Visited the store today only for NO one to acknowledged that I was in the store. There was an older looking white lady help a white man when I walked in we passed each other as she was going to check that gentleman out, but to NEVER come back around to ask me if I need some help. She actually walked around the store to do other things(who knows what) but all in all never acknowledged me. Another young lady walked and walked around until a service gentleman asked if he could help her which he did (I applaud him). But for me because i NEVER was approached/acknowledged I just simply left with out any help. I will NEVER buy or refer anyone to bicycle chain.!!!!!!! read more

Highly recommended!!! My wife had an issue with her seat. We took it in at 4:00 on a Sunday, not the most optimal time, as they would be closing in less than an hour. However, Corbin saved the day! Incredible customer service! He fixed her issue in less than 10 minutes and didn't charge us for the fix. I will certainly be purchasing my next bike from this phenomenal store. Thank you, again, Corbin! Excellent "mid-western" customer service/ experience. read more

The team at Bicycle Chain Durham is awesome! We purchased our bikes with BC and regularly get them serviced here too. Mike Larson and Cameron Cook provide expert advice and swift service and also go above and beyond to help! We highly recommend this team to friends! read more

The reason I'm giving this place 2 stars is because we went there on a Saturday because I was in the market for my first high-end bike. Josh was the guy who worked with us, showed us around and for sure he knew his stuff. BUT he pressured us into making an order by Sunday because there was only one left of the bike I wanted in the country, so he said if you order by Sunday you will get it by next Wednesday maybe earlier. So we did as advised. I call on Thursday, a day after they were supposed to call me and it turned out that he put the bike in the cart, made his commission but never actually ordered it until the store manager came the next day and placed the order. And as you can imagine that one left was already sold and I have to wait for a month and half to get mine! I would give them one star if they didn't have good bikes. So the take home message is if you were to order from there, make sure they actually place the order. read more

Bought a set of wheels here, it took over a week just to get them installed, and that was before the COVID-19 slowdown. When I received the bicycle back, the front wheel wobbled so bad I couldn't ride it even to the end of the block. I had to take it back, of course. The person at the counter said "Not sure what happened? Usually we do a test ride, but yeah, this is really bad!" No apology. No "We're sorry for your inconvenience." No discount, or coupon for future sales or service. I guess I was supposed to be satisfied with their admission "Yeah, this is bad. This shouldn't happen." Then it took another week or more to get my back bike with the new wheels installed correctly. I gave them a few more chances since then, but it's been downhill from there. The last time I went in, they let it be known the pandemic had been a bonanza for them, they had more business than they could handle, and that puts them in the catbird seat (catbird seat my words, not theirs). Really sad. Another customer no-service situation. Good local bike shops may be a thing of the past. Well, if you have $12,000 to spend on a top-of-the-line bike, maybe they'll treat you a little better? I had purchased two Specialized bikes new from them, but I guess they weren't expensive enough bikes to make me a valued customer. read more

They were so rude to me I just walked out. My stomach would be in knots if I would've given them any money. Why they think they can treat customers however they want bothers me. Rei was much nicer and same pricing with better warranty. read more

I promise, yelpers, this is my FINAL bike shop review. We will return to your regularly scheduled programming of food porn shortly. So yes, after a terrific visit at sister store, The Clean Machine, we headed here to check out the inventory (which is different). Phil had a very specific bike in mind, but it was on backorder until December. So the manager recommended a few other comparable models. She seemed to be one of the most knowledgeable people we've spoken to in our whole Bike Store Tour, in terms of finding the proper fit -- especially important since hubby has a long torso and long legs. When Phil fell in like with a bike that wasn't in his size, they offered to have it brought over from the sister store in Raleigh so he could check it out without having to drive out there. This store is quite large compared to the others in Durham, and has many of the accessories you might want. We got the bike rack we wanted there, after researching brands online. Maybe by virtue of its size, it did feel less cozy and personable than the other stores. But we still had a great experience with everyone we interacted with there! read more

The Bicycle Chain - Durham - Bikes Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

