Back Bay Bicycles

I’ve bought two bikes from them and am generally happy with their service. Wish I could remember the name of the guys who sold me my bike: super awesome and friendly! The mechanics are alright but slightly condescending. Tip: if you see something you like at their shop, write it down and then Google for it online. I saw a trainer in there that I bought for 50 $ less from Amazon (and this applies to a ton of items)

I came to back bay to get a new wheel because someone stole my front wheel. They were very helpful and prompt, so one star for personality. Cost me $ 110ish.
Fast forward two weeks, the new wheel goes flat on my commute home. Took it to the nearest different bike shop where the mechanic explained that the new wheel had the wrong tube and valve inside it AND the wrong liner tape stuff. $ 18 later, I’m good to go. But what a waste of money earlier.

Awesome! I’m a cycling newbie and when I needed a missing piece for a triathlon that weekend, Back Bay Bicycles was able to help me out! Everyone I talked to was super friendly, AND there was a puppy there — what more could you want?

I had issues with my mountain bike. It made a clicking noise that i could not resolve no matter what i did. I was certain that it was the bottom bracket and took it to BBB for repairs. They quickly looked at it and tightened the bracket. Problem solved and did not charge me a cent.

Here is the thing about bike shop reviews. Pissed off people who know little or nothing about bicycle repair are always going to leave one star reviews because they didn’t think they needed their brake pads replaced, and disgruntled shoppers who didn’t find their dream high end bicycle for $ 500 are going to be hypersensitive to perceived upselling when salespeople tell them what the bike they want will really cost. Pay these people little attention. I have bought, or brought my friends in to buy, a total of five bicycles at this shop, and in every instance the salespeople were honest and informative and not snobbish. You get attention the second you walk through the door (this is unfortunately not common in the industry), they reply to emails, they will help you pick out the bike or parts that you want, they will order pretty much anything for you, and they will always give you solid advice in a friendly way. I do my own bike repairs so I haven’t had much interaction with the mechanics, but the one time I had a crash nearby and brought my bike in, the mechanic who immediately looked at it surprised me by bending my dérailleur hanger back into place instead of trying to sell me a new one, and he got me going right away for no charge (I had bought the bike there so it was considered a free tune). I consider that great service.

Some of the employees here are quite arrogant if you don’t ask them the right questions.

I met Ric and his crew on a charity ride. They were excellent at diagnosing and repairing bike problems under less than ideal circumstances (out of the back of a truck in pouring rain). If this is indicative of the service in the shop, I would certainly recommend BBB.

As a relatively new cyclist, I find some bike shops to be a little bit intimidating. This is not the case at Back Bay Bicycle. I bought my bike there two years ago, and unfortunately, it was stolen recently. When I was shopping for a replacement, I wanted a certain color that wasn’t in stock and they ordered it for me with no hassle. Mike and Brendan are both super knowledgeable, friendly and approachable. They have never tried to oversell me, which would have been easy to do to a novice cyclist. The mechanic staff are super friendly as well. I love this shop because of the staff and highly recommend going there.

TLDR: I went in frustrated but understanding going in because the tube they replaced popped in a day.
When they were working on my bike I was happy because they said they would replace it for free
When I left I was pissed enough to make a Unilocal account, because they made me pay for what they said would be free.
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These guy are helpful and good at their jobs but they will lie directly to your face.
Yesterday I went in and had my tube changed and it popped going across the harvard bridge. This by itself was understandable because my tires were visibly worn out and needed to be replaced. I went back this morning to have the tube replaced or even buy a new tire. When I got in they said they have a 24 window where they replace it for free since they messed up on the work yesterday which they admitted they had.
I was like, «that’s pretty sick.» Because of this I decided that while the tube is free I should go ahead and replace the tire on the from wheel (the one on the tube that kept popping).
I’m getting ready to checkout and pay for the $ 20 tire that I thought would be the only thing I would have to pay for because they said the labor would be on the house because they messed up yesterday (bro move). They then tell me that I need to pay for a tube. Which is reasonable and I would have been fine with if they wouldn’t have told me at the beginning that it was on house.

