Crank Daddy’s Bicycle Works

why are you closed 2 days in a row with no signs/​information? if your store is closed change your voicemail or let your busy customers know somehow

Stopped in for my first visit to Crank Daddy’s to find a helmet light for my dad last month. I was immediately greeted and (in an almost aggressive fashion) asked what I was looking for. The employee then took me directly to a glass case and spent three minutes extolling the virtues of a helmet light that turned out to be $ 130 (NOT in my price range for a Christmas present). When I asked for something cheaper the guy continued to explain why the expensive light was the best option and reluctantly led me over to a rack of other lights, then quickly walked away. The funny thing is, they had exactly what I was looking for on that rack for $ 20! So overall I walked away satisfied but with a weird taste in my mouth about the service. I will probably go back if I need bike repair because it is in my neighborhood.

I would NOT trust these guys to care about their regular customers after what they did to my bike.
I am not like a previous poster on here who seems to have a problem with bikers and stereotyping people. I love biking and am an avid biker. I know many very, very nice bikers who wear spandex and «aerodynamic helmets» lol. I’m am an avid biker and commute too. I know bike gear, follow the tour de france etc. I even have my very own aero-​dynamic helmet. I know the joys and adventure of biking. I ridden with pro bikers — Tyler Hamilton, Taylor Phinney and others on training rides. I have been on multi-​day mountain bike trips across Colorado to Moab Utah. You can trust my review of Crank Daddy’s. I’m not a crabby guy who is out to harass people.
– Now to Crank Daddy’s —
So I had Crank Daddy’s ship a Giant TCR from Milwaukee to where I live in Denver. I am an avid biker and have had lots of contact with many bike shops. Usually when you go to a bike shop and pay for them to «professionally pack and ship a bike» they will professionally pack and ship the bike. Crank Daddy’s disassembled it correctly, but then just threw the loose parts into the box AND DIDN“T EVEN BOTHER TO WRAP THE FRAME IN STYROFOAM OR ANYTHING ALL.
They placed the down tube of the CARBON frame directly against the back wheel sprocket. Are you kidding me? During shipping the rear wheel sprocket ground against and into the carbon frame — past the clear coat and into the carbon. This made my frame completely unsafe to ride (as you know gouged carbon can break at any moment)
When I opened the box in Denver and discovered this, my heart sank. I called Crank Daddy’s and they just gave me the run around. I was out at least the cost of a new bike frame which is around $ 1800.
I received no compensation from Crank Daddy’s for this to this day.
So my take away is that these guys are there to screw you over. They don’t seem to care about their customers and have no idea how to pack and ship a bike. I specifically picked Crank Daddy’s to ship my bike because they seemed to be tied into the road-​bike scene at the time. I think overall they have come to be known as one of the bad bike shops in the Milwaukee area — as seems be the general consensus on Unilocal.
Pick another shop that has been around longer. The owner of this store doesn’t care about bikers. It’s just $$ to him.

The prices might be a little steep but we found all of the employees incredibly helpful. We are just starting to bike and the employees were kind and not judgmental of our lack of knowledge. They also stayed open late on Sunday helping us.

I trust Beth P. Her reviews are thoughtful and she definitely knows her bike shops. I decided to post this review based on one very brief experience with Crank Daddy’s. They are a block from my new home and I had 2 flat tires, so naturally it was convenient to push my bike here. It is the 4^th of July and I’ve never crossed the threshold of this shop before. I was warmly greeted at the counter and my bike was tossed on the rack in seconds! I said I needed a tune-​up because I didn’t just want to ask for air. I don’t mind doing this at the shop where I purchased my bike and stop in regularly, but thought it would be rude at a place i’ld never walked in before. The dude ran thru the gears and brakes and asked if I had any issues. No, I said, just flat tires. He filled my tires and said everything else looked good. I asked how much and was told, nothing! Hurray! Great experience. I will return and buy something and scope out their tune-​up for real when I need one. For now, I am a satisfied customer!

Nothing like walking in and having an employee insult you with confidence «oh, you’re a fair-​weather biker» after I told him that I didn’t ride my bike in winter. Sorry that I only bike in rain and clear weather! I refuse to give my money to someone that rude.

They always treat me and my bike great, and they also make extra adjustments to the bike when getting it worked on; above and beyond! Thanks

There are some really great aspects of Crank Daddy’s and some not-​so-​great ones:
+
Good selection of bikes and accessories
Computraining offered for those who are serious roadies
Friendly staff
Bike fitting offered
-
Prices can be steep
Their tune up is more expensive than other shops in the area
Customer service at the repair desk is meh, especially if they’ve never seen you before
I’m more of a 3.5 on this one, but bumped down because I don’t use some of their unique services. If I was into computraining, they would get a solid 4 stars.

