The Path

[CPATCRASH]

Originally Posted by Shannon

I hate The Path's.... bathroom. It'd be nice if they'd spruce it up a little for the ladies. Throw in a scented candle or some potpourri. And along with all the girlie posters, why not put up a nice Chippendale's calender for us or something. Thanks Tani!

There's a bathroom there? I guess I have to stop going in the bushes outside then.

[BrewMaster]

I had a not so good opinion of the Path at first, but like so many have said before, they have parts in stock and their service is second to none. The people are nice but they aren't going to baby anyone.

They rebuilt my front wheel perfectly and had the parts in stock. They even had the wheel done a day ahead of schedule. Tani has also been a big help as I am looking at my next bike. The Path is simply the best bike shop in Southern California.

[DISCO]

I have and always will make them my first stop.

[SamIam]

i went to the path for the first time sunday, and at first i was intimidated since im a noobie. But i was asked a few times if i need help, and after the third time i gave in and asked the poor guy like 18 different questions and he gave me 18 different answers. I didnt feel like he was trying to sell me, and trust me im a sales manager so i can usually tell. But he made me feel comfortable for not knowing the simplest things. Im not a specialist so i cant vouch for their knowledge, but if they are packed, they must be doing something good (really low prices or really good service .. that is just the way people shop) I will go back for more things from them. So far ive had a good experience as a noobie.

[maxwell]

Everyone knows that I'm just a bit biased towards The Path. But, here's my thought's on the last few posts.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion about the shop, whether, it be good or bad.
If you went in, and were disapointed, I think that's too bad, and would really encourage you to give them another try.

But nobody should ever get slammed, here, or enywhere else, because of posting a negitive experience.

How do you think the shop, or any shop for that matter, learns how to better the experience for everyone?

They learn by their mistakes.

If you are concerned about downtime to get your ride fixed, please consider this.
So is everybody else.
So, when you have a handfull of really experienced wrench's, and a few wrench's that are in the process of gaining experience, and a crapload of repairs, please understand that it's gonna take time.
Some of us remember (and miss) the one day turnaround.
But you know what. I can live with a little down time. And if you don't have another bike to ride, you could consider demoing another bike to get you by.
And if waiting is just plain ol' something you can't afford to accept, then you'll just have to go to another shop plain and simple.
There are two other shops that are local, that derserve, and would appreciate your buiseness....

Adrenaline & Switchback

Both are solid shops.

As for going in and not getting greated.

I've seen it happen both way's.
A customer will walk in, and they'll get the, "hey how are you, do you need help with anything?"
And I've seen a customer walk in, and nobody will say anything at all, until they're approched, and asked.
Sometimes the employee's are in the middle of a discusion, work related, or not, and it just happens.
I'm not gonna make excuse's for them. That's just the way it is.

More often that not though, Ive seen people leave the shop with a smile on their face's. And most of the time, they'll come back.

These are just MY thought's on this subject, and I'll be the first one to shout....

THE PATH RULES!!!

But, if a person does not feel that same vibe, you won't get slammed by me. (at least not on here, maybe in person, but not on here....there go those voices again, tell them to stop. shut up....)

See you on the trails!

[TrojanInsomniac]

Well put, Darin.

Perhaps, I've smoked a little too much out of The Path crack pipe, but I have to agree with a lot of posters in saying that The Path is the best shop in SoCal. But like any other business, things aren't always going to be perfect. My parents were small business owners, so I saw the pain and heartache it took to run one. As much as you'd like to satisify everybody every time, it's not humanly possible. That being said, Tani does a fantastic job in running his shop the right way! All he needs to do is put a bar and grill in the shop!

For those who did have less than stellar experience at the shop, I'd say that you need to give them another try.

[northshore]

Maxwell, thanks for posting this. I'm glad to see some hardcore Path supporters addressing both sides of the shopping experience.

[art23rockpile]

Before going to The Path for the first time this last February, I read some of the posts on this thread. One person stated that when they went there, they felt like they "weren't part of the clique". For some reason (maybe because I was newly returned to MTBing after 15 years or because I was new to STR) I had that guy's words in the back of my head as I entered the shop.

As soon as I started looking around, an employee (I think it was Sid) asked if he could help me. He patiently answered my questions (there were many) and gave recommendations on components based on the riding I planned to do. Over the past 8 months, i've become a regular customer there. The combination of great selection, good service, helpful/attentive salespeople, and overall good vibe has prevented me from seeking out another shop to call my LBS.

Is there a better bike shop in SoCal? Who knows... there may be. But since my experience with The Path continues to be a good one, I feel no need to go elsewhere.

[G-MONEY]

While I didn't buy my bike at The Path, the guys and gals there treat me like I did. The work they've done on my ride has been consistently excellent with great attention to detail- as if they were working on their own bikes. It's what happens when you have riders/enthusiasts running a bike shop. Plus, I just love the eclectic look of the shop-- looks like someone's garage filled with cool goodies! Brian, Sid, Raul-- you guys rock!

[crujones]

what's Tani's SN? I'm having an issue and seems he's the only one there that can take care of things. That shop changed 110% when he's gone. Update: due to mis communication, i was called the next am before i could call myself. Talk about self aware, customer service! I am really happy i chose this shop to hook up with for not only my new bike, but the many items i'll "need" and service as I ride my new purchase!

