The Hub of Detroit

The Hub is a mile from my house so I thought I’d give them a try. I dropped off my 2 bikes Sunday evening for a tuneup and repairs. They told me it would take 3 – 5 days. I called Friday (5 days after) about the status and they said it will take another 3 – 5 days. Instead of apologizing, they spouted out excuses, said they were busy. So I went and got my bikes back and boy, they need to work on customer service! Felt really sour getting my bikes back. Maybe because it was a Friday, I don’t know.
I’m sure The Hub is great and seems like they have a nice community presence but was disappointed with the service. Hopefully you’ll have better luck!

I have been coming to the hub for 4 years, and I hate to leave a message like this, but I came in today trying to buy the tires you can ride over glass and not get a flat tire at 45 dollars a piece. The lady tells me I have to leave my bike for 4 days I told her my bike is my transportation. Not to mention when I bought these same tires 3 years ago it took maybe 20 minutes to change out. She says there is 5 bikes ahead of you. I asked her if someone could call me when my bike would be next and I could drop it off, she says to me «I’m not your secretary, either you can leave it or take it with you».
I HAVE SPENT ALOT OF MONEY WITH THE HUB OVER THE YEARS AND TO HAVE YOUR EMPLOYEES SPEAKING TO GUEST LIKE THAT IS GOING TO COST YOU BUSINESS…
I wish I could have left no stars because of her attitude. Have a good day
I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE HUB FOR REACHING OUT TO ME. THANK YOU FOR FIXING MY BIKE QUICKLY AND BEING SO APOLOGETIC…
BECAUSE OF YOUR EFFORT IN FIXING THIS FOR ME I SPENT 188 DOLLARS MORE THAN I INTENDED BECAUSE OF YOUR KINDNESS WHEN I RETURNED

These positive reviews must be fake. I just walked in there today to buy a bike and they didn’t want to give me the time of day let alone look me in the eye. They showed little interest in helping me and seemed to want me out of the store. The short haired woman who was serving me rudely and abruptly told me they didn’t have a bike for me, turned face and walked the other direction before I could even respond. I said «Thanks anyway» to the back of her head, which she ignored as she stormed off. I could tell by the body language of another employee that she was expecting me to start yelling but I just walked out. I went in there in a great mood and walked out angry and I was in there for less than 5 minutes. This store may have better employees and I just had bad luck with the ones I encountered because I have heard nothing but praise for this place. I’ll never go back to The Hub and anytime I hear my Wayne State friends rave about this place again I’ll be telling them how I was treated.

They are fast, do good work, and are cheap. What more can you ask for? Small repairs while you wait, most substantial work might take a day, but that’s nothing in the middle of summer.

These people are great. To say they are reasonably priced is an understatement. They had my bike tuned, chain replaced in 2 days in the middle of biking season.
Everyone I dealt with was incredibly nice and knew what they were talking about. Everything about this place is excellent, I’ll be back for sure. I just wish wish I knew about this place earlier.
Also…tip the mechanics!

We went to purchase my fiancé a bike tonight… mostly for commuting to work. Kyle was great and showed us all options, was more than patient (even right at closing), knowledgeable, and enthusiastic! The bike he wanted was perfect, except for the height of the handle bars. Kyle found him an extender that raised the original bars to the perfect height… I promise this bike is now a classic! We also noted the other bike specialist (can’t remember his name) being more than patient with an unusually difficult client… STRONG WORK;-). This place gets more than 5 stars for their personable touch to selling bikes… it felt as if the bike was made just for the buyer. To top it off, the proceeds go to a non-​profit program for kids to learn how to become bike mechanics themselves! My fiancé also has a Trek 400 that needs a tune up/​I want a bike for myself and they will definitely receive our business again!

Granted, I only had minor repairs, but it was for two bikes and they were done the same day. Couldn’t make it back to get them, but they called me (twice) to let me know they were ready; a rarity in today’s telephone call-​averse world. Also got new tires a month ago that they put on in about 30 minutes. I’m glad to give this review to them, if you ride a bike and care about personal service & spending your money in the City take your bike here!

Nothing but love for the hub! While things were different in the past, they take cash and credit card now! Plus they always have the necessities and if you need something else, they can order it! That’s just the shop, let alone their support of youth programs and a shop that’s collectively owned instead of by one owner making all the money!

I just called The Hub for a simple piece of information regarding renting a bike in the city of Detroit. The gentleman on the phone explained to me that «he was too busy for this right now» and couldn’t offer me any assistance. He was very short with me on the phone. I frequent The Hub for parts and service before I begin my rides in Detroit. This won’t be happening anymore. The service has always been quick but it always seemed like it was inconvenient for them. This interaction solidified my opinion of this establishment. Go elsewhere.

They are slow. Had a basket installed and I was promised that it would be done in an hour and a half (as a surprise birthday gift). Called after an hour and a half and one person said it wasn’t ready. This person put another person on the phone and said it was ready. I get to the shop and have to wait another 25 minutes because it wasn’t ready as I was told. 3 stars for having a student discount.
2 days later: The birthday girl cannot ride her bike because the basket was installed improperly. Had to make a trip back to The Hub yet again (down to 2 stars now!). I won’t be going here again. There is a bike shop at the Rivard Place on the Riverwalk that I will go to instead.

Love this shop. I needed a double rail seat clamp for an old Brooks saddle, and they were willing to search for a generic equivalent, and special order it for a quarter the price of a Brooks OEM clamp. Great prices and great service.

