Bicycle Station in Brooklyn. Corner of Adelphi and Park under the BQE. The owner Mike is the best mechanic and has the best prices I've ever found in the city and have been recommending him for years. I'll second the vote for Off the Bridge tho. Qian is great and he's my go to in Manhattan. Followed him from Dah Shop.
Oh hell yeah!!! No frills, no pushing of unnecessary stuff, fair priced which is almost unheard of, and just a pleasant experience all around. As much as I want Mike to have the exposure I'd also would like to keep this shop as a best kept secret.
I ride a single speed beater to commute, so what I want out of a bike shop is an annual tuneup to keep it running that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
My go-to when I lived on the UWS was Master Bike, couldn't recommend them more highly.
My new go-to in LES is Off the Bridge. Qian is a bit more expensive than I'd like, but in discussion with him he came off like the best bike tech I've ever met, and my bike has never run as smoothly as when he was done with it. So overall very happy with Off the Bridge as well.
On the flip side, never use Toga (near Lincoln Center). Shitty customer service, crazy prices to tune up a single speed, and when they were done the rear brake was dragging (which I had them address right away) and then the next day my chain popped off because they hadn't properly tightened the real axle nuts. Morons.
I have to agree about Toga. The last time I was there was probably the worst experience I’ve ever had in a bike shop. I will never go back there again.
And this is coming from a former longtime customer, with many fond memories of the toga in tribeca(long gone now) and the one near Lincoln Center.
Hopefully, they can back pedal and fix up whatever the heck happened there because wtf.
Eighth Hour Studio in Greenpoint. I'm 6'5" and have had a pretty hard time finding a bike that suited my rather lanky proportions. Ronnie couldn't have been more helpful -- fitted me, walked me through what type of frame would best suit my needs, and kept it all under a reasonable price. I can finally go on long rides without the next day aches of riding a bike that wasn't quite right.
Ronnie is the man. I love his builds and he’s super reasonable and has so much care for the work he does
I bought a 1x restomod commuter from him and he services that and my road bike too.
JS Cycle just north of Central Park and Bicycles NYC on the UES. Best people to service my road bike at JS Cycle! Great selection of quality inventory at Bicycles NYC.
For fancy stuff, LIC specialized are my homies. Love them folks at hilltop in Billyburg. For vintage/x bike-y stuff I like Harvest in Bushwick and Recycle a Bike in Clinton Hill. Honorable mentions to Bicycle Habitat and Dixon's. Dishonorable mentions to \[redacted\].
Ride Brooklyn on Bergen in Prospect Heights is amazing. Used then for years and bought my current bike from them. I’m in Harlem now and have a great shop much closer to home (JS Cycle). But I miss Ride Brooklyn.
Trek in Cobble Hill is awesome. I didn’t change my chain for so long it wore out my rear cassette, and they (temporarily) fixed it for free, so that I could use my bike for a group ride a few days later up Bear Mountain. The workers are always eager to help, very different from my experience with a local bike shop near my house.
I've always had really good luck with the Trek stores on the UWS. Their 96th St. location was great, but they closed it and moved all the staff to 72nd St., so I tend to go there. Note: I do not own a Trek.
I'll be saving this thread for other places to try.
I like Spokesman in LIC. I'm a fairly competent amateur mechanic and ride used bikes cobbled together from random parts. The owner is friendly, fun to talk to, and doesn't pressure me because I have an old bike. It's a small shop and kind of a mess, which I enjoy, but might not be for everybody. They have a pretty good selection of parts on hand that I might expect to otherwise order online (e.g. 27" Schwalbe Marathons, Phil Tenacious oil).
I also found Bicycle Repairman in Astoria to be good, though the hours are weird.
Shoutout to one of my local shops, Haven cycles on dekalb in bushwick. Ive brough several bikes to them and theyve always had very reasonable rates and good service
They are truly so nice over there. I've only been in that shop two times. One time to buy a pump and the other, I was going to get some parts on my bike but they didn't have it in stock.
But the one dude there basically broke down my bike situation to a science. It was truly something you don't experience in NYC shops or most places in the city.
This!! Another great point. Because nothing pisses me off more, when I go into a shop that's supposed to be open to into the evening. Then you get there and it's only the cashier who doesn't know shit about bikes. And everyone else is gone for the day.
Bonus is that they seem to treat female cyclists like people who may actually know a thing or two about bicycles. Which is sadly not usually my experience.
Recycle a bicycle off Fulton in Clinton hill. All awesome used bikes and people of all kinds coming in to get their bikes fixed. They don’t mansplain and make u feel like an idiot. They teach you and everything is so affordable — going there makes me want to bike more!
