Superlative skill and service. I've been going to Flo for 13 years, and have been immensely gratified by the dedication, meticulousness, and integrity of the people working there.
Some people have had issue with Flo on Wheels, so let me address some of those concerns.
- One reviewer commented on how customer service is terrible. I have to disagree. For over a decade I've been coming to Flo for adjustments, tune-ups, diagnostics, and advice, and he has provided services far beyond anything to which I am entitled. Someone who adjusts your derailleur, gearing, spokes, and other sundry accoutrements for free several years after you've purchased a bicycle, is hardly lacking in customer service.
Further, where other shops might offer perfunctory adjustments and services, no one has ever been as thorough in getting to the root of mechanical issues and ensuring that the bicycle is working properly. Flo doesn't just grease up a cup or bearing. He is (as mentioned) meticulous while going over the bike to ensure that things are working properly and safely. He goes above and beyond the call, and what other shops are willing to do.
- Some people may be upset if Flo is occasionally abrupt, but I'd suggest that this has far more to do with how inundated the shop can be. While one cannot evaluate the specific incidents described in other reviews, I have spoken with Flo regularly for over a decade and have always found him patient, thorough, and amicable.
There are, however, moments when the shop is deluged and the employees don't have time for extended conversations. And even then, Flo will be straightforward and tell me that he just doesn't have the time for a spontaneous tune up or conversation about Kantian deontology (both of which are pretty reasonable. You just can't expect someone to drop everything he is doing when inundated by work)....
- One review complained that the wheel popped twice because it was the wrong size. Again not having empirical evidence here, one cannot evaluate the situation with complete objectivity. However, the description seems a little incoherent and confused. Tires don't usually pop if they are too fat. At the end of his protracted period of suffering the reviewer says that he still had plenty of tread on the tire. If it had plenty of tread, the tire was not popping from rubbing the frame. If the frame had cut the tire to the point of "popping" you wouldn't be using it because it would have been scraped into a mangled mess. (and if the tire were so chewed up by the frame that it kept failing, it would be utterly ridiculous to keep using such a mangled mess.)
What the reviewer is describing sounds *far* more like the *inner tube* had popped, which results from sharp objects penetrating the tire, or from pinch flats -- where the inner tube ruptures from a failure to pump the tires adequately.
Before blaming Flo I'd have to wonder whether 1) this person understood the difference between a tire and an inner tube; 2) the difference between tire failure inner tube popping; and 3) the causes of why these different failures occur. It sounds like he's blaming the fatness of the tire for inner tube problems, and isn't making much sense.... Was the reviewer aware of the tire pressure, and had he taken adequate precautions? Tires have to be pressured precisely and pumped before virtually every ride.
- As for complaints about the prices of the bikes, those are simply frivolous. The prices of bicycles are determined largely by the companies that make them, not by the stores. If some people may hypothetically inflate their prices, Flo does not. Aside from that, I bought an affordable commuter bicycle as well as a higher-end road bike. He does have expensive bicycles but he also tries to provide a few affordable models as well. A bicycle from Target is a piece of junk and the inferior materials utilized shouldn't even be made into something that moves on a roadway. Don't blame Flo just because you prefer cheap junk to a decent instrument....
Flo has integrity, cares for his customers, and is incredibly dedicated. That's why I'm recommending him....
JSP, avid Cyclist read more