Boys and girls, I’m going to tell you a little story. I’m a bike commuter and have been since 2006. When I moved to Milwaukee, I needed a new local bike shop. I’m not one of those spandex-​wearing assholes with the aerodynamic helmets that bike for sport. I don’t have time for that. When I’m on my bike, I’m GOING somewhere. I am also not a bike expert. I rely on my bike shop to do basic things like change my flat, adjust my seat, change all my easy-​offs to hex-​head attachments, answer all my dumb questions, etc.
The first time I tried Crank Daddy’s it was just to buy some lights for early mornings on the Oak Leaf. I was impressed with the service. The two employees chatted with me about my commute and I left thinking I’d found my new spot.
Well, the following March, I went in for my spring tune-​up. Not a great experience.
The same nice girl I talked to last time directs me to the repair desk. I stand there for five minutes while the same nice guy from last time ignores me. He is looking up online how to fix someone else’s bike. When he finally turns around he gives me the bare minimum conversation and zero customer service. He tells me to write down my name and phone number, then he turns back to his other task while I am doing this. Another five minutes go by, but it feels more like 10 since this guy refuses to acknowledge me. This is when he shows me where to put my bike and tells me they will call me in two weeks when it is ready and that I can pay then. It’s unseasonably warm for March, so I figure they are just understaffed, not expecting this much business so early in bike season.
Three weeks go by before I get a call from Crank Daddy’s. Wow, my bike must have really needed that tune-​up if it took them a whole extra week to get it fixed up. I pick up my bike and it ends up costing like $ 100, which surprised me. Well, apparently there are different levels of tune-​ups you can get, and the minimum-​customer-​service guy didn’t bother asking which one I wanted. I figured my bike must of needed the extra work and accepted the charge. I get on my bike and it’s riding OK. They put some air in the tires, but otherwise I can’t really notice much difference. But who knows, I’m not the spandex wearing guy, remember? Maybe it’s all in my head. These guys at Crank Daddy’s are experts; I’m just a bike commuter.
In August, I got a flat and the thought of going back to Crank Daddy’s made me queasy. After such a weird experience, decided to walk my bike a couple extra blocks to Corey’s. I was shocked when the mechanic said, «You know, you should really get this tuned up,» as he is working on my bike. I relayed to him that I’d just been to Crank Daddy’s in March for a tune-​up and had paid rather a lot for it. The Corey’s mechanic then showed me my worn-​down brake pads and said they should have changed those. Well, duh, they charged me for the expensive tune-​up, they sure as hell better have changed the brake pads! I was furious! Not only is it a total rip-​off, but I could have gotten in an accident!
The moral of this story is, if you are a spandex-​wearing rich guy with an expensive bike, they will treat you like gold. If you are an every-​day person who just wants to enjoy her bike, 11 miles a day, five days a week, for nine months out of the year, they will profile you. They will try to put one over on you. They are unethical and really don’t give a shit or they would have cut this out already.

I stopped in to return a pair of bike shorts ($ 70) for my husband and also to check out their selection of baskets. I was pretty quickly greeted by one of the female staff (Krissy, I think was her name) and offered assistance. While they did have 4 – 5 different baskets in stock, they weren’t quite what I was looking for. No worries, though! Crank Daddy’s has a massive catalog to look through, and there are no extra fees for having something sent to the store. I picked out the basket I wanted ($ 38), and should be getting it within 5 business days.
Overall, I think the store looks really cool, it’s big and there’s a pretty good selection of goodies and bikes, Krissy was friendly and knowledgeable. Yeah, the stuff might be a bit pricey, but I’m willing to pay a little extra for quality. I’ll definitely be shopping at Crank Daddy’s again.

Been here several times and have always been blown off by the staff. A few years ago, I was in the market for a new middle-​higher end Specialized Roubaix. I was browsing around the shop for a good half hour, and nobody even bothered to acknowledge me. The place wasn’t busy, and the employees were conversing amongst themselves. Instead, I decided to give Emory Cycles my business, and left with a new Cervelo.
I’m one who likes to give a business a second chance. Nobody’s perfect. Plus, I like supporting local businesses because I know SB owners work hard to make a living. I returned a day ago, since I was in the area and am in the market for a new carbon Specialized stumpy mountain bike. I could say that the service absolutely sucked, but I can’t even say that since it was completely non-​existent. Gave this place two chances, and they disappointed me twice. I do not plan on returning, and definitely d not recommend CD’s. Take your business elsewhere. The area offers several reputable shops, like Emory, Ben’s and Cory’s nearby.

Had my $ 3500 crit bike here and they lost my titanium rear skewer and replaced it with some cheap thing with plastic on it.