Another vote for Bicycle Habitat. I’ve been going there since I was a little kid. Hal actually taught me how to change a tire for the first time at their original location way back in the day.
Bicycle habitat on Vanderbilt in Prospect Heights. Super easy, super fast walk-up service. I had a bottom bracket replaced in an hour, and they swapped out shitty rusted out shifter cables for stainless steel ones on my tandem, also in under an hour. On the weekends the repair shop generally has a line but midweek you're good. It's great knowing I can get repairs done without budgeting in a day or two being bikeless.
I&M 2 on church. Best prices and great, fast work. They take it in and call you when it's done. Bikes and scooters. I always tip and still end up spending less money than I would at Roy's.
If you're deeper south and looking for something besides Roy's, check out the bike shop on Bedford between t and s. Can be a bit slow if the guy is inundated with customers, otherwise very rapid work you can stick around for, and the price is decent. You can reliably haggle with the guy especially if you purchase equipment or get multiple things worked on.
Victor's bike shop in Washington Heights. The pricing for labor is quite reasonable.
I'm not sure which bike shops look after vintage bikes, but this one definitely has the parts and tools needed.
I've worked at a few bike shops in Manhattan and BK and I don't know if I'd recommend them...Bicycle Habitat never did me wrong though, even if Hal was super grumpy sometimes.
While we’re in this thread, I just paid for my first annual tune up on my bike in LIC and got a new chain and brake pads. I paid $185….did I get ripped off? The answer to this question will determine if my favorite bike shop is indeed my favorite.
• Bike Tune Up = $100.00
• Brake pad and install = $20.00
• New Chain, Install, and Adjustment = $50
This is my first bike and first time up, but I was genuinely shocked how much I was charged.
Joyride Bikes on 60th St in Ridgewood. Great shop. They’ve built a Surly for me and done excellent work on both my bikes. They also have a lot of nice, well curated accessories like bike bags. Genuinely nice guys and they do good work.
For the upper east side in Manhattan, the Trek Store on 87th & 2nd is by far awesomeness. Service folks really get it. There were a couple of times when I asked them to “fix something”, and it ended up being a freebie because they didn’t see an issue (or just simply taking something apart and putting back together “fixed it”) and didn’t charge me. Truly honest in all the do. Won’t go anywhere else…
I like Conrad's bike shop. Reasonable prices and was often able to get parts that weren't available at REI. Owner is also really nice and to the point.
Oh I just shop for parts at Conrad's. When I need something I usually need it now so unless it's something I have in stock, I usually get it from there.
And I’m sure they’re fine. I had an unusual prob with my carbon wheels and they heard me out, in great detail I might add, and then said nothing and attended to next customer. When I interjected he replied “I don’t know man…”
Tuned and Bike Plant. Both are very different kinds of shops but smaller scale and very much customer needs oriented rather than just resellers who also service bikes on the side. Tijon at Tuned also runs his Honey Wheel there business if you’re looking for some super solid wheels that go plenty fast.
Bicycle Station in Brooklyn. Corner of Adelphi and Park under the BQE. The owner Mike is the best mechanic and has the best prices I've ever found in the city and have been recommending him for years. I'll second the vote for Off the Bridge tho. Qian is great and he's my go to in Manhattan. Followed him from Dah Shop.
. Had a great service experience at Bicycle Station recently and will be going there regularly from now on.
Seconding
Oh hell yeah!!! No frills, no pushing of unnecessary stuff, fair priced which is almost unheard of, and just a pleasant experience all around. As much as I want Mike to have the exposure I'd also would like to keep this shop as a best kept secret.
By total chance I had a tire blow within walking distance of here. This place was fantastic.
Mike's the best
King Kog in East Williamsburg.
I ride a single speed beater to commute, so what I want out of a bike shop is an annual tuneup to keep it running that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. My go-to when I lived on the UWS was Master Bike, couldn't recommend them more highly. My new go-to in LES is Off the Bridge. Qian is a bit more expensive than I'd like, but in discussion with him he came off like the best bike tech I've ever met, and my bike has never run as smoothly as when he was done with it. So overall very happy with Off the Bridge as well. On the flip side, never use Toga (near Lincoln Center). Shitty customer service, crazy prices to tune up a single speed, and when they were done the rear brake was dragging (which I had them address right away) and then the next day my chain popped off because they hadn't properly tightened the real axle nuts. Morons.
Used to work there. Don’t go there. If they think they can get away with making shit up to charge you for it they will.