If you like to be ripped off by unfriendly, dismissive people. The Bicycle Chain-Durham is the place for you. I was charged $86 for a 15 minute assembly of my child's Razor Rip Rider Trike in the record time of over 3 weeks. I questioned the owner, asking if they have assembly difficulty dependent pricing and he said he already dropped the price from $135 to $86 and wasn't all that comfortable with that. This was more than the cost of the bike. Looking to get new bikes, rack etc for family this summer. Will NOT be going back to the Bicycle Chain Durham. read more

Excellent customer service for repairs & at reasonable prices! Very responsive to customer needs. This is my family's go-to bike shop!

Came in with pieces missing from my bike rack and Mike was so helpful and innovative! I'll be back soon!

The workers here are great and reasonable prices. Took my bike here for a tune up and brake adjustment. Will be returning

I ended up going to the Durham location, the store manager Desiree was wonderful. She introduced me to Mr. Scott S. (Bike Mechanic) who solved the problem with my bike. Scott was great, very professional, eager to help and diagnosed my problem quickly. Your Durham team, gained a new customer and fan today. I truly appreciate their effort and support. My hat goes off to Scott for all his help. I will be back for regular maintenance. Thanks! read more

This place has really gone the extra mile and won me over. Just so it's clear who I am when it comes to bikes- I'm a bike commuter, and have been for a couple of years. I've never built my own bike or anything, my bike actually has more than 1 gear, and it cost less than $500 new. So I'm neither a spandex-clad jackass nor a grungy hipster. I try to do all my own repairs. It's partly a manly pride thing, it's partly that I hate spending money on things I can do myself. The Bicycle Chain has a repair shop, but they'll also sell you parts. This is standard. What's perhaps less standard, I feel, is the amount of work the staff is willing to do to help you fix your own bike. From the Bicycle Chain I've purchased inner tube patches, a new tube, brake pads for a road bike, a spoke to replace one that snapped, a gear-cassette wrench adapter, a spoke wrench, and a chain whip. They've almost all been tiny purchases (the spoke was $1), but the staff has been knowledgeable and willing to spend the time necessary to make sure I got the right part (15 gauge spokes for my prissy road bike, not a more sensible 14 gauge) and to make sure I knew how to do the repair. I've gotten demos and detailed instructions which have been more helpful than my standard 'Just Google it' philosophy. I think I'd hesitate to buy a new bike here due to the prices I saw on tags, but I'm not their target audience- I'm both poor and a cheapskate. However, when my girlfriend was shopping for a used bike, we went by and talked to them. They didn't have anything in her size (she's tiny), but they took her phone number and we continued our search on Craigslist. A week later, the Bike Chain called. We'd forgotten that we'd even left a phone number there, but they had a newly-refurbed used bike in just her size, at a bargain price. I mean, I know they have a motivation to call and make a sale, but they didn't try to force it- they had exactly what she'd asked for, for cheaper than she'd budgeted. Service, ladies and gentlemen. It wins customers. I'm a big proponent of e-commerce, and I most of what I buy I order off of Amazon. Even if Amazon were cheaper than the Bike Chain for my bike supplies, and it has NOT been for each of my purchases there so far, I'd stick with the Bike Chain and give the local shop my dollar. read more

My little girl (4 yrs old) was so excited when she saw a pink helmet when she first entered the store. I was smiling and happy for her. That was quickly squelched as the saleswoman (dark hair, didn't catch her name) informed me that the giant glass case of helmets was "not for climbing." No kidding. After I informed her that my daughter needed a bike, she continued to approach me and my children with a contemptuous attitude, as if she were more afraid of what we were going to do to her store than having any concern with helping my daughter get her first bike. I regret having gone to this place. Despite the train table in the corner, I did not find them family friendly at all. Perhaps the other sales people might have been different, but this saleswoman did not seem to understand her youngest customers' needs, nor did she have any respect or compassion for a parent of young children. I don't care that they had a fancy display case and a large selection of bikes. Bad attitudes don't get my business. read more

