WheelWorld, Culver City

I am copying and pasting my review for the shop from another board I posted on. I know I had stuff in another thread, but this is the LBS review...so here it goes...

I recently picked up an 06 Kona Coiler Deluxe from WheelWorld a week ago. I'm 5'8 and typically ride a 17" or a 17.5" frame. All they had at the C.C. shop was an 18". I did a test ride on it and it felt good riding around, but the standover was insanely snug. I know the Coiler has a tall standover height, so I wasnt too concerned. After taking her home, I was posting around a few forums and was advised that at my height the 18" was too big for me. This had me freaking out so the next day I called up WheelWorld and explained the sitch. The bike was brand new, and the only ride time it had was on my test ride. Yan, the manager said to come on down and he'dd need to take a look at the bike and size me up to make sure everything is what I was describing to him over the phone, not a prob. (Keep in mind their "100% Satisfaction Guarentee" claus on their website) So, I head back up there with the bike and am greeted by Justin, a cool sales guy, and he goes and gets Yan. Both of whom look at me and the 18" bike and say, "no way, that thing is too big for you, salesman "x" shouldnt have ever pulled it out for you. They didnt have any 17" 06 Coiler Deluxe's in stock, and were pretty reluctant to give me a refund. I understand they want to keep the money in the shop. Justin then gets on the phone with Kona, trying to find out if they have any of the 06's left, while salesman "x" calls their Woodland Hills location to see if they had a 17", turns out they did. Now when I was in the shop the day of the test ride, he didnt offer to see if Woodland Hills had one in the 17" size. So, Yan had Justin set up a "transfer" and they told me my bike would be in within 3 days. Sure enough, Friday morning Justin called me and let me know that my 17" had arrived at the Culver City store and I could come get it whenever. When I went to pick it up, I pedaled it around the alley and what not and noticed that the 550lb spring was feeling a bit to soft, and I had to preload the heck out of the spring to get proper sag. I asked Yan if I could swap the spring out for a 650lb that the 18" one had, and he said that wasn't possible....that kinda rubbed me the wrong way. He said they'dd have to order it and wasnt sure how much it would cost...keep in mind I just spend a good chunk of change on the bike. (When I bought my Heckler from the Bike Co., Kevin swapped out my spring no problem, kudos to him and Bike Co.) I ended up ordering one from FOX yesterday for $30.00. Yan however did sell me a pair of Lizard Skin lock-on grips for cost, which was cool of him.

Now back to the lack of knowledge of salesman "x". When I asked to test ride the bike he said okay, i just need your license and a credit card...so I hand it over, he pulls the bike out and says, here ya go. He didnt ask or explain to me anything about the bike. I had to ask him for a shock pump to check the psi in the boost of the DHXc 4.0 rear shock, and I wasnt too familiar with the Marz 66 VF2 fork, and noticed it had air preload on top of each leg...I asked him how much air should I put in it...he said, "I have no idea...and laughed". Not quite the answer I was looking for.

Nonetheless, three trips later I have the 17" bike, and it fits me great. I'm glad they were able to take my brand new and unused 18" bike back, but they kind of made me feel like they were doing me a favor by doing that. Yan and Justin were great, I chitchatted with Sal for a few and Alberto the mechanic was helpful as well. Will I return to WheelWorld in the future, no. They had a pretty good deal on the 06 Coiler Deluxe, which is the only reason I went there. I will stick to The Path and The Bike Co. from now on...well, maybe Surf City Cyclery as well.

 

I too bought one of Wheelworld's "Krazy Kona" deals. I got an 06 Hoss for $499. Overall, it was a pretty good experience, although the salesperson originally wanted to charge me $899 (regular price) until I pointed out that it was selling for $499 on Wheelworld's web site. It might've been an honest mistake, as the sale price had recently been posted, so I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, it would've sucked if I hadn't seen the sale price and ended up paying $400 more than I should've. So I guess it's important to know what you're buying before you go in there. It seems like a few times a year they have some crazy deals on nice stuff.

 

One of the guys stated to me they don't always know the Web Prices, and actually advised that we point it out if quoted something different.

