JAX(All locations) - merged threads

Discussion in 'Bike Shop Reviews' started by PHAT TIRE, Feb 12, 2007.

  1. 1mtbjunkie

    1mtbjunkie 3.2 blocks to beachwood

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    Hacks

    I've gone there a few times recently,not to helpful.Prices too high,staff too busy to help,poor selection.I've lived in LBC all my life and (hacks) has been on same corner for 30+ years,and gone down hill sense.I'll bet if Zody's were still in business they would have a better selection of bikes and components.Well enough.My new local bike shop is Jensen USA.
    PS#-o: I'll never go back to HACKS !
     
  2. minhster

    minhster DNF'd

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    there's a jax in hb and one in fullerton that i've been to. I've never bought anything from them nor got service from them but they have a vibe like performance bike (which I personally dont like at all). So besides a vibe, I dont know anything else about them.

    As for recommendations, i get my bike (mostly just cables) adjusted at rock n road and surf city (because i bought my bikes there and it's free service) and i do the rest of the work myself. As far as parts goes, depending what i need i'll either go to REI (believe it or not, they have some good stuff in stock), Jenson, or the Path.
     
  3. springrubber

    springrubber New Member

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    Jax comedy

    I called JAX to ask them if they had the Park RT-1 headset cup remover tool ($27.95 at Jensons). They didn't have in stock but would sell me theirs for $300 or remove the cups for $20. LMFAO.
     
  4. bluefirepictures

    bluefirepictures Almost Local Rider/Photog

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    That sounds like every experience I have had at JAX

    (EDIT: Different JAX)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 31, 2010
  5. Fewinhibitions

    Fewinhibitions Always be a moving target

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    Late 70's, I'm 15 and need to remove my cranks on my CYC BMX bike. Took it to a Glendale shop that will remain anonymous.

    Asked him if he had the right tool for the job.

    Answer: What's a crank puller?

    After explaining it to him his reply: Oh, I just take a hammer and pound them off.
     
  6. UEDan

    UEDan Member

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    I've been here 2/3 times in the past 2 weeks.

    Guess they have gotten new staff. I had a pleasant experience.
    I wanted a BB7 but they didn't have it in stock, so I politely asked if I can get it ordered, no problem at all. Overpriced compared to online, but had OC Register's deal of the day so I really didn't care. Ordered late Friday, came Wednesday Morning, not too bad for something from Minnesota. Bittersweet because the call woke me up from my beauty sleep, but I was happy it came.

    Pretty much everyone was friendly, didn't nag and bothered me for extra crap =P
    Conveniently located next to my work and on the way home.
    Cynthia was the one that helped me pretty much every time, really nice, really helpful. Fellow MTBer as well.

    Gonna go an buy some Presta tubes as soon as I punch outta here. Yeah I should be working.... PEEPEE BREAK!
     
  7. snownow

    snownow Too slow

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    So, I finally pulled the trigger on a bike for the wife. A little timeline and good CS. Sent an email from the website asking if they had the size we though we needed in stock. I got an email from the president of the company within 20 min, not too shabby. They sent the bike i requested from another location, to the MV store and it was tuned and ready for pick up the next day. I swung by, and had a very good experience at the MV store. So long story short, i get the bike home, the wife rides it around the neighborhood and....."i think i want the XS fame, this is nice, but i think i want the other". (she had test rode this size before). Now i know about the 30 day return with them, but was expecting to get hassled. So I call them in the morning, got a different sales person.... and the I don't have one in stock I will have to call you back....:( I am prepared for the worse). However, 5 minutes later I get a call back. "Irvine has one in stock, they are building it now, you can pick it up in a few hours".

    We head down to Irvine, we were greeted as we walk in, directed to who has the bike. He rolls it over, fits her, explains the bike and we are good to go. She's happy, So life is good. Over all a very good exp. Only bad thing, she walks over picks out the most expensive pair of riding shorts i have ever seen "but they fit perfect".... Damn them! lol...

    I will probably still stick with cyclepro in lake forest for service, but in a pinch i would have no problem using them at this point. The folks in MV and Irvine were prompt, professional, and lived up to what they said they would do.
     
