Volpe Cycles

As evidenced by these reviews, the vast majority of people walking into a bike shop know very little about bike shops, or bikes. The grossly inflated reviews reflect customer service and rhetoric, not bikes. There are some good things to say about Volpe, but a lot more negative.
Let’s start with the fundamental issue… the owner does not own a bike or commute in philadelphia, but specializes in commuters. How can you offer advice to commuters if you don’t commute here? Most of what the owner says is based on half understood net marketing and word of mouth. Many of the products carried here, and recommendations made, are based on price point rather than quality. There is very little inventory or selection here and a lot of the stuff stinks. Bern helmets are crap. They have no ventilation, weigh a ton and make no sense for any rider I can think of. Knogg lights don’t work and dim quickly… they’re also far over priced compared to planet bike’s stuff. Tires carried are junk. Someone who rides would know this.
The owner sells what little he carries, and that often works against the customer. Linus makes some nice bikes, and I love that they brought back the mixte, but as the main offering? No. He also often says «that will be enough» rather than explaining somethings limitations so the buyer can make an informed decision. Surly is fine, but every shop can get Surly. He often recs cheaper parts to lower price point (Sora) when there are better things on the market for the same money. Bike selection is negligible as the place is too small to have inventory.
Customer service is good, so long as you don’t need someone who knows what they’re talking about and the service warranty is generous, assuming the place lasts to use. In the end, it’s Monty pythons cheese shoppe.
On the plus side, they have a cool sign and the store does look good.

Volpe Cycles is preetttttttty damn good. Todd built my Surly Cross-​check and I am very happy with it. He does not have a large inventory but he does have a vast array of garbage pail kids stickers and they can order whatever you need in the way of bike stuff. He gave me lots of options and different prices when i was shopping around to get gears and I am very happy with the results. I feel that Todd charges me fairly and I am happy to give him my business. I would say I am a very satisfied customer.

Ok, I cannot say enough good things about Volpe Cycles. I’d been tooling around town for a while on my ancient, ten-​ton mountain bike and finally decided I wanted to upgrade to something a little more appropriate for the city, so I started looking around for a trustworthy bike shop. I went to two or three places and was not impressed with the selection of bikes or the attitude of the sales people, so I wasn’t about to give them my business. A friend of mine told me she’d taken her beat up POS Huffy bike to Volpe and within a few days it was running like a whole new machine, so I decided to drop in. I literally had no idea what I was looking for or what I needed, but Todd sat down with me and asked how much I was willing to spend, and what I wanted the bike for. We spent about 40 minutes looking at and talking about bikes before I decided on what I wanted. I literally know next to nothing about bikes, and this guy was patient and nice and explained everything thoroughly to me in layman’s terms. After having been to a few shops where the salespeople pretty much scoffed at me for admitting I had no idea what I was looking for, the quality of the customer service alone was enough to make me decide to have Volpe build my bike. Fast forward a few weeks and now I have my beautiful, custom-​built bike and have been zipping around the city on it nonstop. My only complaint is that because of an issue with the manufacturer of the frame, it took a little longer to complete than I’d expected, but Todd eased my anxiety and kept me posted on the bike’s progress the whole time. When I finally saw my bike, I was so excited; I knew it was going to be awesome, but I didn’t expect it to look as amazing as it did. I would (and do) recommend this little shop to anyone, regardless of whether you’re a noob like me or a Tour de France caliber rider. Great customer service, great prices, and a great experience. I couldn’t be happier and wouldn’t go anywhere else for my cycling needs.

So many bike shops in the area make you feel like an idiot when you walk in the door, regardless of how much or little you know. Todd is extremely helpful and guides you through the process without it once feeling condescending. He is funny and personable and offers a great price for the work that he does. I walk my bike past at least ten other bike shops to come here. I trust my bike nowhere else.

Bottom Line Up Front: I would never come back or recommend this shop for those without fancy bikes.
The store tagline is «bicycles for the gentry and poverty stricken too», but the guy wouldn’t service my department store bike because he said it was too cheap. I bought the mongoose mountain bike at kmart a year ago for getting around town. Now I depend on it to get to work. And he wouldn’t take my money to fix the brakes! I don’t get it. The irony especially kills me. When I can actually afford a decent bike, you can be damn sure I wont be bringing it back here.
When I told him I needed a new tire because I had a flat, he told me I didn’t, to come back the next day if I got a flat, and only switched out the tube. The inconvenience of him not believing me the first time around sucks, but at least he put a new tire on the following day (with no discount for the inconvenience of course).