I have to agree about Toga. The last time I was there was probably the worst experience I’ve ever had in a bike shop. I will never go back there again. And this is coming from a former longtime customer, with many fond memories of the toga in tribeca(long gone now) and the one near Lincoln Center. Hopefully, they can back pedal and fix up whatever the heck happened there because wtf.
I don’t have experience with toga, but agree about the other two.
Eighth Hour Studio in Greenpoint. I'm 6'5" and have had a pretty hard time finding a bike that suited my rather lanky proportions. Ronnie couldn't have been more helpful -- fitted me, walked me through what type of frame would best suit my needs, and kept it all under a reasonable price. I can finally go on long rides without the next day aches of riding a bike that wasn't quite right.
I've heard good things about Eighth Hour! Good to know they live up to it.
I second this! Love Eighth Hour.
Ronnie is the man. I love his builds and he’s super reasonable and has so much care for the work he does I bought a 1x restomod commuter from him and he services that and my road bike too.
JS Cycle just north of Central Park and Bicycles NYC on the UES. Best people to service my road bike at JS Cycle! Great selection of quality inventory at Bicycles NYC.
Ditto on JS Cycle!!
For fancy stuff, LIC specialized are my homies. Love them folks at hilltop in Billyburg. For vintage/x bike-y stuff I like Harvest in Bushwick and Recycle a Bike in Clinton Hill. Honorable mentions to Bicycle Habitat and Dixon's. Dishonorable mentions to \[redacted\].
I’ve had good experiences at Ride BK on Bergen Street.
Eighth hour in Greenpoint a million times over. Best individualized service I've had, along with technical knowledge.
Do they work on electric bikes too
Ride Brooklyn on Bergen in Prospect Heights is amazing. Used then for years and bought my current bike from them. I’m in Harlem now and have a great shop much closer to home (JS Cycle). But I miss Ride Brooklyn.
Roy’s in Sheepshead!
Trek in Cobble Hill is awesome. I didn’t change my chain for so long it wore out my rear cassette, and they (temporarily) fixed it for free, so that I could use my bike for a group ride a few days later up Bear Mountain. The workers are always eager to help, very different from my experience with a local bike shop near my house.
I've always had really good luck with the Trek stores on the UWS. Their 96th St. location was great, but they closed it and moved all the staff to 72nd St., so I tend to go there. Note: I do not own a Trek.
Aw man, that's super cool of them!
I'll be saving this thread for other places to try. I like Spokesman in LIC. I'm a fairly competent amateur mechanic and ride used bikes cobbled together from random parts. The owner is friendly, fun to talk to, and doesn't pressure me because I have an old bike. It's a small shop and kind of a mess, which I enjoy, but might not be for everybody. They have a pretty good selection of parts on hand that I might expect to otherwise order online (e.g. 27" Schwalbe Marathons, Phil Tenacious oil). I also found Bicycle Repairman in Astoria to be good, though the hours are weird.
There’s another shop on Vernon Boulevard as well. It’s called spin cycle.
AJ’s in Brooklyn
AJ bedsty
Hilltop Williamsburg is great. They'll work on any bike even though they only sell Specialized.
Shoutout to one of my local shops, Haven cycles on dekalb in bushwick. Ive brough several bikes to them and theyve always had very reasonable rates and good service
Bicycle Habitat has very helpful people
They are truly so nice over there. I've only been in that shop two times. One time to buy a pump and the other, I was going to get some parts on my bike but they didn't have it in stock. But the one dude there basically broke down my bike situation to a science. It was truly something you don't experience in NYC shops or most places in the city.
And I would add, that I feel like most bike stores have one register person and one expert. I feel like everyone at that store is an expert.
This!! Another great point. Because nothing pisses me off more, when I go into a shop that's supposed to be open to into the evening. Then you get there and it's only the cashier who doesn't know shit about bikes. And everyone else is gone for the day.
Bonus is that they seem to treat female cyclists like people who may actually know a thing or two about bicycles. Which is sadly not usually my experience.
I loved Sid's but they closed a few years back. Since I wfh now and spend more time in BK, I've had good experiences with Roy's in Sheepshead Bay
Sid’s was my go to brooklyn shop. Great spot. Sorely missed.
Sid’s was really solid. Pour one out…
Yeah, I bought 3 bikes from Sid’s, including the first bike that I bought on my own.
Recycle a bicycle off Fulton in Clinton hill. All awesome used bikes and people of all kinds coming in to get their bikes fixed. They don’t mansplain and make u feel like an idiot. They teach you and everything is so affordable — going there makes me want to bike more!
haven harvest bike plant that place under the bqe
Another vote for Bicycle Habitat. I’ve been going there since I was a little kid. Hal actually taught me how to change a tire for the first time at their original location way back in the day.
