BicycleSPACE- Downtown

Reviews 5

IS

Ismanie G

I had a couple of people suggest this shop to me because it was close and they had good experiencs there. I dropped my Schwinn off because I hit a deep pot hole which damaged my wheels and flattened my tires, which was my only complaint. Since I had a friend put it together, they noted that something was on backwards that shouldnt have been. Between those two complaints, someone called me up and told me everything that needed to be done to the bike, just to confirm, and I was quoted around $80. When the repairs were done, there were several more items that were apparently faulty with the bike, but I was not informed of before they were repaired. So that $80 jumped to $140. That was very inconsiderate. I know this rapidly gentrified city is filled with people with money to waste, but as a medical student with no income on a fixed budget AND at the end of the school year, that jump in price hurt my pockets more than their average clientele, I guess. I did complain about it to the manager who called me, but alas, in the end I still paid it. Will have to make adjustments in my budget elsewhere. Guess I wont be eating meat for a couple of months. I know nothing of bikes and my Schwinn cost like $160 (its a cruiser hybrid just for traveling a couple of miles a day to school and back, nothing fancy), had I known it would have cost me nearly the same as the bike, I would have either waited when I had money in the new school year or picked it back up and sold the thing for parts and invested in a new bike. My experience might have been an outlier, considering the average rating, but if anyone else out there is looking for decent bike repairs at a reasonable cost and with transparency with what is being done to your bike, this place isnt it, given my experience. But the bike does ride great, so I gave it two stars instead of one star.

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Jeff Bolle

I love this shop. It isnt just one person, everyone Ive dealt with there has been just awesome. I went in initially because I was looking to buy a better "around the city" bike than my road race bike. Well, the city chose for me when my bike was stolen while I was having lunch with a friend. Im tall, but I have back problems, and I still wanted a relatively quick bike with a similar feel to my race bike. They spent an incredible amount of time helping fit me, letting me go back and forth, and generally not pressuring me into anything before I was comfortable. We ordered a smaller frame and a longer stem and seat post to make sure the fit was right, they know their products well enough to mix and match frames and the various components to get you where you are comfortable and efficient on your bike. After that I spent 45 minutes trying on different helmets to get the sizing just right. They were never anything other than helpful and laid back as I decided what I wanted to do. In the end the prices were also fair, especially when considering the level of service. Also, and you might not care if you just need a tire changed, but they are good members of the community. They are constantly involved in pro-bike issues in the area and they are working hard to help more people feel comfortable biking in the city and enjoying the urban riding we have in DC. I bought my bike almost a year ago and I continue to be impressed by them every time I go back, whether to pick up small things, repair a flat, or just see what is going on.

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Dan Wilkins

I use a chair to get around. I was in DC for a conference. Sunday night, after 7. Lincoln Memorial, 90 degrees. My tire blows. Pushed a mile on the flat. Broke a number of spokes. Nothing open. Back to hotel. Night ruined. Called BicycleSPACE first thing Monday morning. They had me bring it right over. I stayed in bed at the hotel while my wife ran it over. Fixed! I was back in business. As an FYI: my chair has $6000 wheels on it, with motors in the hub and servos in the hand rims. The spokes are custom, 6" long. They couldnt help me then with the spokes because they didnt have anything like them (and, as a bike shop, not a wheelchair repair shop, I certainly didnt expect them to - heck, 99% of wheelchair shops dont even stock them). I rolled gingerly around my conference with 8 spokes missing on one side. Ordered them in. When my new spokes arrived, I called BicycleSPACE and they fit me in again right away. They had never seen a wheel like mine but it didnt phase them in the least. They treated it and me with great care. Had the new spokes on and the wheel trued in a little over an hour. Couldnt have gotten better service and support. The bill was quite fair. And the wheel has never rolled more true. Now I can finish the week and beyond rolling without fear of collapse. To someone whos wheels are his legs, that means the world. So thankful to find this oasis, far from home, in the middle of my nasty dilemma. I would recommend them to anyone.

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Tom Gabriel

This shop compares well any of those that Ive used in over 35 years as a bike-commuter. First-rate customer service, friendly and knowledgeable staff. Its local to my office in downtown D.C. Commuting to work one day, a spoke broke. They fixed it immediately, charging only a nominal fee. If that was intended to endear themselves to me, it worked. In June 2013, I brought my 2010 Bianchi Vigorelli in for a lot of routine maintenance: "Service Tuneup Level 2" plus a chain & casette replacement and re-packed hubs. It took nearly a week but thats on me as its always best to schedule routine maintenance off-season. One gray-beard mechanic has decades of experience; next off-season, hell be restoring my vintage Bianchi. Today I brought the bike back in because, despite the tune-up, a clicking sound persisted; I was concerned the bottom-bracket bearings were toast. Karen methodically ran checks until she discovered the cause: clip-on pedals that needed a bit of lube. And, showing class and further endearing themselves to me, it was "no charge" given the recent tune-up. Nice work, nice shop, and nice to support a place that employs a smart woman in a guy-dominated field.

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DA

David Markman

Woah! I have been to quite literally every bike shop in DC and over 20 shops in Maryland over the past five years. Without a doubt, Bicycle Space provided the absolute best experience Ive ever had in a bike shop. I interacted with Austin and Kate when I had to bring in my road bike for a few quick adjustments. I had just finished building my bike and was still experiencing a couple problems and Austin was very keen to help get to the bottom of them. He spent 30 minutes helping me and answering all of my very specific bike questions. In the end, he was able to fix all of my problems and answer all but one of my questions. Here is the best part: for the question that he didnt know he said he would contact the Shimano reps and get an answer for me! What amazing service and dedication to keeping the customer happy and informed. Needless to say they got a huge tip and a customer for life. Their prices are amazingly fair and they even have basic tools at the front that they will let you use for quick fixes. Definitely go here so you can get your bike serviced properly and quickly by their friendly expert mechanics.

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