Cambridge Bicycle

Reviews 4

RO

Robert Katzschmann

Two weeks ago, I had a loud cracking noise coming from my back wheel, the mechanic at Cambridge Bicycle persuaded me the bottom bracket had to be replaced in order to fix the issue. After leaving the bike with them for 2 weeks, the bike still was not fixed. On the phone I was told that they had not yet received the replacement bracket. When I went into the store the next day, the mechanic told me that the bracket is here, but the repair has to wait for other shorter repairs to get done first. I shall come back in two days. Only after I talked to the manager and explained to him how long I have been waiting for my bike, they started the repair on the bike. The bike got a new bottom bracket installed which was supposed to fix the cracking noise. To release my bike I paid $75 for the parts and repair. The repair had now caused new issues: the belt was slipping off and the brakes did not work anymore, emitting loud squeaking noises. Pointing this out to the mechanic, he then hammered on the spindle in the hope to shift it further in, which did not resolve the issue. He then told me that I need to buy a new belt and a new front driver. Talking to the manager, who says of himself that he is not a mechanic, he asked me if they did the job that they were paid for and if I did not like it I should come back another day next week. The other issues about belt slipping and brakes not working are not caused by them. So I had to bring my bike to another repair shop to understand what was actually going with all those new problems that did not allow me to use the bike at all anymore. The other repair shop determined that the belt did not get tensioned by the mechanic at Cambridge Bicycle and they thought the cracking noise comes from the back wheel. The mechanic found oil on the front and back brake pads, so I had to buy new ones to replace both. After spending another $25 on parts and getting the belt tensioned, I am now back to where I started with a cracking noise from the back wheel. I visited Cambridge Bicycle again this morning in the hope they can resolve the cracking noise, another mechanic looked swiftly at the issue and adjusted the belt tension to a lower level again. For now it is not cracking anymore, lets hope it stays that way and it finally resolved the issue. It is good that in the end another mechanic helped me out and took his time to address the actual issue.

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BA

Bady garth

I went there only one time and it did it for me. I had asked to buy lights, the guy directed me to a set for over $40 which I found surprisingly expensive , then he advised on the cheapest set for $20.00. so I agreed to that, he said hell install it for me. In the meantime I had asked advice for reliable but not too expensive lock. the manager pointed to the shelve and said the cheapest was $40 , it turns out it was 50.00 so I grabed and paid for it. In the meantime the lights were done, the rep wanted me to do the a basic tune up for 60.00 and tried to point out to some defects amplifying the magnitude of the problem, i might not be a bike expert but yet I can see the exageration , anyhow I politely declined the offer. then asked another rep if he can install the lock holder (as i have no tools on me, i had acquired the bike the day before), at that point I was ready to go but noticed that the brakes were too tight (as they were not when I arrived 30 min prior) so I mentioned to the rep that maybe when they put the lights on, something went off so if he can loosen them ever slightly, he said that he cant do it but i can go for the basic tune up and theyll do that. I told him that the brakes were not tight when I brought the bike and that I just spent over $70 in their shop, and they would not loosen the brakes, not to mention I had no tools on me, so he handed the hex wrench to me if I wanted to do it myself as his manager advised so, so I asked to talk to his manager and repeated myself. he was annoyed but then he did it and said that it is not safe and I should have the basic tune up. I again declined politely but now with a definite determination that this place is a rip off and would not go back there nor recommend it to anyone. Very bad way to keep a customer loyal.

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A

A Private User

Recently, I took my used bike to Cambridge Bicycle to have it tuned up. They told me the repairs should be about 40$. Two days later, they contacted me that the rear brake cable needed to be replaced, which would be an additional $10, but when I stopped by they told me these $10 would replace the $10 on the invoice for the rear brake tuning, so no additional cost would apply. When I picked up my bike, the rear brake was ways too loose; the gearshifts were OK, but needed a little further tuning, which they wanted to do till the next day. When I finally picked it up, they charged me $55. Not only were the $10 really additionally (maybe just a misunderstanding or a mistake by the clerk- that happens), but also had a further $7 somehow appeared on my invoice. Nobody was able to read the order which they had kept anymore, but everybody seemed to agree that the total amount equaled their listed prices for the services performed, though the individual numbers did by no means match the single entries. Each time I talked to them, it took them extremely long to get my bike from their back room. The quality of service- after all, this was a simple job- was not even average (the rear brake now is grinding, so is the chain at the front gearshift). Together with the high prices and the overcharging this makes a poor bike shop.

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SL

Slava Arabagi

i came in the bikeshop to have my freewheel taken off my rear wheel single speed bike because i wanted to regrease the bearings inside. The shop guy charged me their minimum fee of $8, he took of the freewheel and blatantly refused to take off the cover of the freewheel so that i would be able to access the bearings. Instead the tech started telling me that the manufacturer doesnt recommend it, that i might loose the ball bearings when i take it apart and wont be able to tighten it back together. In short he said, these things are not meant to be serviced, at which point he reached out for a new freewheel of $45, trying to sell it to me. This bike shops culture of selling you a new part just because its more profitable than servicing a perfectly good old part utterly outrages me. I refuse to throw away good bike parts because someone doesnt think theyre serviceable, and give in this horrible culture of creating waste. Biking is all about being sustainable, having less of an imprint on the environment and this bike store policy is doing exactly the opposite by saying "just buy a new one". In the end i did take my freewheel apart, serviced it and ride it everyday everywhere, seems to be doing just fine! Please choose a different bikeshop for your needs, someone that understands the biking culture better.

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