The Durham location moved to Chapel Hill!. Apparently the Whole Foods next door had a lease option on their space and decided to expand, so they pushed my bike shop out. And apparently they moved to open a second shop in Chapel HIll. What? You say. But this says it's the "Durham" location! Okay, yes, technically their address may still say "Durham", but this new location on 15-501 and 40 is about as far out of Durham as you can be and still be able to reasonably claim to be the "Durham" store. I'm sure it's still great (it will be a while before I bother to head anywhere near there), but I'm not sure how being at the intersection of two behemoth highways is supposed to encourage bike commuting. read more

From my first glance I wouldn't call this a small local bike shop but more of a "chain" as the name states. There are a couple shops in the triangle area that sell new Treks and Specialized MTB and road bikes. In addition the store carries children's frames and commuter bikes for those looking to save on gas or the ozone. I have to admit that I enjoy window shopping for high end MTB's but I didn't see any here today. I did see a large selection of mid level bikes that would appeal to the average or new off road trail riding buyer. I can't comment on the service or sales staff as I was in a hurry and just wanted to pop in and get my token water bottle for my collection. I was however greeted as soon as I walked in and asked if I needed any help. The shop kinda reminded my of a smaller version of a Performance Bikes. read more

Have bought a couple of bikes from Bicycle Chain. They have always done a good job on maintenance and have been very quick on turn around. Never had any bad repairs. It would be nice if the Durham store had a little better selection of bikes and accessories but have always found their mechanics to be pretty knowledgeable. read more

Talk about superb customer service!!! Grazie mille Rob for your rocking a quick repair of my shifter, and for translating technical details into comprehensible guidance. I am in awe of your expertise and elated to have found a new go-to bike shop now that we've started riding again. Can't wait to return!! Again infinite t read more

I wanted to like this place, I really did. I love Durham and I do my best to support local business. But I cannot in good conscience give them a good review. Or even a mediocre review. This isn't just a review regarding a singular bad experience, either. I've gone to the Bicycle Chain several times over the past 4 years. What made me go back so often? See the first two sentences of this review. Really I hadn't had any particularly great experiences with them in the past, but then anyone who uses their bike as a primary form of transportation knows, getting your bike repaired is a lot like taking your car in for repairs. That is, you instinctively distrust, dislike, or outright fear the experience. Asking someone to evaluate some piece of complicated machinery wherein problems with said machinery would greatly benefit them financially is already a risky business. So you should always be prepared for the worst. All that said, bikes should theoretically be cheaper. And they usually are. The problem is therefore more in the experience than the cost. After a few experiences with them (tune-ups, part replacements, etc.), I recently took my bike in to have a rim replaced and new grips put on. Nothing very complicated. A week and a half after dropping my bike off, however, I called to see what was up. I was told that they did not have the proper rim color available on-site, nor was it available from their distributor. They'd discovered this within a day of me dropping my bike off, but didn't call to ask me what they should do. Instead they just let my bike sit there for 10 days until I called. I told them that I'm okay with any color rim so long as it's the right fit/size. They say okay and that they'll order what they can. Another week passes with no word. I call. They tell me that they ordered the part but then were told that there was some kind of issue with shipping and the other type they'd tried to order wasn't available from the distributor. But they will call today to find another. Still another week. I stop by and ask what's up. Okay, the rim's here now and it's on the schedule for Tuesday. Tuesday comes and goes... no word. I call. It's not done yet. Check back. Another week. I call. Oh, it was done yesterday. Total time to replace a rim and put new grips on: over a month. Okay, I get it -- stuff happens. You have to rely on external vendors to send you stuff and sometimes things get mixed up or go missing or whatever. I get that. I've worked in retail and it sucks to be the middleman who gets yelled at by the customer because of someone else's inadequacy. All that said: HOW ABOUT SOME FREAKIN' COMMUNICATION?? If it takes you that long to perform relatively basic bike-repair tasks, the least you can do is keep the customer informed. Even car repair jockeys aren't that inept. People hate taking their cars to garages for repairs, but mechanics will still keep in touch so you'll know what's going on, even if you don't end up liking it. Never during the 35 or so days that my bike was there did they ever let me know what's going on without my first contacting them. (And I know it wasn't an issue of poor legibility of my phone number because two separate individuals on two separate occasions read it back to me perfectly.) This experience disappointed me on several levels. First, it was a (mostly) local Durham business that I finally had to concede was inadequate. Second, it reminded me why biking doesn't get the respect it deserves: because even those who deal in it don't give it the proper respect. (Think about it -- car repair places keep you informed of what's up with your car because it's seen as a NECESSITY. Bikes are still treated like a hobby even by the dealers/repair shops. Never once did they consider that this was a primary mode of transportation and therefore information was vital.) Thirdly, they seemed totally oblivious to the inconvenience it caused and the poor service/communication they'd offered. Total cost for new grips and new rim installed over the course of 35ish days: around $200. I'm sure other people had okay experiences previously, and even my previous ones have been passable if not stellar, but this most recent one to me indicated failings at the most fundamental levels of customer service. Got to recommend against them as a whole. read more

