Bellitte Bicycles

Category:	Bicycle Store
Address:	169-20 Jamaica Ave, Jamaica, NY 11432, USA
Phone:	+1 718-739-3795
Site:	bellbikes.com
Rating:	4.5
Working:	10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM 11AM–4PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 5

John Hammer

Ive had a Schwinn Crosscut bike since 1991. It started having a problem in 2004 and the shop at which I had purchased the bike, Buddys on Parsons Blvd, couldnt fix it - but was happy to charge me every time I brought it in for them to try. Eventually I gave up trying to fix the problem and the bike became a clothing rack in my bedroom. In 2008, I got tired of not riding and having a bike in my bedroom that never moved so I thought Id give Buddys one more shot to fix my bike. I brought it there and found them out of business. Good riddance! I looked up local bike shops and Bellitte was the closest to where I was living at the time so I brought my Schwinn there. The shop staff repaired my problem in 5 minutes and Ive been riding the Schwinn ever since! In early 2012 I was hit by a car while riding the Schwinn. I wasnt seriously injured and the bike wasnt wrecked but did take some damage. I brought it to Bellitte and Sal (one of the owners; he specialized in sales) suggested a few bits that needed to be replaced (cracked reflectors and other minor things). In late 2012 I purchased a used Sun EZ-1 recumbent bicycle from CraigsList. I brought it to another local shop to be checked out and to have a few upgrades and replacements performed. That shop took three weeks to get the bike back to me and other than lubing the chain and installing some handlebar toys - which should have taken, at most and including the safety check, maybe 30 minutes - didnt do anything I had put on the work order (replacement of rusty bolts, for example). That shop, which I wont name, is a really good shop overall, Ive used them satisfactorily in other cases; but I dont think they liked having to service my "weird" bike which they didnt sell to me. I paid them plenty to do it, too. Ive since been bringing my bent to Bellitte and the staff there has been happy to service the bike and has done so to my satisfaction every time. Ive been happy with both the results and the prices theyve charged me. Complete bikes and parts at Bellitte can be expensive if you compare them to Amazon or other online prices but the service is really top notch and the prices for service are very low. My EZ-1 has been serviced almost exclusively by Karl (one of the owners; he is the head mechanic) whom I have come to really trust with all the things I have trouble doing myself. Karl has also been very patient with my questions and Ive appreciated being allowed into the back of the shop to watch him and the other guys work so I can learn a little bit. The spring of 2014 I purchased a Dahon Speed D7 folding bike from Bellitte. Karl went out of his way to match the prevailing price and to customize the gearing for me. I could have spent less money buying the bike online, but not a lot less and Im very happy to give Bellitte my business and have them ready to service the bike if needed. Bellittes prices for new bikes are comparable to other local bike shops. But if you go in there expecting to see Walmart or Toys-R-Us prices, you will be shocked. Heck, when I tell most people how much I paid for each of my bikes they think Im crazy - and my bikes are not high-end expensive bikes! The $100-$200 you pay at a big box store gets you a bike that your kid might outgrow before it breaks, but otherwise youre just throwing that money away. A good bike shop like Bellitte might even have some of the same bikes for sale but they will guide you to a bike that is right for you and, very importantly, it will be assembled by an expert mechanic and serviced properly whenever you bring it in to the shop. Compare this to a big box store experience where Jeff and Lester slap together bikes in the back room between cleaning the screens on the TVs and stocking the shelves with Nintendos; and the best youre going to get if you bring your bike to the store is an offer for a refund. Try to remember that bikes arent just toys for kids and car substitutes for poor people. I have a car but I use my bike a lot more, including basic transportation!

Rich Mitchell

I called about a crank arm and sprocket I needed replaced. I had actually went here twice before to get the left arm and front tube fixed. The person on the phone refused to answer my question and then hung up the phone on me. So I went in and they wanted to tell me that it would be $80 and the bike would be ready on Thursday because they had 30 jobs in front of me and it would take an hour and a half. (Memorial Day was their excuse.) I looked up another bike shop called ADT and headed there. When I went there they were very helpful and made me aware of the process and what they could do. They quoted $60 and also offered to see if they could fix the crank before replacing it. Long story short they fixed the bike sufficiently and even replaced the left crank arm which they notofied me was THE WRONG SIZE. So thanks Bellitte for sabotaging my bike and then being rude on the phone AND overcharging. Never going here again.

Il Baik

Mechanic who broke the quick release lever on the seat post didnt even say sorry and left. That alone will cost me $70 plus tax to get it fixed elsewhere. The dudes handy work on my bike was a complete joke. He installed my bike handlebar and there were scratches all over on one side, so the main frame now has scratches and gear lever sits crooked on the right handle. The cable has scratch marks, how do you explain that and they charged me full price for the lousy installation job. Anybody can do a better job than this useless mechanic. This was by far the worst bike shop Ive been to. Showed no courtesy, professionalism or respect to me, as a customer. I cant recommend this awful place to any of my colleagues, terrible overall experience. I will give an F grade and this is my first time ever putting a review on a store. If any of you saw my bike after leaving this shop, you will all agree that Im not being harsh.

Sunny Patel

Excellent Bike Shop, thanks for all the help Sal. In todays day and age any shop can have a large selection by ordering from catalogs, so an excellent bike shop is defined by the way they treat their customers. I walk in, they call me by my name, they take care of my Specialized road bicycle, and never pressure you to buy anything. With that said, I buy upgrades fairly often. They have competitive prices and never charge extra for installation. Also there are some nice historical pieces in the store to look at.

Jim Ryan

This is a soup to nuts bicycle shop. If you need your High End bicycle worked on, they know what theyre doing. Need a first bicycle for your child? They have it and will put it together safely. They know what theyre doing and will do a better job than some minimum wage worker at a big box store. My grandfather bought bicycles here for my dad and uncles in the 1920s and Iv bought bicycles here for myself and daughters - a total of four generations of buyers.