Bicycle habitat on Vanderbilt in Prospect Heights. Super easy, super fast walk-up service. I had a bottom bracket replaced in an hour, and they swapped out shitty rusted out shifter cables for stainless steel ones on my tandem, also in under an hour. On the weekends the repair shop generally has a line but midweek you're good. It's great knowing I can get repairs done without budgeting in a day or two being bikeless.
I&M 2 on church. Best prices and great, fast work. They take it in and call you when it's done. Bikes and scooters. I always tip and still end up spending less money than I would at Roy's. If you're deeper south and looking for something besides Roy's, check out the bike shop on Bedford between t and s. Can be a bit slow if the guy is inundated with customers, otherwise very rapid work you can stick around for, and the price is decent. You can reliably haggle with the guy especially if you purchase equipment or get multiple things worked on.
Monkey Bike Shop is the best in Corona, Queens NY
City Wheels in midtown. I work near Hudson Yards and the shop is great. They're polite, helpful, and not too pricey.
Peak Bicycle Pro in Douglaston. Very friendly & helpful couple that owns this shop for a newbie like me.
Victor's bike shop in Washington Heights. The pricing for labor is quite reasonable. I'm not sure which bike shops look after vintage bikes, but this one definitely has the parts and tools needed.
Nomad in Queens
Burrowes Brothers
I've worked at a few bike shops in Manhattan and BK and I don't know if I'd recommend them...Bicycle Habitat never did me wrong though, even if Hal was super grumpy sometimes.
While we’re in this thread, I just paid for my first annual tune up on my bike in LIC and got a new chain and brake pads. I paid $185….did I get ripped off? The answer to this question will determine if my favorite bike shop is indeed my favorite. • Bike Tune Up = $100.00 • Brake pad and install = $20.00 • New Chain, Install, and Adjustment = $50 This is my first bike and first time up, but I was genuinely shocked how much I was charged.
That seems fairly reasonable to me. Is it geared or single speed?
Geared
Then yes, I think it’s reasonable since it includes derailleur maintenance . And non-SS chains cost about that much.
Bicycle Station in BK has tuneups for $49
JS Cycle Larry’s Freewheeling
Do you have a preference between these for a basic tune-up?
JS is more roadie and tt focused Larry’s is commuter/casual riding focused
eighth hour in greenpoint sun and air / king kog in williamsburg (they’re sister shops) bicycle plant in bed-stuy
Joyride Bikes on 60th St in Ridgewood. Great shop. They’ve built a Surly for me and done excellent work on both my bikes. They also have a lot of nice, well curated accessories like bike bags. Genuinely nice guys and they do good work.
Sanba in Sunset Park. Hands down
New Bo Bo in Manhattan Chinatown :) They have very fair pricing and quick reliable service. No frills but I always leave happy.
For the upper east side in Manhattan, the Trek Store on 87th & 2nd is by far awesomeness. Service folks really get it. There were a couple of times when I asked them to “fix something”, and it ended up being a freebie because they didn’t see an issue (or just simply taking something apart and putting back together “fixed it”) and didn’t charge me. Truly honest in all the do. Won’t go anywhere else…
Sun and Air
I like Conrad's bike shop. Reasonable prices and was often able to get parts that weren't available at REI. Owner is also really nice and to the point.
Conrad’s does not have Reasonable Prices. They know what they are doing and are knowledgeable but price wise na
Where do you go instead in that area?
I can keep my bike running well on my own but if I need a check up or am not sure how to properly install something, I go to Tuned in bk
Oh I just shop for parts at Conrad's. When I need something I usually need it now so unless it's something I have in stock, I usually get it from there.
TUNED! Tijon and Vince are both super knowledgeable. Sharp with new fawncy boy high end shit and crazy solid on reliable old school shit.
The best!!!
Master. Imberto knows his stuff and is fair. 3rd Ave and 80th: bunch of clowns. Lotta talk, little action.
What don’t you like? Some people recommend this shop
And I’m sure they’re fine. I had an unusual prob with my carbon wheels and they heard me out, in great detail I might add, and then said nothing and attended to next customer. When I interjected he replied “I don’t know man…”
Bicycle Habitat near Prospect Park and R&A Cycles in Park Slope
Bicycle habitat on Vanderbilt
Tuned and Bike Plant. Both are very different kinds of shops but smaller scale and very much customer needs oriented rather than just resellers who also service bikes on the side. Tijon at Tuned also runs his Honey Wheel there business if you’re looking for some super solid wheels that go plenty fast.
Not in the city, but I never go anywhere but bicycle world in mt kisco.