I just spent about $ 60 on a tire that lasted 6 weeks. The guys from JRA Cycle insisted to bring it back to Back Bay Bicycles because that shouldn’t have happened. How can I change such an expensive tire after only 6 weeks. Well, they never installed it properly. every time I go in and I ve been there maybe like 6 times the manager is always online and he seems bothered if I ask him how much one of the bikes on the display costs. WHY??? If the price was on or I could SEE IT I would never ask you! Yup, I am not going there because they are not very knowledgeable and the tune up is free if you buy the bike from there but I think you get what you pay for.

I like these guys.
When my stolen bike was recovered after three years gone (shout out to the Arlington Police!), I brought it to Back Bay Bicycles for a tune-​up, expecting to pay for the top repair package. After all, the bike had been in the hands of an unsavory element (bike thieves) for years. In my mind, the thieves were actively abusing the bike in between riding it to mug innocent old ladies and throw eggs at soup kitchens, so naturally it would need some heavy duty TLC in order to be road-​worthy once more. To my surprise, I only needed a basic set of tune-​ups, a fact that the staff at Back Bay Bicycles proactively told me after a cursory examination of the bike, knowing full well I was willing to pay more at their say-​so. They did not take advantage.
Apparently my particular thieves took reasonable care of the bike, despite significantly dinging the paint and adding a truly hideous bottle holder that I would never have chosen.
This does not in any way excuse them for stealing my bike or all of the other heinous stuff they probably did.
More recently, I developed a flat tire situation without the corresponding motivation to fix it myself. I wheeled the bike back to my pals at Back Bay Bicycles. Fifteen minutes and $ 20 later, the rear tire was as good as new, with complimentary air in the intact front tire for matching bounce and rigor. The combination of time, money, and quality made this calculus solve to a positive value.
Long story short: The guys at Back Bay Bicycle do a great job fast for a reasonable price. They sell a lot of bikes and gear, so if you’re looking for something beyond a repair I bet they have you covered too.

Very very rude, overprice, overall simply sucks
This shop is not worth your money at all!
Came here 5 mins ealry before they opened. They guy came out right at 10 and asked him whether they are opened. His answer with an unpleasant face «the lights are off, the sign shows closed, what do you think?»
Fuck you dickhead! Is that what you called customer service!!! I
And the way he told his friends to give me a discount was «don’t charge him the service fee so that he could come and spend on more money and expensive stuff on us»
let me tell you something. That would be my last time stepping my foot into your store!
Go to cambridge bike shop instead. Cheaper, good service, and no assholes serving you!

Bikes and parts are pricey but the techs are awesome and labor charges are extremely reasonable. They’re very helpful and don’t try to oversell. Super fast repairs too. My new go-​to shop.

I’ve been a daily, year-​round bicycle commuter for decades and a recreational mountain biker. I’ve bought several bicycles from BBB and have been very satsified. Best bicycle shop I’ve dealt with. I bought a new bike recently, and had a great experience. I needed a serious pro model full-​suspension mountain bike (though not at the high end), but I also needed it tricked out for the city with customizations, something that few bikes are, out of the box. After having experienced snobbery at other shops («You want what?») these guys spent a lot of time with me helping me to get it right. Their lifetime tuneups are a steal. For maintenance, I’ve had these guys deal with problems that stumped other shops, and they’re always reasonably quick. The shop is small, but it’s got a big heart.

I have been to several LBS in and around Boston. The folks at Back Bay Bikes are fabulous. I met them through co-​workers, and when it came time to get my road bike the staff were supportive, knowledgeable and supportive. I have been going there for several years now and while I do look at other shops periodically, I remain a loyal customer.
They helped me pick the right road bike for me; based on riding goals, body type, comfort and price. They sales staff patiently worked with me as I made my decision over several visits. Amazingly the price for a bicycle in the heart of Boston was competitive with the prices outside the city. In fact they talked me out of spending money on extras saying those could be purchased later after I had ridden for a while and figured out what I really needed.
Ever since the mechanics and staff offer encouragement and, sometimes, a bit of finger wagging if I am not riding «enough». But it is all good natured and friendly. I went from a wheezy few miles on a mountain bike to riding metric centuries (100 Km) rides. I never feel I am being pressured to spend more, even if I am just stopping in to say «hi».

