I hear ya Same goes for my buddy. They are right down the street from him. If you are getting treated well and and have had good luck with them then:bang::beer:
Purchased a lizard skin chain slap guard, ravx shock air pump, and a Marz adapter on 11/30. Went back on 12/1 to exchange the lizard skin for a smaller one and a refund on the Marz adapter since my shock does not require one. Great service and no problems with the refund or exchange.
Too bad for all you guys that have had bad experiences there. I'll list my experiences below, which have all been GREAT. Wheels trued - I gave them 2 days to do it since i was leaving for The Goose. They got them done and they were truer than when new. Fox fork rebuild - Done in less than 2 days. Fork works as good as new. Dropped in one day to buy some parts and had my good headset on my old crappy frame. They removed the cups for free. Brought that good headset in a week later with my new bike and asked if they'd swap them out right then. They did it within 20 minutes and I paid $5 extra for the trouble. I do all work on my bike. I wont let anyone touch my metallic mistresses. So the only time I ever use an LBS if for parts or fixes that I cant do, forks, wheels, headsets since I dont have tools for that. They have always been good to me. Of course, when I go in, I always tell them I need the part/fix by a certain time since I am leaving town. Even if I'm not leaving town I tell them that. That way, as I'm standing there they can tell me straight up if they can make the fix in time. If they can't assure me that it'll be done, I take is elsewhere. Too bad, cuz there arent too many LBS's in South OC that I'd trust to do anything for me. The Path, Bike Co., Adrenaline, and a small one man shop in RSM are the only places that get my money anymore.
I have never had a bad time there its always a fun place to go hang out and talk bikes. And its sweet cause b lopes is there alot too. alot has changed on how they run things there and its really good shop now that some people left. I dont go to anyother shop
I really hope that is the case. It's been a crap shoot at best everytime I go there. I live like a mile away from their shop but drive 10-15 to others due to their service.
you should stop by and talk to the guys sometimes they are acutally busy but when they are not they are super cool
I was there last Friday. Picked up a can of Park Tools grease. I returned a lizard skin months ago but I never bothered stopping by to pick up my refund since they ran into computer issues the last time I was there. They typed in my name, noticed a credit was owed to me, applied to the Park Tools grease and no problems! We even chatted about a few SS bikes they had in stock. :beer:
opinion Its an opinion wheel guy. The cool thing about opinions is that I am entitled to have one. And so are you.
I wasn't arguing with your opinion. I was just asking how you came to that conclusion. Did they handle a tough situation for you? Did they go above and beyond the normal call of duty? Is it because they carry IBIS? Did they offer you a great price on something? That kind of stuff. Considering we have some really great shops in the area, I was curious what makes The Bike Co the best shop around.
The Bike Co is a Kick A$$ shop for sure . I also like The Path, Adrenaline,Switch back,Fullerton Bikes,Anaheim Hills Bikes and a bunch of other shops in no special order. They are all great for different reasons. Its always great to hear about experiences from other shops. I think that is what Lee is getting at.
Fair enough. They build wheels that handle North Laguna stuff for years and stay true. I have a King 819 wheelset built in 2004 that has never been trued. Joe, shop owner, is a wizard when it comes to bike mechanics. Whether it be a custom Ibis or a 99 Karpiel Disco Volante, he can fix your bike problem. The custom stuff he has done on my bikes is rediculous. The thing is, is that I have seen him roll stuff out of the shop for people, often times at no charge that is TOP NOTCH pro level servicing. This shop has gotten some pretty rough criticism here on STR. Again as I said, opinions are allowed to be said, I may have a rather biased opinion, but I do believe in what I am saying, selling, etc. Often times people tend to align themselves with shops as if it were like their gang or territory. I have been guilty of that at times as well. The important thing is that there is a plethora of shops for us to frequent that can be considered top-notch. Right now, there are only a couple of high end shops in Orange County. It would be a crime if any of them went out of business and we were stuck with non custom, supermarket bike shops filled with employees that don't even ride. Thanks for straightening me out Lee. PS I do work there as well, (Bike Co.) and my story is an interesting one as to why I actually am there as an employee.
Thanks for the reply. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if you said that you simply started off as a customer, and were impressed so much that you ended up working there. That's not so uncommon. It sure is nice to work at a place you love!
Don't get me wrong, I have never had a single bad experience at the Bike Co. I had help when I needed it and the parts when I needed it. Considering your opinion and knowing that you work there doesn't place a positive image for the Bike Co. It doesn't really make new comers welcome. However, you did clear up some issues with Lee (who is a well respected and highly knowledgeable rider) and that's points in my book for talking about it rather than pointing fingers. :beer:
Did Sage sell? I didn't realize Joe was the owner now. He definitely knows his way around bikes. I've been a customer since day one, which I guess is about 10 years now. Kevin (Kevlar) is a pretty good friend of mine, and an insane rider. It definitely helps to get to know the dudes that work there. What I've always liked about Bike Co is that it's a real shop with real riders working there, that is mostly MTB-oriented. I hate walking into a bike shop and I know more about the bikes they are selling than they do.
I am actually a middle school teacher in Santa Ana, and I work the shop every Saturday. It is easy for me to do this in that I see and believe in what they do. The shop takes pride in everything they do. Call me a sucker as my hourly wage as a 15 year teacher with a Masters degree is not matched by the Co. I don't work there for the $$, I just do it because its fun and a cool place to be.
Sage is still an owner, Mike sold his share to Terry, the bike mechanic in back. They also have Tracy Sledge wrenching in the back. Between Joe, Terry, and Tracy, the mechanics are a PRO LEVEL quality with over 50 years of combined time/experience working on product and wrenching on bikes. You can catch Sage on Sundays and usually he will be able to work on your bike ON THE SPOT on Sundays. He is another bike mechanic wizard working at the Co.
