Belmont Wheelworks

Reviews 3

JE

Jeff Palmer

I really wish Id read these reviews before going to Belmont Wheelworks. The reviews are right on target. Great selection of products. The store was recommended for cycling shoes and they had the best selection around. I had to wait a long time for someone to help me, with several people seeing I needed help but just ignoring me. Finally a lady came over and asked if I wanted any shoes. She seemed annoyed to have to help me and would sigh and look up at the ceiling impatiently as I tried on more expensive shoes to find a pair that would fit a wider foot. I finally bought the most expensive pair she showed me, then she brusquely told me to ask about the shoe/cleat fitting and disappeared. So I wandered over to the checkout counter with the box, waited another 10 min until someone finally took my money. I asked them about the shoe/cleat fitting, but he didnt seem to know about it. When I called back the following day to schedule the shoe/cleat fitting, they scheduled me for a full bike fitting. When I came in for the fitting, I again got the long wait for help, multiple sales & service people walking by me after making eye contact, and then eventually being shown downstairs after I corralled one of the salespeople. Mike was my fitter. Like other reviews, his demeanor came across as if he had better things to do, and he was dismissive and condescending about my bike (I didnt buy it at Wheelworks). I actually found myself apologizing for the bike and the components (the SRAM crank didnt match all of the rest of the Ultegra components). I also appealed to his expertise by letting him know that I was new to this kind of road bike, having ridden mountain bikes for the past 20 yrs. He started to soften a little bit at that point. He seemed to know what he was doing and tried to help me get a better fit on my bike, and I do appreciate it. Like other reviewers, I went in for a $35 fitting ("discounted" because I bought $270 shoes) and ended up spending $145 before getting out of the store (an extra $100 for a part to make the fitting better). When I asked for recommendations on a better saddle, he told me to just keep the one Ive got since hed have to charge me to refit the bike if/when I swap out the saddle (really?!). At the end of the day, being as objective as I can, I think I got a good pair of shoes and a good fit on my bike. But Ill never go back because I went into Belmont Wheelworks feeling great about their store, about my new bike, and about cycling in general... and I left feeling like a burden to every single staff member I met, feeling that I didnt buy a good enough bike, and all the enjoyment and excitement for cycling was sucked right out of me. I dont ever want to feel that way again (let alone pay $400+ for the "privilege"), so Ill look for other bike shops that actually care about the customer and their cycling experience.

GE

Geoff Waite

They prioritize taking your money over being helpful, plus the service guys are not very good. I bought a $3.5k mountain bike from them in August. Having bought on-line for the last 15+ years I decided to "do the right thing by my LBS" and buy locally, thinking Id get good service in future. How wrong I was! Back to on-line bike shopping for me. 1) the bike had a loose back end from the get-go. First they told me that was normal (it was not), then at the free 3 month service, they failed 3 times to correct it. On the 4th return, they addressed it while I waited. It was a loose wheel hub assembly. However, they drastically overtightened it. Luckily I noticed (the wheel would not turn freely at all) and did not ride on it, otherwise, that would have surely destroyed the bearings. I had someone else service it and its fine now. 2) But the real issue and why I bother to write this review is what happened next. I wanted to improve the fork performance and I knew that the fork on that bike was upgradeable, so I called to see what they could do. First off the tech (Kevin) actually said "I wont tell you what the upgrade options are till after you come in and give us a deposit" Finally, after I pointed out that Id already spent a tidy sum with them, he agreed to see what could be done. After two weeks, the store still did not give me any actual information and just told me that my only option was to buy a new fork for another $550-750, since any upgrade would cost $250 in parts and $140 in labor. I walked away and after a little research and the help of a useful internet bike store, I found that a $50 upgraded damper (motion control) for the fork was available and it it took less than 5 minutes to install. Ive now installed it and it the bike is transformed - just what I needed. I can actually go another two levels up on this same fork for a mere $130, so I will do that next. So, either Belmont Wheelworks have no idea what theyre talking about or (more likely) they repeatedly lied to me to try and get me to spend a lot more money with them. Maybe others have had good experiences, but mine were appalling: after taking my money, they refused to be any help whatsoever unless I spent a load more. The internet store, however, - Discount bicycles in Keene, NH. - was enormously helpful and are now getting my business.

PR

precat9254

Local bike shop advocate. I believe in touching and test riding and local jobs. BWW has great selection. That said, I don’t think this bike shop has a handle on basic customer service. I have built my own bikes in the past, but I decided on a complete bike, the Santa Cruz Tall Boy carbon. I came down on Saturday to down-select. I came back in Sunday 7/25 to test-ride and drop $3200. My mother could have closed this deal. But I did not get a bike…In hindsight I would not trust this store to perform even the simplest maintenance. Here are some DOs and DONTs that BWW may want to review: DO consider a test-ride reservation system for higher end bikes (maybe not for this bike, but for those over $5K) DON’T hand me off to a second salesman without briefing him DON’T re-quiz me on my riding needs DO notice that I am holding a brochure for said “bike” DO check F/B tires before test rides DO ensure that customer is rolling before disappearing into the store (at least hold the door) DON’T make me interrupt other customers/salesmen to get rear tire inflated DON’T up-sell a $100 fitting as the last step in the process by explaining that the bike will “never totally fit right” (the message here is ….that customers get internet-level service unless they pay extra). DO bake-in the cost of a fitting into the bike price DO help customer make small alterations like tires, simply explain the cost deltas DON’T lecture an EFTA veteran on tires and how its all different now (I know my rides, I know what I want.... this is when I cracked) DON’T lecture customer’s period Thoroughly irritated, we filled out the paper work and entered stuff into the computer. I had some harsh words for the salesman. When I called Thursday about picking up the bike, the shop had no record of the transaction. What a mess, what a waste of time Randy in Arlington MA