ON THE ROUTE BICYCLES

Reviews 4

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Brian CY

I really want to like this place. I purchased my bike from here and the experience was awesome and the staff treat you like a friend when you walk in the door. However it kills me after I purchase something from them, go home look up the MSRP of something and its 50% over what I paid for it. This is the second time this has happened and there staff just says they cant help how management prices things but they would be happy to refund it but they didnt provide me with a receipt. Their pricing structure doesnt make me want to just stop in to buy something I need knowing that Im getting extra ripped off. I know they cant charge amazon prices and wouldnt expect but anything over MSRP is just simply wrong especially 40%. [Update-06-22-2012] Called a second time to speak with a manager about this and again not a manager during the middle of the day and all the staff just repeat "we dont know anything about pricing policy" or something like that. Or "we just charge what we need to charge to stay in business". I called the other store in Lincoln Square to see if they had a manager and spoke with the one there and he told me that the price they were selling the item for and it was 20% lower than the store in Lakeview. So it seems that they just dont have a pricing policy and just make up prices depending on if they like you or not. Also to make matters worse what they sold me didnt even work, a spoke wrench. I told them I needed a spoke wrench for as Shimano set of wheels, which I had with me, and gave me the Park Tools SW-7 which all three are too small. I went to Performance on Halstead and asked them what I needed and there staff knew exactly what I needed, a Shimano brand spoke wrench and told me they didnt stock it but it could be purchased most any store on the internet. They helped and On the Route sold me the wrong thing 40% over MSRP and 20% over their other store and in the end it didnt even work. The employee from the Lakeview store even argued with me on how I even knew what the MSRP was because Park Tools doesnt publish it ..... really how about you not worry about schematics of the hows and just provide good customer service. Anyrate the manager of the Lincoln Square store (Chris I think) claimed he would ask the owner to call me ... I will be sure to write an update on the Owners response, or lack of which ever it is.

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A Private User

I bought my Trek 700 from On the Route on Lawrence a bit over a month ago. I just moved to the city in February and was sick of paying to ride the bus to work for a short commute. The people in the store that sold me my bike were insanely helpful and answered all of my questions in a way that was fully understandable for someone who hasnt been on a bike since I was a kid. I had also never rode a bike in the city before since I came from a rural area. I felt stupid for asking questions about how to ride on the street without getting killed and they happily answered all of my questions. I felt a lot more confident about riding a bike on the street when I left the shop with my new baby. About 2 weeks into my new biking lifestyle, the arm of my pedal went loose. I thought the worst and came back in. They fixed it right up right there on the spot and said it was there own fault and that I didnt have to pay a dime. They said if it happened again, to just come right back in. Unfortunately, it did happen again (today) and I brought it back in and they noticed there was grease that made the arm keep coming loose. Once again, I didnt have to pay a dime and they said if the arm needs to be replaced, it wouldnt cost me anything as well. I also bought a bike rack and the employee who tightened my pedal both times, Jeff(or so my receipt says :-P), was totally awesome. He offered to put the rack on my bike (for free as well) and thank goodness he did it because I would never be able to do it myself. It was past business hours and Im sure he wanted to get out of there but I really appreciated everything he did for me. The customer service in the store is incredible and that matters a lot to me. Id recommend this store to anyone looking for a new bike without hesitation. I have heard great things about this store from other people as well. Also, when I got my bike, they gave me 2 free tune ups to use within the first year as well as 10% off anything else I bought in the store the same day. I thought that made it completely worth spending a little more for a better bike than getting some hunk of junk at Target with no type of "insurance" to go with it. Sorry for the novel but I just cant even express how much I love and appreciate this store! :-)

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A Private User

I needed new tires on my bike, and I could have done it myself but didnt want to spend the time to do so (school, etc.). I came here and was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness, knowledge and honesty of the staff. First I was concerned about a gear that was slipping while I was riding, it would downshift automatically. As I was describing the problem the person helping me fixed it. Apparently it was an easy fix and I was embarrassed, but he was very professional about it and asked me what else I wanted to take a look at. I thought I needed new tires and he agreed. I wasnt sure if my brakes needed tuning and the person who helped me assured me they were fine, he gave me an estimate but told me it was probably not necessary, so I took him up on that. I dropped the bike off at 6-6:15pm on a weekday, and was able to pick it up 7:30pm later that day. The tires cost $20/each, labor was $15. Im sure prices will vary depending on bike and labor involved, my bike is an old road bike from the 1970s. The store was clean and organized, it would have been very easy to find whatever I needed. They have a nice variety of bikes, and although they may be limited with stock due to the size of the store, I think the more important thing is the staff would help you find the bike that fits your needs. I cant comment on the prices since I dont really shop for biking gear often. However Im probably going to come here for all my biking needs, given the pleasant experience I had. Im sure if I just came in for the gear issue they would have fixed it without charging me. Also, there is a friendly dog who hangs out at the store, the person helping me was his owner. Thanks to the staff, Usama

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Bill London

Well they deleted my review from earlier earlier I see so Ill just reiterate. I bought a bag from this place. It broke. I came to return and get a replacement under warranty. The guy said hes not going to replace it and then accused me of breaking the bag myself. I had to call the manufacturer and explain to them what happened. They ultimately helped me out when this bike shop should have. This time, OTR, Im going to screenshot this review in case you so desperately feel the need to censor anybody who doesnt give you such a golden image. Response to owner: First of all, your nerve to even reply to me and claim you had nothing to do with my previous comment being removed is beyond explaining with words. You deleted it, and then felt intimidated when I told you I would screenshot my current comment in case you deleted it again so you just decided to act all cool and innocent. Secondly, youre an idiot if you think Im going to continue doing business with you. I was a client for a year at your establishment and your inconsiderate staff decide to treat me like garbage and accuse me of breaking the freaking bag? Youre too dumb to run a business, let alone, use the internet.

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