Buyer beware: Don’t get the tune-​up groupon here. Big rip off
The short version is the mechanics were rude, tried to sell me unnecessary replacements and generally were unhelpful. I’ve been to a lot of bike shops where they will give you advice and help you SAVE money. Sometimes even talking me out of having them do work on the bike because I can do it myself. BBB is not one of these places. They actually made my brakes worse then before I brought it in.
I am really disappointed, maybe I just got unlucky but I won’t be going back to find out. There are lots of friendly Local Bike Shops in Boston so I recommend you avoid this place.
The long version
I brought the bike in and started explaining to the mechanic what the issues were. Loose cone in the front, front breaks squeaked, and a few items I didn’t want to replace because the bike is a commuter and not worth putting a lot of money into.
He interrupted me to tell me my chain needed to be replaced. I had replaced my chain about 6 months ago and wasn’t having any gear slippage so I told him, I think I’ll hold off as I haven’t had any problems (again, its a cheap commuter bike). He gave me a little attitude and told me I could pick it up Tuesday next week. I was sorta annoyed he but whatever, maybe he was having a bad day.
On Tuesday I called to double check the bike would be ready and I got more attitude (maybe the same guy?) «We will call you when its done, thats how it works».
They quickly called me back to let me know that they couldn’t fix the breaks with an adjustment, they were worn down and needed to be replaced. $ 30 for parts and labor. I opted to pass, I can replace my own break pads for cheaper and was skeptical as I had less than 500 miles ridden on the last pads.
When I got my bike back t the breaks had been tightened. The rear breaks now didn’t work at all and the front ones were squeaking even worse. I brought the bike to another LBS that I trusted and they confirmed what I suspected, the pads weren’t worn down, they still looked good. I just needed to adjust the break cables.

After several bad experiences with other Boston bike shops I have settled on BBB as my LBS of choice for repairs and purchasing for parts and accessories. I have three bikes — road, cyclocross, and a commuter — and this shop great for all levels of repair. They can help you replace a sturdy but affordable wheel on your commuter bike just as well as answer all your questions about your top-​end racing bikes. The staff is friendly and accommodating, and the service is *always* prompt. As someone who *does not* like to be without her bike for very long, this is huge. If you need something fixed before a race or other event, they will be sure to get it done for you. This bike shop will not ask to keep your bike away from you for more than 1 – 2 days tops!
In addition, the mechanics are willing to help you understand what is wrong with the bike and how you might learn to prevent that particular issue in the future — some mechanics don’t like chatting but I am always eager to learn so I appreciate tips from the pros!
I’ve also purchased pairs of shoes and other cycling accessories from this shop — I got an older-​season but high-​end MTB shoe they had sitting around (I’m an off size) for a great discount! Once, I bought a few items as a gift for a friend who had been in a terrible bike crash and they gave me a discount on that as well.
Finally, there have even been times I have come into the shop with a minor repair and it was done on the house — this type of customer service is just unbeatable. These guys (and gals) deserve your business.

Amazing staff with mad skills. I crashed my bike and the Back Bay Bikes fixed it for me. It ride better than when I bought it.
Go nowhere else.

Recently moved into the city and decided to commute to work via bike. After a few days of riding, I noticed something was off with my gears and called BBB. The gentleman who answered the phone was great and told me I could bring it by whenever. Dropped it off at lunch and the tech knew very quickly that the dérailleur was bent. He quoted me an estimated price and we agreed it would be ready by 5:30. I headed back to work and got a call 20 minutes later it was ready, so I went back to pick it up and the quoted price had been accurate. Haven’t had any problems since, so I’m very happy with the service! My only feedback for BBB would be that if you think you may be able to perform a quick fix, ask if the customer is able to wait. Certainly not complaining about super fast service, but would’ve been happy to wait there if I knew it would be done so quick.
TL;DR: Great, speedy service. Would definitely return for future maintenance/​repairs.

When I moved to Boston from Europe I took my road bike with me, taken apart and in a box. Since I didn’t have too many tools, I looked for a bike shop to torque some bolts and attach the pedals. Besides that I needed new shoes, a helmet, some lights and various other small stuff. You would expect that torquing five bolts and attaching pedals to a bike would be no problem if at the same time you spend about $ 200, but no. They could not do it for free and could also not just fix the parts I needed fixed, I had to buy one of their service packages. And since the pedals needed fixing that would be the $ 150 tune up.
At that point I decided to just buy two torque wrenches and a pedal wrench for $ 90, and never come back again. (I really didn’t want to walk to another bike shop)
The good is that they had all the stuff I needed so I would not need to ever come back again.