Velo Pasadena Inc

Reviews 4

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A Private User

Great staff and the best toys ever!!! Velo Pasadena and their studio in Toluca Lake are terrific places to visit for all things bicycling. Their shops are smartly done, esthetically pleasing and the display of great gear and bikes is stunning, which is the first tip-off that these folks take pride in what they do and care for their profession. But the Velo experience isn’t just about presentation; these folks really know their business and take the time to be sure the customer is well served. Of course, to provide this kind of atmosphere and top cabin service takes time, and if you run into either facility to make a snap decision about something that requires a little knowledge and conversation you might be frustrated. Go there with a little time on your hands and for the non-casual purchase, ~ $50 and up, and you’ll be well served and informed before you leave. If you have to wait a few minutes for one of their great staff to take care of you, then enjoy the pretties – every cyclist has a hidden equipment want and chances are they’ll have more than one of everything you secretly desire. As for my experience, I haven’t ridden for about ten years and when I stopped I was a 50-100 mile per week recreational rider. I moved, went through a bit of family turmoil, AND my bike was stolen!!! Fast forward to the last two years and I’m recovering from a long-term illness (I’m a mature gurl and want to get my body back) Enter my search for a new bike, specifically a great hybrid. I visited four shops and Velo clearly played to my heartstrings (and the purse too). I hooked up with Mike, a cheerful and helpful young guy (they all are honey at my age), and we started a three week dialog, ending in me ordering a Marin 2011, Highway One and the necessary accoutrements to begin the climb back to a 100 mile week. To say Mike was patient, knowledgeable and friendly is to completely miss the experience . . . we dug into everything, I did homework, Mike made suggestions and in three meetings over four weeks we nailed it. When it came time to pay the piper, Mike had a friendly chat with the owner, Hrach, and returned with a very nice discount. BTW: Hrach made a call for Mike and I to the Marin rep to be sure my order would be satisfied just the way we wanted it - on Monday, Labor Day and the rep took the call!!! Now that’s service and speaks volumes about Velo and their stature in the business, which is something that I care about too because it means they have a stake in my experience beyond the sale. I’ll post again briefly after my first ride when I’m sitting in the tub feeling like I have a case polio. ☺ Rachel

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Anthony Karimi

Avoid these guys - Dont go there with any high end bikes especially mountain bikes for repair, they are clueless.. They promised me two days turnaround on a frame replacement, it took them over two weeks and many phone calls, the replacement frame needed a new front derailleur and double ring crankset; they sold me the wrong crankset replacement part for $350 -- we had discussed the fact that I would be going from a triple ring to a double ring and lose by largest ring, once I eventually got my bike back after spending $650 with them in total, and tried to ride the bike in the mountain I realized it was very hard to climb, and thats when I realized they had sold me the wrong crankset and actually what I had received had the smallest ring removed and not the largest, after calling them they tried to blame me for picking that part, which I never picked but they recommended, but said they will replace it with a new crankset at 30٪ discount on part and no labor, I said fine since I had no choice, come to find out the part was more expensive than the parts being sold online actually even with their claim of 30% discount so that was a lie , also they had kept my old bike parts and claimed they didnt know how to contact me to return the old parts, but when I went in to get my bike back with the replacement crank they showed me all the information from the time I took the bike in the first time - so another lie about keeping my old parts -- overall unqualified mechanics when it comes to high end mountain bikes, rude service manager Raul said they dont care about online reviews -- so save yourself the disappointment and go to another bike shop -- there are others in Pasadena that know what they are doing actually ... I ended up wasting $350 and 5 weeks dealing with these unprofessional clowns..

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A

A Private User

My wife Vicki and I were directed to this shop by Santana because we were looking to test ride a tandem bicycle. We parked out back but came in through the front door as requested by their sign that reads something like "First impressions are important". The owner (Hrach) came in right after we were speaking with his son and he spent a lot of time with us. They had a beautifully painted Santana Sovereign which he set up for my wife and I to ride. We took it for a ride to Rosemead and Del Mar and back. I loved the way the bike responded however I was not convinced it was exactly what we wanted. They then set a Santana Team Niobium for us and we test rode it with the new perfect 10 components from Shimano (I am a campy guy but I really liked this and the 11/ 34 tooth cog will come in handy in the mountains). We liked the feel of the Team Niobium better than the Sovereign but the paint job was not what we had in mine. So they offered to have one built for us with the paint job we liked at no extra charge for their fade from green to blue paint job. They also said they would try several different stems for me to fit me the way I want it at no extra charge. We really enjoyed our experience and felt like we were being treated like a family member. We should be picking up our tandem this Saturday.

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A

A Private User

I cant afford to shop here, but I did have my bike tuned up here (by Hector, their head tech from what I can tell) after I got hit by a car. I consequently paid for their $50 custom fitting - thats where Hector spends up to an hour with you fitting you perfectly to your bike and gives you measurements you can keep for any future custom bikes or just when you change seats or parts. I thought my bike was pretty well set up and it was a steeper price than I expected to pay just for a set-up, but a few little changes to my seat height and placement and my first time back on the road I was riding a half-mile an hour faster and pedaling bigger gears up hills with less effort. This was also my first time on the road after a bike accident that put me in the hospital, so I know the setup had a ton to do with it. Hector also had told me I needed a new big chain ring (about $80) before he did my tune up, but actually found I didnt need one after closer inspection and didnt add one just to make the money. Thats what I consider an honest mechanic. The 5 stars is for the service I received from Hector and a huge selection of true top quality bike parts. Again, I cant afford any of them (yet), but it is the place to go if youre rich or a serious rider.

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