Fairhaven Bicycle

Went here to rent a bike and the owner John advised that they had just sold them all at their labor day sale. He then proceeded to take a brand new specialized encore in my size down from the rack and said I could take that one. Great customer service in my eyes. No other bike shop could touch their rental price for the week either. Great all around experience!

We have been looking for a new BMX bike for our son. After looking around we found a SCREAMING deal on Fairhaven Bicycle’s website. The price was truly great so we presumed it was a close-​out deal or something. The bike was listed as in-​stock. My wife placed the order and then headed out to get some shopping done and then go grab the bike.
Three hours later when she was on her way home my wife had me call the shop to see if the bike was ready to pick up. I called the shop, asked about the order and was placed on hold while they checked. The woman who answered the phone came back a couple times with questions about the order before placing me on hold one more time.
The phone was then picked up by a man called Casey who explained that the bike had to be special ordered in from the warehouse and wouldn’t be ready today, that it would be at least a few days. He suggested I call my wife to let her know so she didn’t waste a stop, and he requested I call him right back to get more details. I did just that.
When I called back, Casey told me that the bike actually wouldn’t be available, that it was somehow listed incorrectly on their website by the supplier (?) and that he had just talked to the guys downstairs (I presume at the shop) who had pulled the bike from their website around the time my wife placed the order. I have a suspicion that the bike was pulled from their website after (or because) my wife placed the order, which set off their alarms — a good bike at too good of a price.
I am thoroughly unsatisfied with this experience with a somewhat reputable local business. Their website listed a bike as in-​stock at a great price and we were able to place our order. I was told it would take a few days to get the bike in and was then told it wasn’t going to happen. Errors happen, I understand, but I believe this order should have been honored. We will be taking our business elsewhere.
I’d give the experience zero stars, but Casey was exceedingly polite and understanding when dealing with my displeasure over the phone.

If you are needing bike repair, DO NOT go here. There are many other places to go with out the pretention and fraud I experienced. What a terrible experience to say the least.

This is the first time in 15 years of patronizing Fairhaven that I have had a problem. I bought a new Sirrus hybrid. They set it up out of the box. First, the tires had only 40 psi in them when the range was 70 –100. Secondly, on my first ride the computer sensor came loose and finally they installed the paniers incorrectly failing to adjust the clips to fit the rack. They were responsive to my concerns and hopefully quality control will improve as it is still my bike shop of choice in Bellingham.

Wow — I don’t think I’ve had service this good an ANY retail shop that I’ve ever been in! They totally stand by there product, are very professional, and know what they are doing not to mention they were super fast getting my bike in for service. I can’t recommend them enough! If you have a specialized bike and/​or need bike service this is the shop you want to deal with. I’d also like to say that I’m impressed by the support that the owner, John Hauter gives to the bicycling community in Bellingham.

Staff were friendly enough. Snowboard sizes are limited. But the rental fee is great if you can get a size to fit you. $ 25 for 48 hrs, then $ 8 for each additional day (snowboard only). But unlike most other ski shops, if you return the board the next day when the store opens (after the initial 48 hrs), they still charge you for the day. But I suppose you still come out ahead because of the low rental fee. And if you’re returning it on a sunday, you’ll have to book it out of mt baker early to get to the shop by their 5pm closing time.

They Fixed my bent axle and punctured rear tire, now i can’t ride my bike. I was quoted $ 50-​$ 60 but was charged $ 90 and they did work on my bike without calling me to let me know much it would cost. I will take my bike somewhere else next time

I’ve been a customer at Fairhaven Bike and Ski for 14 years, even after having moved to Seattle 5 years ago. A recent experience there confirmed why I keep coming back.
My 2003 Specialized S-​Works road frame (purchased new at this store) failed after nine years and A LOT of miles. I brought the bike in and spoke to Rowan about the possibility of a pro-​rated replacement frame. Less than 24 hours later, Rowan called to let me know that Specialized had already sent a brand new 2008 full carbon S-​Works Tarmac frame, AT NO COST. The frame arrived in just 5 days.
Rowan was very knowledgable and helpful with helping me to select a new component group for my new frame, and he was very fair with the build-​up price.
I’ve noticed that employees tend to stay awhile at this shop. you see the same people there year after year, which is nice because you get to know them and come to rely on them. Its not a perfect store by any stretch, but If something isn’t right, they fix it. There are no excuses, and no BS stories. These people. Guy, Mike S, Mike K, Rowan, Max, Thierry etc know what they are talking about because they ride, they ski, and they ride some more.
After getting ear-​fulls of BS from some Seattle shops, this place is worth the trip to Bellingham.

I took my bike here a couple of weeks ago to get some modifications done
(After having a crap experience at Kulshans in downtown bham)
These folks were great… very polite, good customer service…
had my bike done when promised and done well… result
new long term customer!
Fairhaven bike shop: good service — I give them my $$$$
Kulshan: bad service — I go out of my way to make sure as many people as poss. dont give them their money… FYI Kulshan. thats how that crap service thing works!

The post from «Tanya» is the bike repair manager’s wife pretending to be a customer. Very disappointing that ethics is not this shops strong suit.

I’ve gone in there numerous times and never bought anything. The atmosphere in there isn’t very inviting and there never seems to be any good deals. Ended up going to Fanatiks Bike Co. for all my biking needs and was much happier there.

If you want help with Ski gear Eric is the MAN he will set you strait on any question you have on skiing! Good tuning as well on your skies. Thanks Eric for all your great advice on boots and skies!

I was not so impressed with place but I will cut them a break since my experience was not all bad. 1^st time we came here we got good service.
I was shopping for a carbon frame road bike for me and my wife.
Came on on a nice sunny day and walked around the bike’s for 10 min and 2 employees just walked passed me and stood behind the counter standing. I took my business somewhere else and bought a killer Kestrel road racing bike for my wife at Performance Bicycle.

Friendly service and dog friendly. Good place to get bikes and skis tuned up.

We went here to get a rim repaired.
They charged us $ 40 more than their original estimate and didn’t call to confirm what they decided to do. So when I went to pick up the rim and asked about the difference in price, the answer was oh well.

This is the premier spot in bellingham to get your goods for biking and for the slopes up at baker. The people here know their stuff and they aren’t afraid to dive into an amateur’s knowledge level. And they can cut you a good deal sometimes.