Todd (owner of Volpe bike) is soooo good, I created a Unilocal Account, just so I could let everyone in Philadelphia know that he is without a doubt the best place to go for all your bicycle needs.
I have gone to via bicycles off of south street, they are ok, but Todd provides for you a one-​on-​one not rushed service that you won’t get at via or anywhere else in the city as those guys just want to get you in and out the door. He is such an honest and kind guy that you will feel assured that any and all care he recommends for the bike are fully necessary. He isn’t the kind of guy looking to change an unnecessary part and make a quick buck.
I took in my three bikes for tune-​ups, and he gave me an estimate on when they would be done and he delivered exactly as promised. He has amazing hours to fit the needs of his customers, and he always provides great customer service.
Tonight, I had a flat on two bikes, and I took them in and Todd fixed the flats, educated me that I need to put air in the tires on a weekly basis at the least or else I would keep getting flats and that just blew my mind. I was sure I was getting flats because we are in the city and the small road bike tires just aren’t made for the city roads and that I might have a lot of visit to get flat repair, but sure enough he let me know what to do to prevent all these flats, even though me getting flats is a source of revenue for him… I told him one of the bikes was a bit squeaky and he did a free inspection (i did my tune ups with him), even tightened up the brakes and threw some lub on the mechanism at not cost. What a guy!
I will not go anywhere else for my bike needs, and once I have some more money I know where to go to get a customized bike made to get into triathlon-​ing.
Go to Volpe Bike for all your bike needs. One-​on-​one attention, kind honest Owner, and unparalleled customer service.

The reason I went all the way into Center City to repair my bike was because of a Groupon certificate I had gotten. The reason I’ll go back is because of the amazing service I received.
I was in dire need of repairing and tuning up my bike after being hit by a car. I usually do my own repairs so I can avoid the snotty attitudes I get from the (usually male) mechanics at the shops. I NEVER felt intimidated or stupid for my ignorance of industry terminology at Volpe, and this happens nearly every time I step into the other shops.
Volpe had my bike back on the road within a week, and this was after some major reparis and the Memorial Day weekend. I will continue to come back to them for all my bike needs. Thanks for being such a great shop!!!

Volpe is where it’s at. Small local shop with knowledgeable and down to earth mechanics. Got a free bb /​crankset fix the first time I stopped in and now they are building a nice commuting ride for me out of an old specialized sirrus. 8 speed internal alfine hub on a velocity dyad, ultegra front wheel/​hub. Just spoke to them today about my ride, honest, clear and friendly. it’s like looking for a good car mechanic, you want trust and respect, that’s what you get at volpe.
Keep it simple. Keep it local.
Bike is back and built. And it is a dream. Todd upgraded my cranks to origin-8’s which I’m totally stoked about. I would have been disappointed with my original decision (which was a money saving solution to cranks). And due to this killer upgrade, the bike is bombproof.
Ordered schwalbe marathons 28c for the ride, but alas, the rear wheel rubs my brake caliper. Todd is ordering the 25c’s for me and just swapping them out. what other bike shop would do that. none, I’d be investing another $ 100 bills for my wheels to match and not have a wonky ride.
Full set-​up:
1992 cro-​mo sirrus
velocity dyad rim
alfine 8-​speed internal
origin-​8 cranks
shimano SPDs
schwalbe marathon’s 700 25c.
slight riser bars
avid brake levers

Just bought a folder from these guys a few weeks ago and have been very satisfied with it so far! They were selling it for a steal since they were closing out on those. Knowledgeable folks who care about bikes.

mountain bike was fixed immediately. got both road bikes up and running in a few days with full tune ups and replacements for minor issues. both bikes ride beautifully and the british mechanic apparently has a thing for cleaning bikes extremely thoroughly so the bikes look completely NEW!