 

Avoid Wheelworld. I'd rather drive the extra 5 miles and pay more money at Cynergy than ever shop again at WheelWorld Culver City. It was my LBS for awhile (Since I purchased my bike there) but I was never greeted and always had to chase somebody down to be helped. I even had to basically figure it out myself when purchasing my first bike. They never advised me on a size, asked me what kind of riding I was going to be doing, showed me how to adjust the fork, etc. All they attention I received was them pulling the bike from the top shelf and then ringing me up at the counter (I was the only customer in the store at the time).

The Sales Reps are un-friendly and often times rude. The only 2 people I did find helpful were Alberto (Mechanic) and Liz (Sales/Mechanic). All the other guys are either too full of themselves or lacks any kind of customer service. If you're from the OC, consider yourselves extremely lucky to have great shops in Adrenaline, The Path, Switchback, The Bike Co, Etc.

Oh, and if you expect to walk in and purchase the listed sale item that you saw on their web page or mag, you better remember the price or else they'll charge you full price. True story.

In addition, I would also like to add that Orange Cycles near the Orance Circle will never see another penny from me...but that's a diff story.

 

I still think a hawt topless saleschick LBS would be the ticket. I would personally find it offensive and demeaning but I am sure it would do well.

 

I bought two Giant Reign frames when they had their $399 deal going. I called to see if they had them in stock before I drove down from Castaic and they did. They had them set aside for me when I arrived about an hour later.

They threw in some Race Face Evolve XC cranks for $50 including the wrench for installing the bearings, a new Thomson seat post for $70 and a pair of Minute 1:00 forks for $199 each along with a few other items. The prices were excellent and they were very attentive so I have to give them a thumbs up on my experience.

I have been to the Woodland hills store numerous times over the past ten years and have always had good dealings there too.

But, I will say that I make sure I know exactly what I need and that they have exactly that. If you do that, they have some very good deals in there on a regular basis.

I got a great closeout deal on my Cannondale hybrid ($300) there too.

 

It seems like their staff turns over fairly quickly and regularly.

I had a great experience there in 2005 when I bought my Spec Enduro. The salesperson was semi-knowledgeable and he didn't hesitate to ask someone if he didn't know the answer to a question (instead of BS'ing).

They also threw in a bunch of free gear and sold me a few items at cost.

But, about 6-8 months after I bought my bike, I noticed new people working there...not as friendly or knowledgeable as the staff before. I still don't think their staff is up to par. But, they're still my first choice in LBS's because they're the only local place that has the stuff I want or need. The Path is awesome but it's almost an hour away.

 

It's still better than Jax

 

I'm starting to conclude that we can "acronymize" (did I just make up a new word?) this sentiment and everyone will know what it means: "ISBTJ" :-k

 

For the record, I once bought a PowerBar at Jax, and I did not die from eating it, so they're not all bad.

But yeah, I like that acronym.

 

I go to wheelworld a lot. I know what I want when I get there. Sometimes I ask but always get a basic answer. The guys are cool there, they always ask if i needed assistance and they always hook me up. Sometimes 30-40% off.

 

if you go to wheelworld, go to woodland hills and ask specifically for JOHN EDGAR- If he doesn't know, he WILL hunt down the answer. He's a good friend of mine, as well as we used to work together and he truly loves bicycles- not just there for the paycheck. DW.:clap:

 

P.S. used to work at the wh location, john is the only one who wont give you a bunch of bs to make a commission.

 

they might not know the web prices but it is always just a couple click away..

 

Thats why they prefer you print it out and bring in the web deals. They wont just take your word.

 

Wheel World in Culver City

This seams to be the best place in the South Bay area. The staff is pretty knowledgeable about the stuff they carry, and about bikes in general. Willing to try and help you build a bike up for your needs that fits your budget if possible. Depending on the salesperson they can get a little pushy, but its not bad. They have a good selection of bikes and parts, but rarely have them in smaller sizes for guys like me. Also, they have the cheap parts wall with all new stuff taken off bike builds that they sell ultra cheap. They generally have pretty good sales.

 

Been there, the staff were really cool as you said. One guy had a boner for selling me a Stinky though :lol:

 

UM.... :-s

 

Coincidentally it was send-it who was trying to sell me the Stinky.

I must have been wearing some short Marzocchi shorts that day...

 

You're getting me all hot and bothered!