North of the Border Bikes in SD (merged threads)

I bought my wife's bike at Black Mountain and I used to take my bike in there for repairs. They are very nice and have a lot of items in stock. The wrench who used to work on my bike is an awesome guy but I think that Mike at NOTB runs circles around their service department. I had to take my bike back after each visit because it was not fixed correctly. They always fixed it for free and on the spot but I thought that they lacked some skill.
I may buy gear from there but I will always take my bike to Mike at NOTB. I have not found him to be a bike snob but we do have the same ride so that may be why I have not picked up on it.

 

yea it was a buddies perception...hes always found a little time to chitchat with me when I go in...Im thinking now if I should have him build my wheelset....

 

I went in yesterday and picked up some Rougues. Cool place. Not much in there, but, as he'll tell you, he can order it. Cool guy too. I feel better spending my $$$ there, but I have to say the price on grips was higher than BB. But, this place is about a half a mile from work.

They've moved. They're still in the same office complex, but now the shop faces Pacific Heights. It's not hard to find.

 

North of the Border?

anyone have experience with this shop in SD?

 

My sources say they are a legit shop, with a true riding passion.

I have not been there though.

 

Check out this thread. http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/bike-shop-reviews/10877-north-border-bikes-sd.html Mike is a good guy and excellent mechanic.

 

It is the best bike shop I have experienced, and I have been in most of them in the San Diego area. Mike, is the manager, salesman, mechanic, or doer of anything else that needs to be done.

As a salesman, he is not pushy, but he will give me all the info and support I need. If a product or service I ask about is not really necessary, he will let me know and suggest an alternative.

As a mechanic, his rates are reasonable and his skills are top-notch. More than once I have seen him repair a part I thought was destined for the trash bin.

The location is not convenient for me, but I am willing to drive past several closer shops to go to North of the Border. Honesty and integrity are worth the extra drive, and those are traits Mike has in abundance.

 

It has been a while since I have had to take my bike in to any shop, but when I have to, I take it over to Mike. Mike is a great guy and excellent mechanic. Honest and gets things done on time and gets them done right the first time. Highly recommend this shop.

 

Just had my bike serviced there recently - they serviced the fork and realigned the rear derailieur hanger, along with the usual minor items. Reasonable prices; Mike clearly knows his stuff.

I'll continue to take my bike there.

 

I'll agree with all the comments above. I recently discovered this shop while looking for a local Intense dealer. It's pretty close to my work so perfect for when I need anything during the week. Mike is a real nice guy, was very helpful with advice, and reasonable prices. They don't have a lot of stuff in stock so if you need something today you might have to go elsewhere. But I won't fault them for low inventory, in fact its probably very smart.

 

Did you take the Yeti there? I was going to take mine back over the Beyond (where I purchased it) but the mechanic's been out so I was thinking about taking it over to Mike.

 

Yep - the only thing that he seemed potentially uncomfortable with was rebuilding the TALAs portion of the fork - luckily, that segment works just fine and wasn't leaking.

There was another 575 in the back when I picked mine up. He did a good job of cleaning the pivot and dogbone bushings - reason enough to get a tune up every now and again.

 

Mike is the only mechanic allowed to touch my bikes. He is the best wrench in town. He sold me my Epiphany and built it up for me. His attention to detail is unsurpassed. All the cables and Hydro brake lines are the perfect length to avoid cable rub. Everything is dialed in to my weight. He also built up some 29er wheels for me which were excellent. When I need parts I go to him because he is always cheaper than anyone including online retailers. He always gives killer deals to new customers to get them to come back. He saved me over 700 bucks on my Epiphany.

 

Mike is a great wrench and a super nice guy. He has a real love for the sport. He is not a bike snob but he has his opinion and if he thinks a product is crap he will let you know. He built my bike and a set of wheels. His prices are usually lower on more expensive stuff like brakes, forks and frames. He saved me around $800 bucks on my Epiphany build. Smaller parts like rotors, grips, and cassettes have less of a profit margin so he can't really go much lower but if you are looking to buy something big give him a chance. He got me a smoking deal on my Avid Elixer CR's. I promised not to tell the price but it was much lower than any online retailer. Go see him.

 

North of the Border is a great little shop. Prices are great, service is Awesome. What they lack in inventory they make up in knowledge and customer service. But they said they can pretty much get anything within a week.

Had my old MB2 tuned up there, great job for $35.

 

Screw Black Mountain....Back in 01 when I decided to drop serious coin, for me at the time, on a new bike I bought a diamondback DBR from them. Took it home and realized it was a impulse buy and took it back the next day. The douche bag told me all sales are final, wouldn't even let me exchange it for another bike, he literally would not budge one bit. Ever since then, I will never step foot in there, or recommend anyone go there.

 

best bike mechanic I know. Rated pretty high on MTBR.com

 

I went to Black mountain bikes and stood there for 15 minutes and not one person came up to me..

I went to NOTB and have never gone to another store since. Doug and Mike are two really great guys, and I would trust them to work on any of my bikes. Plus if they don't have it in stock, they can always order it, and their prices are always fair.

 

Mike is an awesome guy. I had a couple wheels built that are still true till this day and it's been a couple years. When I didn't have tools back then, I had some work done on my road bike that were done by the next day. Small shop, not much inventory but they have great customer service and workmanship. I still go there since I moved further away in chula vista. Now that they sell Turners, my next Turner will most likely be bought there.

 

I payed my first visit to the shop yesterday to get my rear derailleur tuned. They made it work better than I ever have and turned around the tune in 24 hours. The stock is not huge but the quality is good. Their location is convenient for me. I'll be going back.