From the owner: Seit 1922. Zwei Räder. Ein Versprechen! Wo Züri sein Velo…read moreholt, aktuell bis -50% auf unseren Bikes!

Of all the used bike sales and bike auctions I've been to, this was by far the best --- and,…read moresurprisingly, the mellowest. Need a basic used city bike for getting to class and back? CHF 150. Want something simple to leave at the train station? CHF 100. Want an almost-new commuter with a working generator and V-brakes? CHF 400. Want a nicer bike for weekend rides? Well, that's a little trickier... Test rides are easy --- bring an ID to leave with the gatekeeper, and pop across the street for a few minutes. Checkout couldn't be simpler (as long as you bring cash) --- each bike has the no-haggle price on a form, along with the owner's name. You take the bike to the checkout stand, pay your money, and get your receipt; the operators deal with giving the money to the seller, so you don't need to wait for them to make change. No cards accepted, though --- so bring plenty of large bills, so nobody beats you to a good bike while you're at the Bancomat. I was looking for a good heavy-duty commuter for my wife, and a nice mountain bike for Altberg (and occasionally Üetliberg). The first one was easy --- quickly narrowed it down to a few, and picked a good one. The mountain bike was more of a stretch --- there were a few around, but several were too large, one was too downhill-oriented (I can live without three chainrings, but do need two), and many, many were too old (I'm trading up from a late-90s steel hardtail --- I don't need another). Did eventually find a 2005 Specialized FSR that had been pressed into city duty --- it's back in the mud and woods now.

I have had at least five flats since purchasing a bike here in August of last year. Not having…read morefixed a flat myself since the mid-80s, I have been relying on bike shops around town to get my bike back up and rolling. This means that I've experienced a variety of prices, different wait-times for bike return, and varying degrees of service. Velo Citta is both the quickest I have had my bike returned to me and the most cost-effective. Other shops tack on an extra charge for servicing bikes that have not been purchased on premises. Other shops charge considerably more for fixing a back tire flat then for a front tire flat. Other shops tell you to come back at the end of the work day, or the next day. Not Velo Citta! I waited 15 minutes and paid 25 franks to have the back tire's flat fixed. All this from the fix-it dude and a smile and chill disposition to boot! I wouldn't wish a flat on anyone, but, if it has to happen, may it be in the vicinity of Velo Citta! Bonus: pop into Noir Cafe just a couple of doors down for a bevvie while you wait.

As you'd expect from the name, the focus here is on street and city bikes. There's some that would…read morebe fine for a long ride in the country or a race, but the focus here is Kreis 1, not triathlons or Üetliberg. Like many bike shops, they take a sizable break around August --- I managed to end up disappointed twice during that period before finally stopping in.

From the owner: Road and Gravelbikes, Servicing and Spares Cannondale,…read moreColnago and Velofabrik

Wow! After nearly 14 years living in Switzerland i have never experienced anything like this. AVOID…read moreTHIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS. They are rude, unfriendly and GROSSLY UNPROFESSIONAL, the staff "running" this place have absolutely no regard for their customers and no clue about bikes. DO NOT BUY A BIKE HERE. I made the mistake of not test riding mine. What a cheap piece of rubbish at a high selling price. Rattling tinny sound when riding, pedals only move forwards not backwards, and brakes don't work properly. I asked if I could pay more and exchange for a better bike and was told only if I pay for the new bike plus an additional CHF 50 to remove the basket and holder I just paid CHF 80 for. In addition I would need to pay another CHF 50 for the basket to be added to a new bike. When i asked to speak to the owner I was told "no never" we don't give out his number no way. After which the two staff members proceeded to laugh and scoff referring to "she" and "her" after I told them they need to read their own reviews and learn to manage their business. What an absolute joke!

Absolutely horrendous…read more The bike shop is conveniently located next to the Hauptbahnhof. But all I can say is this is not a shop of Swiss quality. The way they extort money from their customers is not how decent Swiss people make a living. If you want more details, read on... I have been living in Switzerland for almost two years now, and never had any bad purchase experience. Until I made the mistake of spending almost CHF 2.000 at Happy Bike on a brand new bike. I bought a bike from the shop about a year ago. At the time of purchase I was told that I could bring the bike back for a free service. This sounded great for me, but even more for the shop as I did not try the bike on and they could close the sale in less than 15 minutes. Why did I not try the bike you ask? Well, I did try on a similar, cheaper bike which worked great and this being Switzerland, vendors are trustworthy and will provide you a replacement if the product is defective. Fast forward to May 2014, I finally got to use the bike and discovered that the rear break was broken. I went to the shop and told them about it. Two weeks later, I went to pick up the bike, and the brake? Still broken. Now, if you have lived in Switzerland you would know that this level of incompetence is just unacceptable. What is the point of a small service if the shop does not even bother to check the brakes? Worse, I specifically told the guy taking the bike something was wrong with the rear break. In most civilized countries, this is called gross negligence. The guy who inspected the bike was visibly embarrassed, and I did not think too much about the mishap. People make mistakes, why make a fuss about it? After a brief chat, I was told that the shop would fix the rear brake for CHF 30--which I believe is fair as it has been almost a year since I bought the bike despite having not used it. The next day I returned to the shop and on top of CHF 86 for the small service which they wanted to charge me (that's $95 for I have no idea what, but clearly nothing to do with the rear break), they expected me to pay CHF 60 for fixing both brakes. This is pretty interesting considering just yesterday I was specifically told that only the rear brake was in fact broken and that it "would not be more than CHF 30" to fix it. So the shop somehow managed to increase my expense from CHF 30 to CHF 146. Brilliant. The ensuing negotiation took a disgusting turn when the shop assistants resorted to emotional blackmailing by suggesting that "the normal price to fix the brakes would be CHF 80" and that "we also threw in a new disc brake for CHF 40". So really they wanted to charge me a higher price than agreed and somehow I was their charity case. Really Happy Bike, really? The shop is a disgrace to the Swiss reputation.

The shop is like an open garage with one portion in the back right corner actually serving as the…read morework station for bikes and motorbikes. In the back left corner stands the till and the rest of the available floor space is dotted with mostly adult-sized bikes, mopeds, scooters, and Vespas. I went in on a lark and was pleasantly surprised to find that Korak stocks a Swiss bike brand that I had been fancying, Tour de Suisse (TDS). After test-riding a model around the block (I had left my bag under a vespa--it was all very informal), I took the plunge and made the purchase. Herr Korak made sure to show me some of the functions of the bike (changing gears, using the built-in lock, engaging the pedal-powered lights) and gave the bike a wee once-over before sending me off into the great unknown, and for that I was grateful. Korak sells a small selection of bike locks, baskets, helmets...etc. He also sells items geared, no pun intended, toward those with motorized machines. What I liked most was the vibe of the place. Herr Korak, probably a one-man-band, was very mellow and resembled the actor Peter Lorre. (Incidentally, they both have Austrian heritage. Coincidence?) Korak was knowledgeable, friendly, and patient. It doesn't state how long he's been in business on his website, but, based on our chat, I would guess that he's been around for at least the past 15 years. If you're in Kreis 7/8, then I would recommend a visit to Korak's for either purchasing or servicing. TDS website: http://www.tds-rad.ch/infoglueDeliverLive_tds/home?languageId=2