price point (for me), if I were to spend that much the Gunners I rode at Montlake Cycles were much better feeling.
Smiley kept saying that he couldn’t help customers if they didn’t speak up but when I did speak up about what I found to be an issue, he seemed to dismiss the issues (handlebar width, seat comfort) as not as important as the frame. My direct question of — how can I know this is the frame I want if it just doesn’t feel «amazing» and other bikes (not fit specifically for me) still feel way better suited in geometry and the handlebars work etc. He didn’t seem to really have an answer to that.
Also, in regards to the seat issue, he said «no one likes their seat» and it has to break in (he put a terry seat on for me at first). I must say I disagree, and did speak up on this as the first moment I sat on my Terry Liberator it was a dream. I’ve had plenty of great seats.
I just think the Rodriguez was just not the best fit for me. It might work great for others.

I dropped in to ask for help with a bolt, I have also been looking around for lights, fenders and safety gear but wanted to find the right place to buy. and was just the right place. From the minute I came in, everyone there was helpful, respectful, thoughtful, knowledgable and efficient. I didn’t realize right away that I was in a shop that manufactures specialized bicycles, but clearly i was in an excellent bicycle shop. Will be back, thanks all.

I am an avid long distance rider and was looking at upgrading my Raleigh to something nicer. A friend kept on recommending Rodriguez and finally I decided to pay them a visit.
First impressions: Really nice people — your first interaction will be with Smiley and he definitely lives up to that name. He set me up for an appointment for my measurement/​fitting and also gave me a tour of the shop
Measurement/​Fitting: Smiley spent almost 30 minutes taking different measurements and came up with a profile for me. He then gave me 2 options — I could buy a floor model or custom order one. I decided to buy the floor model since it would be 10% cheaper
Follow up: Since I bought the bike I got my previous bike serviced with R+E and took my new bike for the regular maintenace. This is when I met Dana — another fantastic R+E team member.
I love visiting this store and I find excuses to visit this store, nice people who care about people who ride bikes.
My bike: I love my bicycle!!! I have greatly improved my average speed and I look forward to riding a lot more on this bike
DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED!

Nothing but positive things from my experience. I came in knowing exactly what I needed, and left with more (happily).
I spent the last few weeks building up a track bike from the ground up — buying the frame and all of the parts, then doing all of the loving labor myself.
There was one thing I was afraid to do, which was the headset and fork installation. They did an awesome job — fast 45 minute turnaround too. It’s installed perfectly
They even ordered me parts (Chris king headset spacers) for the job — would have had to pay shipping elsewhere.
And on top of that — they stock all of the popular Phil Wood bottom bracket sizes — I picked up a 110.5 ISO taper, cups, and tools. At a cost no higher than other places. Best of all — Phil Wood themselves were sold out of the bottom bracket I needed — so this saved me 3 weeks of waiting.
Got a tour of the shop while I waited, super smooth welds on their bikes, even checked out their S3 Outlaw they have hanging in the shop.
Needless to say — if I ever get around to selling my Giant Carbon road bike, my next one will be a Rod.

I bought my second Rodriguez bike recently. Not because there was anything wrong my first one, it was an excellent bike, but as my riding needs/​style changed over the years it was time for a bike that was better suited to my current lifestyle. R+E set my bike up for consignment and never once tried to push me into buying another bike (though I had my eye on one from their website before I walked into the shop). Smiley has always been nothing but friendly, knowledgeable and professional. He fitted my new bike and away I went a second time around extremely happy customer!

The R&E team is top notch. We first met their head mechanic, John Lehman, at a free repair class they put on at Peddler Brewery. We were so impressed by John’s knowledge and friendly personality that we came and saw him a few days later for some bike maintenance. He fit us in right away, even though bike shops are all slammed this time of year. He also gave us a tour of the shop downstairs, where they make the custom bikes.
We just went and saw them again today for new tires. Again, the R&E team was super knowledgeable, friendly and fit us in without much of a wait. John and the rest of the team is great. After trying several bike repair shops, these guys will definitely be our regular mechanics.

This is the best bike shop for customer needs that I have found in a long time. they are wonderful. I live in DC and the bike shops here told me that a specific tire was no longer made. I called R&E and talked to Kara on Saturday, November 24^th and asked about what I needed. Kara said they have that tire in stock as well as 650 tubes and I bought the 2 tires and 2 new tubes on the spot. I had those items in my possession on Monday the 26^th. What great service and honest information that rates them super in my book. Even though I live on the right coast and they are on the left coast, if I need anything for my bike, I will contact them directly. GREAT JOB

This shop is wonderful. I was worried that since they are a high end bike shop, they might be rude since that tends to happen in this town. *cough cough Perfect Wheels* To my delight, every time I have been in, the mechanics are knowledgeable, honest, and understanding that not everyone knows every part of their bike and how to fix it themselves. I would definitely recommend this shop, especially for anyone dealing with Italian bikes!

