My Vintage 1952 bike was hit by a truck in a parking lot…read more
I took it to and called several bike shops around New Orleans for quotes and also see what kind of work they could do. One well-known bike shop on Frenchmen was extremely rude and pricey and repeatedly demanded and pressured I just buy a new bike from them and would not fix my vintage bike or order replacement parts (separate Yelp review coming) or really even help me unless I simply bought a whole new bike from them (I was actually the Frenchmen Street bike shop's customer for 20 years, and NEVER again will I step foot in that place -- they were that rude to me, and I've heard the same story from other bicyclists); the other shops were nice but a few said they couldn't do the repairs I needed, but could get generic parts, but prices were high. One other shop gave me a nice quote I liked and were very helpful. I was about to take my bike back to this other shop, but they were closed that day. (I might write a review for the other shop, too. Even though they didn't fix my bike, they were also very friendly and helpful.) (The famous bike shop on Frenchmen made my whole experience miserable. All the bad reviews about that well-known shop are true.)
So, I searched one more time, and found Bokah, who was nearby on St. Claude -- and open. I read the reviews and looked at photos, and Bokah seemed great, plus Bokah was open until 6pm, and I could load my bike on the front of the St. Claude Bus.
I had a vintage bike that needed repairs, and on their website and reviews I saw photos of and read about them specializing in vintage bikes.
So, I took my vintage 1952 bike-hit-by-a-truck to Bokah.
Man, did they do me right!!!! They were super friendly, super helpful, and super on-point.
We started looking at replacement parts, and everything they quoted were real good prices, and they were willing to match or beat any other quotes or prices. But then they started working on the bike itself, and were actually able to fix everything with little to no extra parts. They kept my vintage bike original, and made it run like new. The main ingredient Bokah had that the other shops didn't? Care, and accurate assessment.
What the other bike shops said they couldn't or wouldn't do... Bokah did!
Bokah went the extra mile for me. I had never been there before, and they treated me like a normal person and a customer they wanted back (compared to one of the very rude shops I went to, or some that just didn't care much).
The owner is in the shop, and oversees everything.
The owner and his assistant worker are a breath of fresh air, being extremely helpful, and actually wanting to fix my vintage 1952 bike. They are stars in my book.
They took my vintage bike that was run over, and repaired it in no time while I waited and watched! It went from un-rideable to the Cadillac nice smooth bike it used to be. And the price? Extremely fair and competitive -- I am super-happy. They didn't do anything I didn't need, and did EVERYTHING I DID NEED. I didn't need to order any parts, because they fixed it all in-shop by just using their brains, normal tools, and a little effort, and a handful of small replacement parts -- which most the other bike shops didn't want to do!
Most of the other bike shops either refused to work on my bike, or were rude/had bad service, or pressured me and wanted to sell me a whole new bike, or were too pricey or just too far away. I am bringing two more bikes to Bokah to fix for me. If I had 1,000,000 broken bikes I would bring them all to Bokah to fix.
I am beyond happy. Bokah did what no other bike shop could or would do. Bokah went the extra mile for me, and actually did a couple extra really nice and thoughtful things that fixed a few other bike issues I had -- just because they care that much. And they were super-nice, super-fast, super-understanding, and just kick-butt super all-around. BEST BIKE SHOP EVER.
And you know what? It started raining HARD when they finished with my bike. And the shop was closed at 6pm... they let me stay 30 minutes extra until the rain stopped!!!!
What excellent folks at Bokah. They're local, they're real people, they treat you like a real person, and they get the job done. Go to Bokah!
Bokah is on St. Claude, just before Poland and the Industrial Canal Bridge. Really easy to get to, and you can even load your bike (if broken) onto one of the St. Claude buses! Please check Bokah out, and go there. If some other shop gives a bad attitude, or isn't helpful, or wants to overcharge -- go to Bokah.
Bokah does sell great vintage bikes if you do need one (tons of beautiful vintage Schwinns when I was in there), and many other types of bikes that they restore themselves.
They also have a service that for $20, they will come pick up your broken bike so they can repair it. (How can you get a bike to the shop if your bike is broken? Bokah will go get it!)
Thank you BOKAH!!!!!