Labrea Bike Works

Normally I don’t write poor reviews unless there is an exceptional circumstance.
First I will say the customer service seemed ok.
It was more technical, like the actual job.
I’m not sure if they thought I stole the bike or what…
But, I brought my wife’s bike in for an overhaul. $ 60 seemed fair seeing as I brought in a few replacement parts.
Which included a new chain, seat, handle-​bars and a basket. The seat post was rusted and the nuts on the wheels were too. If I were the bike-​tech I would have suggested replacing those. Still no complaint, I’ve been building bikes for years, I’ll get to it when I can.
My issue is only this. In good conscious and for the sake of good customer service I would suggest cleaning the bike (mine was just as filthy and cobwebby as I gave it to them), making certain the seat and handle bar are on tight as neither of these occurred. The later two I discovered while riding the bike home, glad I made it safe.
I waited weeks before posting this and resolved to just never return but I realized I could no longer be silent. So I’m writing this in hopes that they will take it as constructive and not complaining and hopefully do better by the next customer…
PS they claimed to have put in brand new inner-​tubs but the front wheel keeps going flat…

I was recently in LaBrea Bike Works because I had hit a curb and had busted a tube and the guy had it fixed in about 15 minutes. He was really friendly and made sure everything on bike was good before I left. I wish I could remember his name but he was super nice. Definitely will be back!

Great place with knowledgable staff. They have everything that bike owners might need.

This bike shop is amazing. I came here for the first time and I needed help with my bike. Shalom helped me out and explained what I needed with so much patients. A real pleasure to shop here. I highly recommend them.

PROLOGUE
It was an early Sunday morning and I was out for a jog. While gettin’ my cardio on I started contemplating the idea of getting another bike. But before I acted on that impulse my jog had landed me right infront of SK Donut Shop, a spot where I can easily be influenced to indulge on multiple sugary pastries.
This time, I chose to be strong and walk past the shop and in doing so walked infront of a bike shop. It was about 9:30a and the shop didn’t open up until 10am so I figured I would continue the jog around the neighborhood for a little while longer.
IN-​THE-​MOMENT
Showed up again at 10am, still no one at the door yet I wasn’t too frustrated. I understand that it is Sunday and with some small businesses it might be a lil while after the designated opening time before someone shows up. Luckily for me, Izzy came about 10 minutes past. He opened up, offered me some water and proceeded to answer the 100’s of questions I had for him about everything bikes, brakes, gears and everything in between. At first Ig was pitching bikes a lil outside of my price range. Once I informed him of my range and we were able to structure better options based on that quote.
Izzy was very knowledgable on everything Raleigh, Diamondback, Bianchi and Aventon. All bikes that I had no prior knowledge of but Ig really helped with all my uncertainties along the way. There was one bike in particular that I couldn’t take my eyes off. It ended up being the same bike that the stores uses, some equipped with front and rear lights, a horn and a newly adjusted seat. Iz broke me off on a major sweet deal and insured that I had a 1 year warranty on the bike if I ever needed any maintenance work done.
Couldn’t have been happier wit my purchase, all except the…
PARKING
Luckily I walked/​ran/​jogged to this location the morning of but if you do decide to pull your bumper into the lot be advised that it is extremely tight and vacancies are shared with other neighboring businesses that draw in a high cliental. Street parking can be horrendous as well, fingers crossed when you come park it here.
EPILOGUE
This shop is quite resourceful and has an abundance of bike related products even if you’re not shopping for wheels and just need a few essential accessories. I would highly recommend this shop to anyone inquiring about a new ride. The service is top notch and the reps are highly knowledgable about their products.
Surprisingly, no bike rack to lock up though.
**Scratches Head**

Great bike repair shop with a bunch of supplies. I started going here as I had a flat tire and they were near where I live. At least 5 flat tires later, they’ve become my go to repair shop. Fast and affordable repairs, way better, faster, and cheaper than other nearby repair stores. I can often just walk in and get the repair there right on the spot.
They have some bike supplies there too that are reasonably priced. Plus, check in on Facebook for a discount. The staff there is super friendly and helpful as well.

I found this shop from a friend who recommended it to me. The service and atmosphere was delightful, location was fabulous and the kind man behind the counter was punctual and self assured.
I went in for a quick fix and came out satisfied.
Thanks for all your help

I stopped in this shop with low tires and they filled them up no problem. Really great people and a nice fleet of bikes.
All in all… Awesome service!