[strobelite]

thephat

[Pain Freak]

I think the Path sux. Yeah, I said it....



How dare they limit themselves to one location? Have they forgotten there are riders up here in the 909?

You OC people are so freekin spoiled and lucky. I have a good LBS up here but it's still 23 miles from my house so it's a 46 mile round trip and there are no LBS's close by that carry an inventory or have people who can shoot the shiat about bikes with you like the Path can. I've been down there a half dozen times and have always been greeted very kindly as I walk in the door.

I know a LBS has to make money and a good amount of the income comes from what the wrenches do but I've found it pleasently suprising when they'll stop wrenching to talk to you and expain things that you're not aware of without worrying about getting in trouble for not turning a wrench. There's only a few places I know who can and will do this.

[Pakuadragon]

Went there for the first time since they are so damn far away from where I live, anyway that shop is probably the best bike shop I've been to in my life. Since I drove so far to go there I made sure I got what I needed and maybe more to help me build a second bike. Wish they were closer but the drive was definitely worth it. Place is small but packed with lots of goodies, beware not to max out the old charge card.

[Fired Yo Momma]

The Path... I think the majority of the STR peeps would give Tani a happy ending if he flowed ya all a fork or wheel set but hey thats just my impression. At first at times I think it can be somewhat the Path in crowd that gets the great service but you can't beat the selection and the prices are fair as well. I do know this Tani personally really cares and will go the extra mile for his customers (anyone) and their are a few sales reps that are on Tani's caliber of customer service but their are also some others that I personally just think may be a tad lazy. They might think that the majority of the customers may just say "I am just lookin". One time I called the shop 10 min to close and I got Tani on the line he douse not know who I am over the phone. I should have said you know who you are talking too? This is FYM Biaaachhh (j/K) I don't care if you have somewhere else to go now stay open until I get their. Anyways Tani said he would keep the shop open until I got their. That was cool.

[crujones]

Talk about self aware, customer service! I had an issue and it was not only noticed ( i thought it was un noticed and was going to check in the next day to ask someone else) but I was called early in the morning the next day and found my issue was not only noticed but options were offered ahead of time!
You can shop around for cost, but you'll find as i have that most will "talk" but follow through and customer service goes away quickly. Tani quickly gave me honest answers regarding my choices and offered what i was looking for, experience and honesty. I am really happy i chose this shop to hook up with for not only my new bike, but the many items i'll "need" and service as I ride my new purchase!

I don't know these guys at all but am glad i made the choice i did!

[ladera Dave]

Toni is the best, He take care of the Share members. Good Job Guys.

[davidB]

I dropped my frame off last week and was told it would be ready thursday. And it was. But I picked it up Friday and didnt really know how much it was going to cost me (had it taken apart for powdercoating). The charge was much less than I was originally told, so i had some money left in my budget for the day and bought 3 shifter cables for 8 bucks or so. Asked Brian (donkey aka that dude whose faces was on the homepage forever) about the Rip9, Jet9, and Pivot 429 and drooled over the orange M3 or M6 hanging coveinently over the register. Never an empty shop.

[NA1NSXR]

I just got my bike back. I ride daily so the week long wait was a real bummer. I didn't get a call on the 7th day so I went to the store to pick up a tube and some CO2 and also to check on the status. As of 4pm on the day my bike was supposed to be ready, they didn't even start yet. I ended up picking my bike up on the late afternoon of the 8th day. I was pretty bummed out about the waiting, and also the cost. I was charged at the very upper end of the estimate even though I didn't need anything extra or unexpected. My bike also came back with some sandy grinding noise in my headset/headtube area, but no work was done there. May or may not have anything to do with them but I'm just confused about it.

On the bright side the work was done neatly and my bike came back cleaner than I brought it in. I felt bad that I probably shouldve wiped the bike down a bit before bringing it into a store. My old parts came back to me placed in a box. My new shifters were torqued on a bit tight.

All in all a pretty average experience for me. Its nice that I feel like I can generally trust the work being done to my bike at the Path but the wait and cost were quite frankly below average. I also noticed that after dealing with a lot of the different employees some are deifnately nicer than others, and your experience could be very different at this store depending on who you talk to. This is a store with strong strengths and weak weaknesses. I guess that averages out but then again I wanted to love this shop so bad because of the reputation and the fact I live so close to it. I just moved here from the east coast not too long ago so I am still searching for an LBS.

One thing I think that can be improved is the bike check in procedure. Leaving my bike at the shop a week before it is even touched makes little sense to me. I was mostly bummed out not because it took an extra day, but because my bike sat there for a week before they even got to it. I could've been riding the whole time on my old parts. When I inquired at BikeCo about possibly having work done they told me how many days they were backed up and that I could bring my bike in the day before they planned on working on it, which makes sense to me.

I came away form all this more confused than anything. After about a month and a half of living here, each shop the the area has serious pros and cons. I think each time I need sometihng it might be a case by case basis because none of the shops are so over the top better than the others (Path, BikeCo, Switchback) to warrant to checking with the other ones first. My bototm line on Path as of now is good work, good people, good proximity, meh prices, long queue.