THE BICYCLE CONNECTION

Category:	Bicycle Store
Address:	10435 York Rd, Cockeysville, MD 21030, USA
Phone:	+1 410-667-1040
Site:	thebicycleconnection.com
Rating:	3.7
Working:	10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–5PM 12–3PM

Location

Photos 42

Reviews 5

A Private User

Horrific experience. We went a couple of weeks ago to check out a bike for our daughter, who has physical delays. She was so excited to finally be able to get a bike to fit her. We found a bike there, but wanted to shop around, so we took a couple of weeks just to make sure. Today, the day was finally here for her. Here we were, about to drop $200 on a bike for a nine year old. My husband called ahead and asked ahead whether or not they still had the bike in stock, and the man who answered (we found later it was the manager/owner Fred), informed him that they didnt carry that brand and kind of laughed, like we were idiots. I then called back, thinking my husband was the one who didnt make it clear enough, and described the bike completely to him. Turns out, the did still have it, which was a relief. We get there, the woman who worked there, (we didnt know her name), was quite nice - she brought us a bike helmet, and took off the training wheels so we could really see if our daughter could ride it. We practiced on the bike for about 2 minutes - our daughter was having trouble getting on the bike and getting started - and the manager/owner Fred came out and was the rudest man Ive ever come across in any kind of customer service experience. He was ruder and more horrible than any trip to Walmart Ive endured, and thats saying something. Anyway, he basically said (in a very rude tone), that we couldnt "teach" our child how to ride on his property. We explained that she already had a bike, knew how to ride, but we wanted to see how this bike fit her. And then, after being rude a second time, we got our daughter off of the bike, brought it back to him, gave him back the helmet, and left. Our daughter was very upset by this, so after we got home and calmed her down, my husband called to let the man know how rude he had been. Did the guy apologize? Ever? Absolutely not. Basically, the customer was wrong, he was right, and he had been working in this business a lot longer than we had been shopping, I guess. So, were going to spend more money at his competitor. With a great deal of satisfaction. Good luck in keeping customers in a recession this way.

Joshua Murdock

Great shop with a great staff: Ive been to this shop a lot over the past eight years and bought five bikes from them during that time. I have also had work done by the different mechanics who have worked there over the years. The selection of bikes on the floor ranges from very affordable entry-level bikes to bikes that blur the line between mid-level and high-end. Its not uncommon for a few super high-end bikes to be found, either, and the shop can order whatever Trek youd like. The parts selection is pretty good and the clothing/accessory selection is great! If there is a part or accessory that isnt on the floor, someone can order it for you and itll arrive in a few days, depending on availability. Bill, the manager, along with Chris and Dan, are always ready to go the extra mile for customers and are definitely very passionate about the bikes they sell. Randy, the long-time owner, is always friendly and very helpful, as well. I have had good experiences with the service staff at the shop. Not only do they repair bikes very well, but, if they have the time, they will usually be able to explain what was wrong and how it was fixed. A lot of the negativity in the other reviews is due to repairs taking longer and costing more than quoted. This rarely happens and, when it does, the guys at the shop are apologetic and always willing to explain what further issues arose when they began to repair the bike. Id highly recommend this shop to anyone in the area!

paul evitts

Potentially dangerous to shop there. While I have multiple complaints from my last experience there, Ill give you the top three reasons to not shop there. 1) sales staff do not know much about bikes and will lie. Granted it was only one person, but I was comparing components on two bikes for my son and asking if one set was better than the other. The salesperson muttered out something akin to maybe and then a few other things - not answering the question. I finally interrupted him and told him to just say he didnt know if he really didnt know. He finally admitted "Im not sure". This is basic component stuff here people- he would have told me the sun was blue to sell a bike -- good thing I knew better. 2) Incompetent mgmt. Not sure if business is so good that they dont need to respond to customers phone calls or not, but apparently so. One of the managers was supposed to call me back twice-- the second time I even called myself and he said hed call me back in one hour. Days later-- I finally went and just go my bike back. 3) Which leads me to the potentially dangerous part-- if the sales staff is incompetent and will tell you whatever you want to hear just so you buy a bike and the mgmt is also incompetent and doesnt care about customers-- that tells me that the mechanics are probably just as incompetent as the others. After dealing with the rest of the team there, there is no way I would risk my life by riding one of their bikes.

Katie Nunn

I have never personally been in the Bicycle Connection, but my dad is a frequent shopper. We tried to go this morning around 10:15 (their hours were listed as 10-7 for Fridays). Now, I understand we got a substantial amount of snow yesterday, but as we pulled up (after the doors should have already been opened) two men were shoveling the parking area. As my dad pointed to an area where he could park, one man just stared at him and the other started gesturing to us to just leave. So we did. We decided to give them about 40 minutes to clean the parking area and they were still there when we got back, shoveling the small area for cars. This is a terrible way to run the business. If youre going to open later due to the snow, you should be willing to at least walk to your customers cars and tell them in person instead of rudely staring as if they are stupid and gesturing for them to "go away." Or, the smartest idea may be to just plan on coming in an hour earlier to clean up instead of deterring business. We will find another bike store.

Matt Hargrove

I have been to the bicycle connection a half dozen times or so in the past 10 years, and every time I go I swear that I will never go back. Unfortunately, during that time they are basically the only bike shop that has managed to stay in business. As several other reviewers have touched on, the owner is a real jerk. He thinks he knows everything and you should just do what he says. On top of that he has taught the staff everything they know about the art of customer service.... I attempted to buy an XT real derailleur for my mid-range mountain bike. When he asked what type of bike it was, and I told him Gary Fisher, he flat out refused to sell it to me, then pulled it off the counter and put it away. Said it was a waste of money and I should start "pinching my pennies" to get a new bike... I could go on about the other times I attempted to do business with them, but you get the point. I would push my bike past their shop if I had a flat and they were giving tubes away. If you can, give someone else your business.