Can't recommend the Bicycle Chain. My wife popped in to inquire about low-cost options for a commuter bike and was essentially laughed at and made to feel unwelcome by the elitist sales staff. This might be a great place to go if you are planning to drop couple grand but if you're not you may be better off with the customer service offered by Target or Walmart. read more

While the Bicycle Chain is pretty expansive with respect to size in the local bike shop world, the employees here truly do take care of you and do not make you feel stupid in any way. Believe me, that's important when you're someone like me (a lifelong off and on again cyclist that never really learned much about bike maintenance or the like and thus is always intimidated by true "bike people"). And yes, the technicians and floor people here are truly bike nerds in every possible way. Clearly, they know just about everything there is to know about bikes, but you also get the sense they either just finished a ride before coming in to work or are gearing up for one after work. Hardcore. They offer a pretty wide variety of bikes (road, mountain, hybrid, dual sport, kids', etc) with Trek, Cannondale, and Specialized being their primary brands. Should you purchase a bike from The Bicycle Chain, you automatically get a substantial amount off any service package offered at the store when your bike needs servicing, great 1 year warranty coverage, and an option to extend your warranty to 5 years for an additional cost of 10% of your bike's total cost. If you plan on cycling frequently and want to take care of your machine, you can imagine how valuable such coverage is! There is also a decent selection of cycling accessories and apparel within the store, and the store's website is a wealth of information. You can order from the standard online catalog or a special order catalog should you need a specialized part or want to gift a product to someone outside the Triangle, plus the website features videos and articles on a number of bike maintenance topics, general cycling tips, and bike buying tips among a ton of other topics. Are you an avid supporter of loving and nurturing your community? Well, the Bicycle Chain offers info (both in their store and online) on numerous local cycling events, cycling groups, and trail maps. With knowledgeable and approachable staff, a wide selection of products, competitive pricing, and community pride, the Bicycle Chain goes above and beyond what you want your local bike shop to be. Sure, the Whole Foods location in Durham was much sweeter (can't deny that!), but I think we can forgive these guys and gals given all that they do! read more

I recently purchased an ebike from this store in Durham because they were the only store in this franchise that had the correct size of the model I wanted in stock. I was familiar with the store in Apex, and those guys are super friendly and go out of their way to fix problems with your bike and make sure you have the correct adjustments or gear. The store in Durham is exactly the opposite, the people are rude, incompetent and lack basic people skills. They did nothing to make sure the bike I purchased was in good working order and properly adjusted. They could not answer any technical questions about the bike, and when I got home I found out that the bike was missing the BLE code (bluetooth) that was suppose to be in the manual or stuck to the bike on a sticker so I could not connect the phone app to the bike. I called twice and they finally said I had to take the bike apart to get the code since they lost the info. When I finally got connected to the bike, I found the odometer had over 62 km on it. I asked the manager if they sold me a demo instead of a new bike, and he said that people rode it around the parking lot some and "what did I want them to do about it?" 36 miles around the parking lot?? I wish now I had gone to REI and bought a Cannondale. The traffic pattern to get into this store is dangerous, the store is dingy, dark, and dirty, everyone I met there was rude, and I feel like they ripped me off and were mad and dismissive that I caught them. Stay away from this place. It is odd that the other reviews are either really good (fake??) or all really bad, nothing in between. read more