REVISE– The owner contacted me and was super nice. I should have gone in immediately when I felt bad about the situation and I know he would have helped me out.
So I am a over a year late in writing a review I have wanted to write for a LONG time. I went to this shop in preparation for my second half ironman which was Hawaii. I grabbed the deal of a 150 dollar bike fitting with this shop and the well hyped fitters. I went in to the shop with full disclosure, I know jack about bikes and know how to ride them well enough to finish a race. I got on the trainer and the «fitter» basically looked at me ride and the next thing I know I «NEEDED» new handlebar, new seat, new chain, and this was going to make all the difference. uhm, yeah I bought it, all the crap they sold me. Needless to say my Fugi size 54″ is an entire to small of a frame for me anyways (I am 5’10″). A new seat and new handle bars was not going to make the bike fit better. The labor was 200 dollars on all the crap they put on and swapped out. I even left the bike shop without my old parts (being a bike seat I bought a year prior and a stem I had).
All and all I feel still, a year later, entirely robbed and angry at this shop. There was no real bike fit, just up selling. I guess I am a sucker. What’s a girl gotta do for a decent bike fit? They would have been better off if they just sold me a properly fit bike. End of the story, I did the Hawaii half and did fine but my back hurt the last 35 miles of the ride. I was basically sitting upright in arrow position.
Bottom line, stick to your guns and price point. Lesson learned. Thanks R and E cycles.

Saved my money (a long time) years ago and bought a beautiful Rodriguez bicycle that fit me perfectly — this was amazing given the fact that I am in Texas and never stepped foot in the shop. Every time I ride, I am so happy with my bike — it is a true joy to ride. A shop in Austin tunes it up for me but other than that, I have had no repair issues. Best bike decision ever for me — well worth what I paid many times over. It’s «old» now and not new technology but I still love it and it still looks great, too!

Hands down the best full service shop in town. Don’t go anywhere else if you need frame repair or complicated wrenching. I don’t have a Rodriguez or even a bike with Campagnolo on it, but they are just as awesome and nice when I bring in my puke orange rust bucket of a Univega my friend found in a dumpster. Will they good-​naturedly mock your Peugeot? Probably yes. But I can say I learned a lot about french bikes from their taunting! Seriously, great people, awesome shop.

Good service, really quality stuff, but not for the biker on a budget. I payed way too much for a chain and 5 minutes of labor. They are more catered to high class bikes (but seem divey on the outside). Way too pricy for a college budget and average joe Craiglist biker… Don’t make the mistake and go here if you are not a serious biker. I’m sure these guys can do anything with bikes. But for simple stuff on old bikes you are better off DIY, Bike Shak, or HUB Bike Store.

I’ve been here twice recently, once to just browse and check the place out and another time to buy a seat post. Pleasant interactions both time, and the buying experience itself was pleasant. The seat post had to be specially ordered and they notified me when it arrived and the expert fitter even helped me put it on my bike. I think i’ll keep going here…

Wow, this place is cool! They have some really nice bikes here. After driving by it for years, I finally stopped in this summer. I like the setup, with plenty of space so you don’t feel cramped, and with everything arranged in a non-​cluttered fashion. I can’t remember the name of the guy that we talked to, but he was very cool. On his own volition, he started leading us around the shop and showing us some of their creations. I had heard of Rodriguez bicycles before, but was surprised to learn they were made in-​house at R+E. They had some really amazing bikes with some very fancy parts. He then proceeded to lead us downstairs into the production area, where he introduced us to their resident builder and showed us all the jigs and machines they use. This is one cool shop.

Alright Seattle, what’s the deal. Why are so many bike shops randomly closed? Seriously.
We came here in need of a pump and some new tubes. Well, all our local shops were closed on a Tuesday afternoon. So we wandered around hoping to find one that might be open. We found this shop.
The staff was friendly and helped us pick out a nice pump. The shop definitely was more than just a supply store. They were doing some serious repairs and stuff there. Got our tubes and some new water bottles for free. Nice guys.
They even have a nice coffee shop in the store!

Not sure what to say about R&E — I’ve had both decent experiences here as well as feeling like I was ripped off. They did end up making good on that but it pretty much convinced me there are other bike shops out there.
I have a Rodriguez (they make these bikes there) and brought it in last year for a fitting, they neglected to mention the cost of labor in making all the changes to my bike (granted if I had more knowledge about bikes maybe I should have known) which came to probably $ 150 (labor only). So my total bill including parts was ~$ 300 when their advice had been «Don’t put more than a couple hundred into this bike — if you’re going to spend that much put it towards a new bike». Imagine my surprise when my bill was that much!
When I first got my bill they refused to do anything about it, their response was essentially: «What do you want us to do?» and were surprised that I was upset. However, I will say that their manager did later refund the cost of labor after I called about a week later to talk to someone about it.
All that being said, I haven’t always had great experiences at bike shops but this was probably the worst, and I wouldn’t be likely to go back if they didn’t carry 650 cc tires which are more difficult to find in most bike shops but R&E stocks them as they puts 650’s on some/​most of their Rodriguez bikes.