I have come to this place several times for my bike issues, and each time I came away very satisfied. The guy working at the counter, Shalom, is always very kind and helpful.
I brought my bike in today, because I was feeling some kind of vibration in the petals, but I couldn’t find the source. Shalom hopped on and rode it around for a minute and immediately figured out what is was (the rear hub had been damaged). He quoted me very reasonable prices for a new wheel ($ 60) and also replaced the tube ($ 7). He fixed it on the spot in about half an hour and only charged $ 8 for labor. He also noticed an issue with the brakes (which I had done myself in a side-​of-​the-​road haphazard kind of way), and gave me some parts for free to fix them. When I road my bike home, the vibration was completely gone.
This experience is typical and I highly recommend these guys.

Speedy personalized service. Brought in my old mountain bike that I plan to start using for my commute & bike lessons. $ 30 for 2 new tire tubes and repair. Took all but 20mins. Service was pleasant

Ok, I just got my Cannondale CAAD 9 road bike back from a tune-​up and so far it works great. I did a test ride up and down the street and shifted the gears that I was having an issue with and it works fine. The brakes are tight and not loose like they were previously in a not so good way. It looks clean too. Way to go Groupon.
I was not bothered when the person I spoke to over the phone said it would take a day turnaround. In this day and age of instant gratification, I appreciate more slower quality service over a quick fix.
I must confess that I tried to leave the bike over the week because it would have been convenient for my schedule, but alas it sounded like it would have been an inconvenience for them. They reluctantly agreed, but heck, that’s on me so I picked it up as scheduled. I suggest asking beforehand if they can store it longer if need be.
That being said, hopefully everything I said above remains true when I take the bike for a leisurely ride at Ciclavia this weekend. We have a great city and the La Brea area has a great little bike shop for repairs.

Super friendly and accommodating. I got a quote from another shop for 260 and a great guy fixed it up for 107. Thanks!

I had the same experience as Chris G. with the chain! My bike performed worse after I got them to tune it up. I wondered what they did because my chain kept coming off and the shifting was not quite right. I stopped back in and they just wanted to sell me a new chain, telling me mine was stretched. I asked, «why didn’t you tell me that when you tuned up my bike?“‘ and the guy said he didn’t know… I wasn’t going to spend any more money at this place, because I too, use my bike to get around town and couldn’t wait the whole Memorial weekend that they would be closed. Nevermind the fact that I didn’t want to waste any more money at this place because they didn’t do anything worthwhile to my bike in the first place.
I took it to iMartin and they fixed it for free!

3.5 Stars — a good little bike store with little hours open.
The first time I came in, it was on a Friday. I saw a guy at the front desk not doing much. I asked him if and when he could do a tune-​up on my bike as I was rolling it in. Since he wasn’t doing much and the place was empty, I thought he could just do it then and there. He said yes but it would take until sometime next week. My exact thought was ‘wtf you must have a lot of projects on your hands’ as a tune-​up takes like 20 minutes and he was sitting idle at the desk.
I use my bike everyday so I can’t just quickly scoop up my primary mode of transportation with a nonexistent secondary mode when I live three miles away. I learned that this place is open 4.5 days each week (closed at 3 on Friday and closed weekends at the time) and they need at least two days to complete a tune-​up, which makes two day repairs only do-​able from Monday to Wednesday. That was pretty inconvenient but of course I persevered with the wonders of already having purchased a Groupon and came back a couple of weeks later on a Wednesday morning.
When I came back, another guy took my bike in and told me it should be ready by Friday. He asked me if there were any issues with the bike. I said the gears sometime skip. He said oh I think your chain is stretched and you might need a new chain! He goes over to the back room to find out if there was an additional charge. Mysterious back room guy yells $ 20! No thanks.
I get a call later that day when they were closing. The guy told me that the bike was ready. I said I’ll pick it up tomorrow and I did. The bike rode like butter for about an hour and is now running like nutella. Realistically this is a 30 year old bike but it is still running nicer than it has been for a while.
All in all, the «we’ll get to it in two days» kind of service for a 20 minute job makes this not the bike store of my dreams but I’d certainly come back if I ever find myself with a flat in the area, that is if they can get to fixing it well within two days.

I had a blowout somewhere near the Grove, so luckily I could walk the bike back and get a new tube. Guys in the shop are friendly and got me in and out the door in about 15min. I didn’t lose much time in my commute and found a new hidden gem bike repair and supply spot. ***This shop is a great asset to cyclists who use the 4^th street bike route which ends right there on Cochran.

Great new bicycle shop! I had a great experience at Labrea Bike Works and I highly recommend it! I was quoted $ 180 to fix my bike from Safety Cycle on Western. Then I went into Labrea Bike Works and Ed at Labrea did the work for $ 63. AND, he was the only one out of 3 bike stores I visited who could accurately diagnose the problem. Not only that, he had the work done by the next day, even though he had to order the parts. From now on he’s got my business…