  8. jdavid

    jdavid New Member

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    Your friend should raise his rates.
     
  9. skflow

    skflow Member

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    JAX MV sucks. I'll spare the long story, cuz I don't like to rant on.
     
  10. Racer X

    Racer X Member

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  11. Evoracer

    Evoracer "That Guy"

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    Tried to pick up some Stan's tape at my local Jax. They never heard of it! 'Nough said.
     
  12. Formu1fan

    Formu1fan Slow Down, Slower Up

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    Well, I got my bike, a 2010 model, March of 2010 for 1850 out the door. The MSRP was ~2100 at the time.

    That being said, I will probably only go back to Jax for warranty stuffs. Anything else I will go to another LBS for.
     
  13. Falconer

    Falconer Who are you? who who

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    Went to Jax in Murrietta . Asked some questions got blank stares. Looked at the prices of their accessories I was the one now with the blank stare!
    Incidentally our Jax caters to women and touts itself as some kind of women's specialty store .
    Now I am all for getting more women into cycling but what a waste of space. They spaced out some women's
    accessories (widely) covering a third of the store . They would better serve their potential buyers filling that area
    with stuff both sexes can use. They could of put all the woman's stuff on one wall or corner of the store .
    It just appears to me Sport Chalet has more bike stuff, certainly there prices are better! I worked for many bikes
    shops during a 20 year period and I just think their space could be better utilized . High labor and accessory prices
    will keep me away unless I am desperate for something they sell.
    I was disappointed to say the least as they are one of the closest bike shops to my home.
     
  14. Fearless Fly

    Fearless Fly anachronistic and impulsi

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    Go to your local bike shop. Better selection, service and prices.
     
  15. Jeryang

    Jeryang Member

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    Marketing Campaign is Useless if You Don't Take Care of your CUSTOMERS!!

    How does Jax stays in business? I don’t get it. I stopped going to Jax years ago due to their ridiculous price policy but that’s a story for another time... eh, I'll just add it in at the end.

    A little background:
    My neighbor, I’ll call him RC, returned some bike supplies his wife purchased from Jax Fullerton for Christmas. AOther than the tubes though, none of the supplies were what RC needed. RC decided to return the supplies and pick up a set of tires for his 2005 100mm Iron Horse. The IH, his only bike, is an entry level FS bike.

    RC isn’t afraid to ask for help when he lacks knowledge in a particular area (smart guy). RC is just getting back into mtn biking after a few years off and the trails we have ridden together include the Fully Loop, CHSP and Marshall Canyon. He is getting his legs back but he is still building up his technical abilities. As a point of reference, he walked certain sections of Marshall Canyon's singletrack. I’ve ridden enough with him to know that he enjoys XC riding, no jumps, no drops. He wants to get better but he is not interested in becoming a XC racer or riding DH. I think he'd be happy with being a competent rider.

    Before RC goes to Jax he asks me what tires to get. I don’t know what line of tires Jax carries but I suggest that he tells them that he is a “cross country” rider and would like tires good for loose over hardpack (typical So-Cal trails) with a moderate amount of grip, light but not weight weenie. I figured if he came back with anything from Kenda Small Block 8 to Specialized Captains, he would be ok.

    First hand account:
    RC goes to Jax Fullerton and comes back home with Maxxis High Rollers. He shows me the tires and the first thing I see on the label is “Freeride”. Since I was unfamiliar with the tire I looked them up and tell him that the tires are probably not suitable for what he likes to ride. I google "freeride" and show him pictures and he concurs. In my experience, if a tire’s “tread design translates well to all mountain bike disciplines, including downhill, cross country, and freeride” it’s probably not good for cross country. RC decides to return them.

    Monday of last week, RC & I meet at Jax Fullerton and after looking through their selection of tires, I help him select a Bontrager XR2 for a rear tire and an XR3 for a front. The XR3 was not in stock so a special order was created and paid for. The Sales Manager, his name escapes me, assures RC that the tire will be ordered the next day, arriving Thursday or Friday and that he will call RC’s cell when it arrives.