Flash back to 1996, the last time I rode a bike. I got into an accident during my second semester at MSU and u-​locked my bicycle to a rack… never to set foot on it again.
Forward to 2013, with a kid and increased motivation, I decided I wanted a bike for my birthday. I went here on a hunch that I would have a good experience (thank you Unilocal).
They helped me with my purchase, they were very friendly, they offered a test drive and the profits seemingly go to a good cause. Sounds good to me! Have I driven (rode, what verb do you use here??) my new bike? No. Not yet. But I will!

My experience was top notch at The Hub. Joe was amazing! They rebult my father’s vintage Raleigh using parts from a similar bike I owned in 3 days. I can’t begin to sing the praise for this shop. Everyone is friendly, they are fast, the prices are unbeatable. I highly recommend a visit to The Hub.

The HUB is the best bike shop that I am aware of. I took my Raleigh there a month ago, and they really sorted me out. Now that it’s nice enough to ride, I haven’t missed a day. They were quick, accurate, honest, and attentive. They won’t try to upsell you, or give you static. I will NEVER go anywhere else.
«They now accept credit…» I can’t believe someone would give a bad review because they didn’t at one point. Cash is king.
Support the HUB, support the community, and support biking.
Thanks guys, I’ll see you soon for my wife’s bike. Cheers!

Terrible experience. I went in for a problem with my crankshaft. I knew I had a problem and told them why was wrong with my bike. Instead of them looking into what I told them the problem was, they passed it off as just a loose chain and charged me for a new one. Left the shop and still have the same problem as when I went in. Be warned, know what you problem is and insist they look in to it. If they don’t address it keep movin.

Another review singing the praises of The Hub of Detroit. Not only do they offer really great work tuning up and fixing your ride (for cheap!) but they also offer awesome classes to teach you how to use and/​or fix your bike so you can become self sufficient (or don’t get stranded somewhere should something go wrong). Best part? The classes are donation only! So if you don’t have the money you can still learn (although if you do, please kick them $ 10). They also have a youth program that allows them to be «mechanics in training» as well as volunteer lead youth rides where kids can get together and ride around the city together. They also have a youth «earn a bike» program where kids can build and repair a bike and keep it after the sessions. All free. Amazing!
Also amazing? Their commitment to recycling materials. They patch tubes, reuse spare bike parts to build new ones, and provide materials to other nonprofits in the area. Pretty dope.
They host really wonderful events around town including progressive bike dinners. Recently they just did an anti-​bullying bike tour and in the past they’ve offered women’s (or F-​identifying) mechanics classes so you can learn in a feminist friendly environment, showing their support female and LGBT communities. This warms the cockles of my liberal bleeding heart.
The organization is run primarily on donation and volunteer services. So if you like what you see, give what you can – either in dollars or time. You’ll truly be making a difference.

Three cheers for the Hub! They’re super friendly, efficient and a great asset to the community. Dunno why they’re never in those pieces about how Midtown is thriving. I mean, Nothing against Avalon, but every goddamned time there’s a piece on Midtown Avalon is the star attraction. The Hub is slammed day in and day out so somebody in the press show em some love. For now they’ll have to make do with Unilocal.
Oh, and if you donate a bike, or a better part thereof, they’ll write you a receipt and you can declare it on your taxes.

The Hub offers great labor for a cheap price. Go to any other bike shop and they will easily charge you triple for the work you need. The mechanics live sleep breathe bikes. If you need a fix, just drop yr bike off and theyll have it back to you in a day or two. If you want parts special ordered, they can do that too.
This shop sells bikes as quick as their Back Alley Bikes volunteers can make them. New this year, they’ve been having build-​a-​bike marathon nights where all ‘hood mechanics come in and together build as many bikes in six hours as they possibly can. Up for sale the very next day, these bikes fly out the door! Read: if you need to buy a bike, go early on a saturday for your best chance!
Darrin hosts their weekly mechanics class — two hours every sunday — and you will learn how to maintain and build your own bike. This class is free. I learned how to fix my own bike by doing mechanics on other bikes for the Hub. Did i mention this class is free? Just make sure you take their Volunteer Orientation class, offered the first Wed of each month. After that, you can volunteer as much as you want, to prime those mechanics skills!
Ladies need not be intimidated by the fellas who crank through bikes at the speed of cars on 3^rd ave… the Hub offers Fender Bender, a class for ladies, queers, and non-​male identifying persons to get together and work on their bikes. Liz and Sarah are great mechanics who will hep you fix your own bike, and coach you to help others.
Kids have the opportunity to build their own bike — for free– through learning basic bike maintenance and volunteering their time to help others.
This organization is a staple to all of Detroit — come to one of their workshops and ask the participants where they’re from. All. Over. Suburbs. City. Everywhere.
If you’re looking for a strong group of people who live work care in the city, Angie & Jack’s team are there every time.

Very convenient for those of us who live in Detroit. The staff is very friendly and seems to be knowledgeable about bikes. I took my bike in that I hadnt ridden in months and the tune-​up was only $ 50. They seem to have a good number of used bikes of all sizes available as well.
Overall, a good bike shop but the one thing holding me back from giving them 5 stars is the fact that they are a cash-​only business. No debit or credit cards accepted. Really?

Wanna contribute to the well-​being of the environment and support local community efforts? Then The Hub is where you need to be. Purchase a bike from this full service bike shop on Cass Ave where all funds from the store are used to run programs that empower local youth and adults alike and cut down on emissions by taking that bike to work.
But The Hub is more than just a retail shop, as a non-​profit organization the folks at The Hub are contributing to local youth with their MIT based, «Mechanics In Training» program which teaches high schoolers basic mechanics through hands on experience with bikes and Youth– Earn– A– Bike, in which kids learn cooperation, creativity, and mechanics during an 8 week program. At the end of the program the youngsters get to take home a bike that they have repaired. The Hub also offers classes for adults.