I have had mixed experiences here.
I agree with most people that they are very pretentious here. I almost feel like you have to beg people to help you. They all seem to be too cool for any of their customers.
They have taken care of my bike several times and not charged me an exorbitant amount which is nice.
However, the last time I went in there for a fix on my brakes, they fixed my brakes but did not notice how low my tires were on air. Not until I went on my ride with my uncle did he notice it after noticing how slow I was going.
I personally agree that this isn’t their fault but feel like I trusted them with my bike and they didn’t look out for me as they could’ve. It would’ve taken them 2 minutes to see that if they weren’t rushing.
Finally, I have tried to work with the owner on business several times and have been treated horribly. He never gives you his full attention and seems to never want you there after giving you an appointment
I used to give them the benefit of the doubt based on customer service but not anymore.
I am headed to Cory the Bike Fixer moving forward.

Not a big fan of this place.
I know it’s pretty typical for guys who work in bike shops to kinda be know-​it-​alls, and that is alright with me. They obviously need to know their stuff… but this place is just overboard with that terribly pretentious attitude.
People at Cory’s always explain what they’re doing to me, walk me through things so I can do them myself if I want to… these guys just aren’t the same.
Also, they have tried to overcharge me on several occasions for simple things like a tube replacement or a brake adjustment, and quite frankly I just found a better place to go.
Everything in the store is overpriced.

This place is aptly named. The owner is one cranky guy. If you are looking to rent a bike, DO NOT go here.

I HAD A USED HONDA BUDGET SHOPPING AT A BMW DEALERSHIP.
I shopped here knowing 95% of the bikes were out of my price range. Ken, who is I believe one of the owning partners, was really helpful in figuring out exactly what my riding habits were. I told him my budget and instead of telling me to «check out the used car lot down the street» he WORKED WITH ME.
Ken found me a bike that was lightly used by a renting company. The bike is still under warranty and backed by Crank Daddy’s. I did go over my budget slightly but I feel I got a quality bike that will last for years.
I joked with Ken that he probably put as much effort into my sale as some of the $ 5,000 bikes.
Great service. Great place to do business.
PARKING TIP: There are a few parking spots behind the building. It can be difficult to nab a spot on the street.
P. S. — Is there anything we can do about Milwaukee’s winters? It’d be nice to be able to ride more months out of the year. *sigh

I would totally hate to run a bike shop: customers are picky and will never return if you screw up. And it sucks for the customer too: you have to trust that these guys know their shit.
Crank Daddy’s has a new car lot vibe: rows and rows of overpriced bikes and accessories. If you have room on your credit card, there are a metric tonne of bikes to choose from in a variety of colors. Trek all the way to the back of the premises if you want to hunt down a staffer, they seem to be in short supply.
Obviously I didn’t have the best encounter here. And they screwed up a simple replacement tube. This fact wasn’t evident until I had my bike disassembled in the driveway. With no car, my GF had to bike there to exchange for the right one. Our day was supposed to be spent in the sun…
On the plus side, the guy who took the return was really cool and friendly.

If you live in a small town like I do, good bike shops are hard to come by. This is an outstanding bike shop if you are a recreational rider and/​or like bikes a lot. I got my sitbones measured, had a bike fit analysis, and rode a Specialized road bike all within an hour. I didn’t buy a bike, but they were having a really sweet 30% sale that was seriously tempting, and the best part was that even though I didn’t buy anything, they were still very polite. I am a middle aged Asian lady and didn’t expect the bearded hipster bike guy at this place to be helpful or interested at all, but he was really great. They had a very good selection of small sizes for women and I would go there again if I were interested in an aluminum bike instead of a steel bike.

It was a beautiful afternoon and I got out of work early. I decided to go for a bike ride and take in all the bright fall colors. I got about a mile away from home and my bike broke. Long story short I ended up at Crank Daddies on my walk home. The guy who helped me was named Ramsey, and he had a red beard (pretty sweet). He was very direct and seemed a bit on edge, but he was still helpful so no complaints. This place is very sporty compared to most other bicycle shops in the area. It is a great place if you are an athlete/​cyclist rather than a casual commuter.

Hey, big spender! If you’re looking to drop as much on a new bike and accessories as you would spend on a new Hyundai, this is the place for you. Of all the bike shops in Milwaukee, this one, I would argue, is the most oriented toward the high-​end racing or touring enthusiast.
Oftentimes when I’m talking to someone who doesn’t ride, they ask me if I race bikes. I respond, just because you drive a car every day does that mean you race cars? No. Same thing with biking. Most riders are like me. They’re not looking got break any records, they just want a ride that gets the job done and can handle the rigors of city riding. I go to other bike shops in the area for service and products that meet my needs.