    Friday of last week, I text RC: Tire?
    RC: No

    2[SUP]nd[/SUP] hand account, what RC told me (take from it what you will):
    Tuesday of this week: RC called me saying he called Jax and they fumbled around on the phone giving the distinct impression that they never ordered the tires (not the first time in my experience). Jax employee, Nathan, offered to give RC two XR3 take offs from a bike they had at the shop. RC wanted my thoughts: I said, take it. Two tires for the price of one, even if they’re not new tires, takeoffs should still have plenty of life left.

    Wednesday (yesterday): RC calls to say that when he went to Jax to pick up the tires, they denied him the two tires Nathan had promised him over the phone. Jax insisted on only giving him the one takeoff tire. RC was not very happy. RC mentioned that he gave them a piece of his mind but knowing RC I can vouch that he would not have raised his voice nor would he have cussed.

    Fact:
    What I do know for a fact is that Wednesday (yesterday), RC did not take their offer and he returned the XR2 he previously bought.

    Guess who won’t be getting Jax Fullerton’s business from now on?

    My quick story:
    Couple of years ago, I liked the Bontrager X Lite grips. They go for $9.99 on the Bontrager website. When I went to Jax Fullerton they sold them for $15. 50% more than online! I asked if they could match the price their dealer's website. They are, after all, a Trek dealer and Trek owns Bontrager...

    Nope. Spoke to the general manager of the store whom I had known for a while... no.

    Their loss. I've gone with chunky esi grips since then... like them even more.
     
  16. Von-Diggity

    Von-Diggity Moderator

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    Not taking sides here, but the High Roller is an excellent choice for Socal trails. The 2.1 is a light tire too.
     
  17. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej Well-Known Member

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    Yup, the Highrollers would have been fine. Believe it or not, the guys in the shop sometimes do know what they are talking about......and what to recomend.

    How much to ship those grips from the Bontrager website? Probably $5-10. Gotta factor that in. Not such a bad deal is it.
     
  18. Jeryang

    Jeryang Member

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    Von-Diggity: It was a High Roller (foldable): 2.5" and over 1100 grams per tire.

    mtnbikej: Yes there are guys in the shop who know what they're talking about and I am fans of the guys at the Path and Fullerton Bikes for their knowledge and ability to take care of customers.

    Regarding the tires: they're probably fine for many of you but for RC they're way overkill... for anyone asking for a xc tire riding the loop, CHSP and those types of trail, they're overkill. I think a tire like the 2.1" Ignitor makes more sense for him. At a savings of 400 grams per tire, that's almost a pound of rotation weight for EACH tire. Two lbs of rotating weight will change the way a bike feels entirely.

    If you don't agree, can you let me know when you'd recommend someone something LIKE an XR3 or Maxxis Ignitor?

    The grips at 50% more than msrp??? No thanks. I don't think I'm being unreasonable: If the price at the LBS is within 20 - 30% of a website's price, I consider that reasonable and I'd buy it at the LBS. I have done that many times. Won't budge on something 50% more than msrp... I'll pass and take my business elsewhere.
     
  19. fos'l

    fos'l Member

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    I've purchased two bicycles at Jax, and both experiences were extremely positive. The bikes were assembled perfectly, and the free tune ups were performed expeditiously and competently. I'll gladly buy another bike from them if they have one that is of interest. Their business model isn't one that lots of MTBers embrace, but it seems to work for them. Bravo!
     
  20. Bikesurfski

    Bikesurfski Member

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    Over the last 5 years I've enjoyed working with all the personnel at Jax Irvine while going through 3 bikes and a gazillion repairs. My previous bike, an EX8 suffered a broken frame which was warrantied, and I was given the option to apply the cost of the frame replacement to an upgrade, and EX9. With the EX9 I also got the Red Shield warranty. The EX9 is an engineering marvel and all parts except tires, tubes and pads have been covered free under warranty--an unbelievable savings. All personnel continue to be excellent in their service and attitude. Do yourself a favor and get an EX9--you will not regret it.
     

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