Chain Reaction Bicycles

Category:	Bicycle Store
Address:	1451 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA
Phone:	+1 650-366-7130
Site:	chainreaction.com
Rating:	3.8
Working:	11AM–7PM 11AM–7PM 11AM–7PM 11AM–7PM 11AM–7PM 10AM–6PM Closed

Location

Photos 91

Reviews 9

William Colocho

Poor experience: Took my bike to replace a tire tube. Repair person helping me was extremely friendly and said it could be fixed on the spot. I asked for full service price. Then he asked me to help him remove the rear wheel OUTSIDE the store (?). One minute later he came back with the fixed tire and I was a happy costumer. When it came to re-installing the wheel again, we run into a little trouble and again for some reason I didnt understand and was not explained to me, I was expected to help with the installation. I was ok with this since the bike was upright and its a lot easier with two people. 80% done installing the rear wheel a new costumer for outside the store approached the guy helping me and the worker stopped helping me to help him. (Note that the lady manager and another lady clerk were inside the EMPTY store). After a few long minutes of me trying to finish the installation on my own I got frustrated, lost my cool and asked for the really FULL SERVICE price. I was told by the lady manager that they dont work on my type of bike, when I pressed the issue she told me that the shop was busy and it would take a week. I pressed the issue and paid an additional $20-$30 (I dont recall) to have my wheel installed. They took the bike and she said they would call me when ready in about a week. I didnt care since I had lost my temper and I wanted them to provide the simple service I had paid for. I returned to the store the next day and a friendly mechanic gave me my bike in working order.

STEVE MICHELUCCI

Im a firm supporter of local businesses but after todays experience with the help at Chain Reaction, especially the "lady manager", I will be online for my biking needs from now on! I went there to buy a floor pump and when I was there I noticed a pair of shorts that I became interested in. My friend Chris came along and brought her bike in for new parts. She has spent hundreds in the last month with this store getting this bike ready. The lady manager who was there was to busy to offer any help even though we were the only customers there. I asked her about the price on the shorts, as I had no idea that bike shorts cost so much, and she replied with "some shorts are $500"! Not once did she point out that there was a discount rack and perhaps I might find something there. No way, she just went back to whatever she thought was more important than helping customers! I bought the pump and I found a pair of shorts that my friend pointed out on the discount rack. I spent over $100 and I was being helped by a young man, didnt get his name, but he rung me up and then handed me the shorts and said," dont forget your pump". He never thanked me or Chris for our business! He didnt offer a bag for the shorts. The experience was the worst and I recommend that you spend your cash where it is appreciated and where people make you feel welcome. I know I will! To the owner, Mike, I hold you responcible for letting your help run down your business!

Eric Armstrong

Little did I know that the most thing to consider to when buying a bike is the shop you get it from! I lucked out. I not only bought a bike, I "bought" the best bike shop ever. The staff are all riders, and I count on them for excellent advice--from the most basic questions to the most advanced. They stand behind their products, and instantly exchange or rectify anything that doesnt perform as advertised. And they will adjust the bike for as long as you own it! That way, they make sure it fits, and it is as comfortable to ride as possible. (They adjusted mine at least 6 times, until the fit was "dialed in". And when I had ridden that one a couple of years, I got another that was twice as expensive! (And twice as much fun on long rides.)

B Duster

I once had a terrific bike that never really fit right, so I decided to get a "bike fitting" to see the exact specs Id need. During the fitting I asked about bike shops and was told that Chain Reaction was a good place to try, and to ask for Mike (one of the owners). When I went there and asked for Mike I was told he was in the shop so I waited for him. A few minutes later Mikes son told me that yes, Mike was there, but he was too busy to come out and talk with me. Not "can you wait a few minutes," just "too busy" for me. So I walked out with my $3100 cash that was earmarked for one of Mikes bikes and shopped elsewhere.

Jeff King

My wife and I recently purchased two Bike Fridays from Chain Reaction in Redwood City. The transaction was difficult due to configuration and fitting issues, and also issues related to shipping. It required Mike to make multiple contacts with the factory. When the bikes arrived, Mike took the initiative to resolve an additional issue related to the fit of the front derailleur. He was obviously not satisfied until the bicycles were perfect. Throughout the entire process, Mikes service and competence were extraordinary. I have a lot of experience with bicycles, and this was one of the best. Mike earned a loyal customer.

A Private User

Location is probably the best thing going for this bike shop. I purchased a bike here a while back and never got the sense that the staff was invested in me as a bicyclist or a customer. The selection of bikes is decent, and the show has a decent selection of gear and other items. But this location never struck me as being friendly. Im not huge on building instantaneous relationships with store employees, but at Chain Reaction, I felt like I was being left to myself a bit to much. After browsing a few times, this sense didnt leave me. To be fair, the staff is very friendly, but they can also be distant.

Hernan Guelman

Came to see what fixing my rear wheel will cost me. They ended up spending 10m looking at it, and fixing it on the spot. Than, I mentioned my pedal is broken, asking how much is one new pedal... While they went to the back, I looked around the store. After 5 min the guy puts the bike at the front tells me it is ready. They put a spare pedal they had, and the wheel was fixed. How much? FREE! They said the wheel was a very easy problem, and the pedal is a non-matching spare.. I just felt bad I didnt buy anything. But now I have a place I can take my bike for repairs that I trust.

Maureen Zuger

The owners, Karen and Mike were so helpful, experienced and super knowledgeable about the bicycle industry as well as being very pleasant and patient with me as I made my purchase selection. Redwood City in celebration of its 150 year anniversary should be absolutely honored to have such a fine family owned business in the community capable of growing with the needs of the community. Not only did I purchase a wonderful bicycle from Chain Reaction Bicycles, but my daughter did as well. Looking forward to keep doing business with you.

Erik Bierwagen

My son and I had just received bicycles through BikeFlights that needed to be assembled. We had been to Chain Reaction in the past and had found them very helpful, so we took our boxed bikes to Chain Reaction as we figured we would get good service. It turns out they had a 2 week backlog on repairs, but the person there was kind enough to call around to help us find a place where we could get our bikes assembled and back to us sooner. Both my son and I were very impressed by the level of customer service.