This shop caters to the commuter set, and the one that «bikes for fitness and freedom» (I stole that off of some bike manufacturer’s website). That’s me.
I’ve been in the market for a new-​new bike (not just new-​to-​me) for a while. The owner, Todd, seems to do most of the selling and working although he also has a rotating cast of friendly shop assistants who are eager to help — I’m not sure if they actually work there or if they’re his friends and just cool/​friendly enough to talk to customers about bikes. I poked in last week on a whim after I walked by their new location and he sized me up and immediately offered a 42 cm Surly Pacer frame in the process of being built into a complete bike. Who the hell actually stocks 42 cm frames?! Apparently he does. And the thing is, the Surly Pacer was built exactly to do what I wanted from a bike: something that I can take on long rides, and also mount a rack and fenders to in order to do some credit card touring. And he offered it to me for what I feel is a very satisfactory price.
I wasn’t thinking that I would buy a new bike right now, but he said that he’d get it built by Tuesday or Wednesday and I could go home and research it and see if I liked it. I wanted to wait until this Saturday (11÷6÷10) to make a commitment so I could bring my fiancé along and affirm that this impulse purchase was a smart purchase. While I was at the store he said that he wouldn’t be able to hold it for me for more than a day, but then Wednesday rolled around and he actually took the time to call me to let me know that he hadn’t gotten around to building the bike yet since I had mentioned I wanted to wait until Saturday to make a commitment.
So, now I have the bike! And I haven’t put many miles on it at all but I really like it so far. And it comes with a two year mechanical warranty. But the five-​star-​worthy behavior is this: he sold me a bike in a way that makes me feel really comfortable about going back to him for any repairs if needed. I feel knowledgeable enough about bikes to know what qualities the bike I wanted to buy should have, but not much about repairs. And yet, unlike going to a car mechanic’s shop or even some other bike shops around here, I know that he’ll be really fair to me and give me a price that allows him to stay in business, but that he’s also not out to gouge me for my lack of knowledge. (The repairs on my newly-​purchased bike are free under the warranty, but I have another bike, a beater that I use around the mean streets of Philly. I plan to bring it to him soon-​ish.) I’m totally a complainer so you know that if anything goes wrong (which I really don’t think will) I will keep Unilocal updated.
It’s a small store, and they have limited on-​site inventory, but they can definitely get you almost anything you want within a few days. They also have a basement full of used bike selections, so even though you might peer in to the store and not see too many bikes out, it’s worth stopping in and seeing what Todd can do for you!
«Woohoo! As good as it gets!»

For as small as it is it this bike shop gained a tremendous amount of respect from myself and my girl friend. When you have a great business like Volpe word travels quickly. Was at 1 Shot Coffee and a couple of bikers sat next to me. We started chatting and I had asked where they get their bikes serviced. VOLPE!!! How awesome! Keep the wrenches, well wrenching Todd! Looking forward to picking up our new steeds!!!

I stumbled upon this shop when I moved into the neighborhood and I don’t think I would trust my bike with any other in the area. Todd is a really cool guy who takes pride in his work and is very knowledgeable. He put my new bicycle together for half the price that any of those other shops would. Don’t let the limited inventory fool you, he is the local velocity dealer and can order a lot of stuff. If you live in Fishtown go here for your bike needs. Simple as that.

Volpe is the best! It is a very small shop and the selection is limited, but they are great for repairs and the service overall is impeccable. They are incredibly nice and helpful, as well as knowledgeable They go out of their way to help and the prices are good. You never feel like you’re being ripped off.

this place is phenomenal. I live one block from the bike stable but I go out of my way to go here. prices are unbelievably cheap and he’s the nicest most unpretentious dude ever. he always remembers who you are and will often drop what he’s doing to help you out if you need immediate attention. the shop is tiny and unassuming but don’t let that throw you off, this little business is well worth supporting, quality of work is great. I’ll never go anywhere else!!!

Oh my god, they got my bike, Sheila, in tip-​top condition. She looks brand spankin’ new and shiny, if she was a woman construction workers would whistle at her.
I neglected that crap out of her, left her in the rain to rust away, broke her chain and a spoke and these guys got her back in shape for $ 70(almost everything was replaced or fixed). It feels like I’m riding a brand new bike. Plus I have to say there is zero hipster attitude here, they’re just super sweet and helpful!

Reasonably priced bikes, and reasonably priced work. What more can you ask for? This is a bike store with no frills, no nonsense, no trying to sell you on $ 2500 mountain bikes that are just going to get stolen anyway.
Todd fixed our bikes, which were pretty beat up, for like $ 50 a pop. Cool guy, too.