Bike Gallery - Beaverton

Reviews 5

JU

Justice Will Reign

So I bought a Trek 9er last year. The fellow that helped me I dont seem to see around anymore, but he was a little nervous, and not too sure of himself, nor of what he was saying. Seeing how I was coming from BMX to MTB, I really needed some legit guidance on picking out a bike. He was, however, very patient with all the questions that I had. I went ahead and bought the bike (BIGGEST PURCHASING MISTAKE I HAVE EVER MADE) and was quite excited about my purchase... Until I started using the bike consistently. Seeing how I bought it as a commuter and a bike to ride in the hills, I put some decent miles on it within the first few months, seeing how I bought it at the beginning of summer. From the time that I started riding it consistently, to this day 1.5 years later, I have had SERIOUS problems with the bike. The drive train is total trash, and I am in the process of upgrading it all to Shimano SLX/XT. However, this is not the fault of the shop. But, the bike WAS used, and seeing how it was obviously used (It didnt dawn on me until later that it was used), it shouldve been marked down. Whatevs. Considering I was having tons of trouble with the bike not shifting properly (Let me tell you how difficult it is when youre plowing up a hill and your bike wont drop gears!), I was a frequent in there for the first 6-9 months. Simon, one of the head mechs., was the one to usually help me, and while he never actually addressed or figured out the problem (Even though he should have, because that is his job), he was incredibly nice and very understanding of me always going in. There is another guy in there, but I cant recall his name; he has a nickname on his tag, and he is also really awesome. Kudos to both those guys for their customer service skills. I brought my bike in to have a new SLX brake reservoir put on summer of 14, because I cant stand dealing with brake lines, and they charged over $40 just to install the reservoir!! WTF?! It took 10 minutes (Charged me for an hour!) and then charged me like $15 or therebouts for a tiny amount of brake fluid to fill just the reservoir, which is TINY. Unfortunately it was not Simon to help my, but baggy shorts guy. I wasnt happy about this, but was even less happy when I had just installed the bloody $200 brake system, and then crashed my first ride out and snapped the brake lever off!! Anyway. While the customer service seems to be pretty decent, the mechs. just seem to be kinda subpar. The issues I was having with my derailleur/shifting shouldve been pin pointed. I am pretty sure at this point that it is because of the crappy shifters that Trek threw on there that is causing my derailleur to not drop to lower gears, despite replacing my rear D. If youre doing MTB, its apparently recommended that you hit Fat Tire Farm in the NW area. Never been there, but Ive heard numerous references from guys on the trail. Happy trails/roads.

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SO

Sound Bites

I had bought my bike from a competitor years ago. They offer lifetime service for the bikes bought from them. I took my bike to them today for service. However, they were backed up 4 weeks for any kind of work and I was told that I would need to make an appointment. They told me another one of their locations was only a week behind in their work and that I could go there instead. The other location was too far away, Tualatin, so I left. I went down the street to another shop and they couldnt even tell me if a tech would be the shop today or even over the weekend. I left that store as well. I then hit up Google for bike shops in the area and found Bike Gallery and called them. They said to bring it in and they would take a look at it. I thought I had a broken spoke on my rear wheel and it also needed truing. I met with Joe, who told me hed take a look at it, but their spoke cutter was in need of service and it might be until Tuesday before he would get it fixed if they didnt have the correct part. I said that was fine and after getting a work order receipt, I left. I got a call less than an hour later from Joe saying the bike was fixed. Turns out the spoke in question only had a broken nipple, so Joe replaced it and trued the wheel. I am grateful for their great service and speedy work. I will be back.

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JA

Jacinda Friedkin

About a year ago I went in here looking for a hybrid bike. I was a total beginner and had no idea what I was looking for. The bike itself was fine, but I just didnt love it. Fast forward a few months, add a helpful bikey friend and I discover that the main reason I disliked the bike was because it was horrendously under-sized for me. No wonder it hurt and wasnt fun to ride. I was pretty upset considering the investment that a new bike cost, and I didnt really know what to do to fix it. I went back in to the shop with the bike friend for support and the guys in there did two things that are pretty much unheard of in this day and age. 1) They acknowledged their mistake in selling me the wrong size frame. 2) They took the bike back and gave me 100% credit of what I paid towards a new bike that fits properly. (Keep in mind this was more than nine months later..) I was very impressed with the level of service I received and the fact that the staff owned up to their original mistake. Ill definitely be back, and highly recommend this place to anyone looking for stellar customer service.

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LI

Lionel Jenschke

Ive been to several area bike shops and I can honestly say this one was by far the worst. Ive been there twice(to see if its the crew or the status quo) and I was a ghost. Today, I even stood by the counter, looking at the gloves. The 2 guys talking about what to eat for lunch didnt acknowledge me. I was there to buy some rain pants. WAS. I left without being noticed. I suppose I should have walked in with $1000 worth of biking swag and I may have been helped. REI has better service and they are a chain store. Bike Gallery is one local place I will never step foot in again. REI and Bike N Hike will be where my money is spent. Bike Gallery, you could easily boost sales if you hired some people who give a damn. The slackers you have working currently are costing you money. Good luck on your current clientele as you will gain no new customers at this rate. You got one star because zero wasnt an option.

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TO

Tom Hudak

Really disappointing -- yet another example of the avarice of Portland retailers desiring to exploit the yuppie market. Someone had recommended Bike Gallery as a fair priced locally owned bike shop for repairs so I made an appointment to have my bike, recently moved from the Snow Belt, made road worthy there. After making an appointment and hauling it in I was told that only a complete overhaul costing hundreds of dollars, or a new bike, made sense. So much for Pacific NW recycling! I explained that I wasnt planning to use the bike to commute but only occasionally take it for a spin at a park. No difference. I tried asking them to make only a few repairs that were top priority. They wouldnt touch it. So I did what I hope all potential Galley shoppers do, and found a bike repair person via Craigs List who brought it back to life -- for $40.

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