Unfriendly staff. I went to get a new tube put on and back brakes. Was told the tube is $100. I'm no everyday rider but I know for sure brake pads and a tube shouldn't cost $160. The two working at the time didn't even seem like they liked being there. read more

We stopped in here first thing today on our way for a ride. One of our tires was having issues, and we couldn't figure out how to fix it. We were nervous, because our bikes aren't like the high end ones they sell. The staff was amazing!! Took us right back, and not only fixed the bike, but showed us how to do it. We will be back... what a great shop! read more

Got a great deal on a CAAD 10 there a few weeks back. I agree with other reviewers on the "extra mile" front, too. They are willing to do what it takes to make sure you love your new bike. About 2 weeks after I got the nike, they fixed a bent derailleur and replaced the chain for free! They were even nice enough to help me on my riding technique. read more

Knowledgeable staff, good service center, let us try several bikes in order to find what we wanted - what fit and felt right for us. Also able to service my ElliptiGo. read more

I have bought 2 bikes from the Bicycle Chain and have been consistently impressed by the patience and professionalism of the staff. They worked with me to pick bikes that fit my body and cycling style, and did not try to up-sell me. Although the store has less display space than some, the gear they carry is top quality and covers most needs. I will return here for my next needs. read more

Thank you Matt for fixing the brakes and adjusting the speeds my Dutch bike, a Batavus Lightning, after a spill on black ice. This is a thoroughly professional shop with knowledgeable bike mechanics. read more

The service isn't great. I brought my bike, with double flats, into the store, only to be chased out by a staff member who said he was afraid that I'd start trying to fix my bike myself...or so he said. On another occasion I asked for tubes with gooe in them. The response was a very patronising "that doesn't work". Well actually it does work, I used that for two years in Africa and it worked really well. Rather go to Back Alley Bikes in Chapel Hill, its worth the drive read more

If a small selection and snarky staff appeal to you, this is your place.

Had to return a recently purchased bike. I have found that returning bikes to a bike shop is usually a huge pain/ordeal. Not the case with this return. Our concerns were noted, and refund given for bike and and with no restock fees. Due to this pleasant surprise we will continue to shop here. read more

Went into The Bicycle Chain a few weeks ago as I was looking to purchase a bike. Walking in, the sales associate was very friendly and very knowledgeable; looking at past reviews online, I have to admit that I was a little skeptical; however, all of my experiences with the many different clerks proved to be fruitful. I have successfully purchased a bike from here and I love it. read more

I bought several high end bikes from these guys over the years. They always seemed to be the cheapest around. I never had any problems. They always charged my credit card the correct amount and immediately. However, when it came time for a return and credit card REFUND, forget about it. It has been weeks and nothing. I called them several times and even drove there two(2) hours one way. They gave me the run around and a BS excuse but no refund. I contacted the Better Business Bureau. I am not sure I would ever buy another bike from them, even with an apology and a huge discount. Someone needs to explain to them that bicycle dealers need REPEAT BUSINESS in order to survive. You have to be able to trust those with whom you do business. read more

had a super experience here this evening - brought in my bike for a repair, which Nick finished in about 10 minutes flat!! this was a pleasant surprise since back @ home (we're brand new to NC), i'd always had to drop off & wait 1-2 weeks for repairs or tune-ups. in the meantime the friendly lady @ the desk took the time to recommend biking & hiking spots & even the best barbeque restaurants in the area in response to our questions. not only is my bike ready to ride again tomorrow, but thanks to the bicycle chain it should be an awesome outdoor weekend! read more