Carytown Bicycle Company

Reviews 4

A

A Private User

While I’m not happy, I’ll present the facts and you can decide. Earlier this year, I was excited to see living social offer for $50 worth of bike stuff for $25 at Carytown Bicycle, previously one of my favorite local shops. Unfortunately, it expired before I could use it. Frankly I was just too busy this year and by the time I noticed, it was two months expired. I thought it would be worth at least asking if I could use it so I called the store and the person on the phone told me that they wouldnt exchange it for $50, but would for $25; which I thought was very fair. A few days later I visited the store and picked out $80 worth of products, only to be told by someone else (owner? It’s the holiday season so let’s call him Ebenezer.) that they wouldn’t honor the offer. At this point, there were a few possible outcomes and facts play into the options. Though the person behind the counter told me that their share of the Living Social offer was 50%, in reality Living Social gave Carytown 60% of the money; $15. I had $80 in merchandise on the table so with a standard 50% retail markup, they had the opportunity for $40 in profit on this sale of merchandise. Option 1, Ebenezer could have just honored what the person on the phone told me, given me $25 off and still enjoyed $30 in profit ($80-$25=$55 plus $15 from living social is $70 in revenue minus cost of $40). Option 2, Ebenezer could have told me that they couldnt honor the coupon, but would give me a discount for the same amount of money they received from Living Social - $15, which would leave $40 in profit and would have returned my money ($80-$15=$65 plus $15 from living social is $80 in revenue minus cost of $40). I would have been happy pay $65 and take this deal. Instead, Ebenezer offered option 3 which was to not support the employee I spoke with on the phone, and then tell me to think of it like a coupon that expired. Except it’s not. A coupon is free. I paid him $15 for my “coupon” via Living Social. He then offered me 10% off - $8. Which means he would keep $7 of money that I paid them via Living Social and all of the profit on the merchandise. Clearly making $87 dollars on products that have a price of $80 was his preference. If I took this offer, I’d be paying Ebenezer a $7 fee to be allowed to pay full retail price for the products ($80-$8=$72 plus $15 from living social is $87 in revenue minus cost of $40). The amounts are small, but it’s the principal that counts. I like to support local businesses and am happy to do business with companies like River City Wine or Carytown Optical, whose owners care about customers and are fair and reasonable business people. I like most of the staff at Carytown Bicycle; fellow bikers who know their products well. I run a small company and know that you have to make a profit to stay in business. Finally, I worked at a great bike store in the DC area, Metropolis Bikes, so I know the bike industry. I was hoping for some reasonable conclusion, but unfortunately, I don’t feel that’s what happened. Based on the information above, you can decide about Carytown Bicycle for yourself. Either I’m an idiot for letting the voucher expire and then expecting them to honor what their employee told me or Carytown is focused on maximizing their profit at the expense of long term customer relationships. In my opinion, a reasonable business owner could have offered a resolution that would have allowed them to make a profit while returning the $15 I paid them (option 2 above) as opposed to trying to make me effectively pay more than retail price for my purchase. Though I spend more than $500 year on bike equipment and clothing, none of that will ever go to Carytown Bicycle. Which is fine with me as it will mean more money to other local bike stores with reasonable owners. They made their choice and I’ve made mine.

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GE

Geoffrey GIll

Ill start with the lowdown, in case you dont have time to read the whole review: my experience with Carytown Bicycle Co. was worth every penny and more. Everyone there was knowledgable, helpful, and enthusiastic throughout every stage of the repair process, and the results were phenomenal. I came to Carytown Bikes to see if it was worth it to repair a nearly 30 year old Trek 500 touring bike to bring with me to college. Though it had been stored inside, this bike had been through most of the wringer: bent rims, worn and dry rotted tires, corroded brakes and chains, and all of the other lovely things that come from 15 or so years sitting alone in a basement. Coming into the shop, I had no real expectation whether or not it could be resurrected, but I was immediately greeted at the front desk by an employee who knew right off the bat what I was looking for. He referred me to the back, where I met Simon, the mechanic who would help me the rest of the way through the repair. He had infectious enthusiasm about the possibility of repairing what seemed to the untrained eye to just be a worn down old bike, and was able to assess and explain exactly what we needed. I left after that brief meeting knowing that my bike was in excellent hands and would be repaired to a T. One of the things many people complain about from Carytown Bikes is a slightly higher price point than other shops. While it may seem expensive (a nearly full rebuild for my bike cost only a bit less than buying a new one), the service is absolutely worth it. My bike rides beautifully, and every aspect of my experience at the shop was positive. I will definitely be back if I need repairs or tune-ups.

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A

A Private User

I am very happy to have this shop in town. The staff is friendly and seem to know more about non mass marketed bikes that appeal to bikers not wanting to race (even though one of the owners of the shop races and sponsors races). Someone that works there rides their ExtraCyle to work. They have Brooks saddles. They sell Surlys and Salsas that have enough eyelets and room on the bike to add wide tires, fenders and racks so you can carry stuff on your bike and not have water thrown on you from the tires. Bikes that can be used for everyday transportation. Light steel bikes that, well, are steel which I personally like the feel of the ride better than aluminum. They also have examples of race geometries, track bikes, and Cross bikes. Another reviewer said that they did not have a great selection. Well, the other bike shops in town have more bikes in stock, but it is row after row of essentially the same couple of bikes. Different manufacturers, but essentially the same couple of bikes over and over, just a more expensive component set slapped on. They cannot compete with the existing bike shops using this model. If you are a bike geek and wants a retail shop that has something different and a good shop, give these guys a try.

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KE

Ken Lines

I asked for a non-binding, ballpark labor charge for a certain service. I would not want to haul a bike in their store and take up their time if I could not afford the service at the time. "It depends!" was the answer. "Parts can cost hundreds of dollars!". I never asked about the cost of parts. "It depends!". O.K., the guy got to say "it depends!" three or four times. An owner or manager quietly/nicely told me to just bring it in. But then he walked away leaving me with "it depends!" guy. Performance Bicycles (West Broad St.) is above and beyond service AND friendliness. I think they have a sign giving a guideline of labor costs but I did not have time to read it as the mechanic and a clerk were happy to help me. I have no doubt that if they did not know something they would find the answer in a reasonable amount of time. No auto mechanic, golf club builder, etc. would ever just say "it depends!" without giving a customer some clue about the price range. And yes, I used to mountain bike and I am aware that parts can costs hundreds of dollars and up (I can also use the internet). Send in Key and Peele substitute teacher to straighten out Carytown Bicycle Company, please.

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