Here's my issue with reading bike shop reviews: You either see people that just wanted to buy a bike, but don't really care.. or you see people that talk about parts of the bike that you didn't know existed (If you used the term "LBS" instead of "local bike shop" in your review, you are in the latter. no exceptions). But what if you're in-between? You care about your bike, but don't know much (and don't have time to know much) about it, and you just want some honest work done on it? This is me.
I went to Durham Cycles needing a tune up and some general work. I say "general work" because it wasn't shifting super smoothly, but that's the extent of my understanding. I'm going to go ahead and say it right now: I was not expecting to like Durham Cycles.
I walked in the door, and was greeted relatively rapidly. There's nothing like walking into a store of hip-looking people, knowing you are not hip. Durham Cycles was not like this. It was friendly and open.
Criterion #1how I rate bike stores: If you try to sell me a new bike, I will not come back. I have this bike, I like it, and importantly, if I could afford a new bike I would have brought it up already. I love that Durham Cycles at no point tried to get me to spend more than I needed to. There was zero "you should buy this" or "you should upgrade that", and this is the kind of honesty I need in a bike shop. They outlined exactly what *needed* to be done, and no more.
Everything took about a week and a half, so definitely chat with them BEFORE you need your bike to be finished, and give them some time (the tune-up ran about $60, I don't think you can find that on their website). There were, of course, other expenses that came up. They called each time and left a voicemail explaining things. Overall the repairs (tune-up, new chain and new cassette, new back tire, new back break pads) were about $160. This is literally half of what I paid for the bike in the first place, so a relatively expensive repair, but I felt like it all was justified.
Criterion #2 how I rate bike stores: Don't be a dick to me because I'm not obsessed with my bike. I was a little concerned this was going to be the vibe at Durham Cycles, but it 100% was not. I worked with Greg when I dropped it off (no idea who did the actual work, don't care) and he was really patient with me. Greg very nicely explained to me what needed to be fixed, how this was general wear and tear, and what I should be doing in the future. Did not make me feel guilty for waiting forever to get a tune-up, and did not make me feel like an idiot for not knowing I was supposed to get said tune-up. THESE are the types of people that you want working for you. They get other people excited about biking, and make them excited about coming back.
Overall, definitely a great place to take your bike! read more