John Bicycle

John has given an inordinate amount of time repairing and tuning up commuter bicycles that are used by refugees resettling in the Raleigh area. This past week I visited John with a bike that needed substantial work and John not only fixed the bike but went over the entire bike so that it would be safe to be used as a commuter bike for a recently resettled refugee. He has always found time to repair the bikes we bring to him and he has never asked for a dime. He has also chosen to donate two of his bikes for use by refugees as they arrive and begin their lives, lay foundations and integrate into the Raleigh community. I trust John with the quality of his work as well as respect and admire him for providing a very needed service to help the world’s most vulnerable rebuild their lives.

John runs a repair shop and has a small warehouse of bikes that he stores in a storage unit on Capital Boulevard. I found him on Craigslist as I was looking to purchase a hybrid bike. He is a very genuine businessman who definitely seemed out for my best interests. He let me demo nearly 10 hybrid bikes which he had out an ready upon my arrival. Additionally, I was able to trade in my seldom-​used road bike. He also answered several questions I had.
I highly recommend using John if you’re in the market for a used bike, to trade in a bike, or to have routine maintenance completed on your bike.

I visited JOHN today to repair my bicycle rear wheel. he is extremely kind and honest person. He repaired my bicycle in an hour and charged me very less compared to other branded shops in the area… for those who are looking for bike repairing with less amount especially for students. i strongly recommend him. please visit him and enjoy his bird house. when you enter his shop birds will welcome you. isn’t it amazing? please do go there.

Well the ‘warning’ experience described here was nearly the polar opposite from the experience my wife and I had with John this past weekend. I’ve been looking to get back in to cycling for some time and after the sticker shock of the new stock in stores… I had searched for someone that sold re-​furbed or used bikes and found John via Craig’s List for Raleigh.
He was on time when we went to meet him and even gave us better directions as the storage area is not really in plain sight from Capital. John took the time to explain proper shifting (my last bike was a Haro Master in 1990) and the other things I needed to know as this was my first mountain bike.
I bought a Trek 820 from him and I’ve ridden it every day since I bought it from him. just around the neighborhood to get used to it. Everything on the bike was /​is mechanically sound and for a used bike… excellent. The only thing I found wrong was these over 40 legs that hadn’t pedaled a bike in a couple decades.
We’re going back to buy another from him in the next few weeks for my wife. He never once made any comments or was anything but professional with us. Not saying it didn’t happen — obviously wasn’t there… but John was great to us and I would recommend him in a second.

UPDATE AS OF ¹¹⁄₂₁: As a result of this review, I have now had to block John for messaging me with snarky comments.
I would like to clarify something since this is an ongoing theme in the one other review that made it through Unilocal’s filters and the 5 others that were blocked by Unilocal due to being shill reviews: John was very professional during the purchase process. It was only when I wanted my money back because he sold me a defective bike the façade of professionalism crumbled.
If you bought a bike from John and it works for you, GREAT! I’m happy for you. However, if you happen to be one of the unlucky ones and you have a problem with your purchase, THAT is the true test of the professionalism and ethics of an individual. The fact that John has continued to harass me here on Unilocal is also creepy and very very telling of the type of individual he is. I’m just very very glad that I have moved and he no longer knows where I live!
… ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW …
This is a warning to any college students coming to town who are looking for a bike to ride around campus and town — BEWARE OF JOHN!
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John does not have a brick and mortar store. He advertises almost exclusively on Craigslist and operates out of a mini storage unit on Capital Blvd.
I saw one of his many bikes for sale on CL and contacted him. He was very accommodating in terms of making time for me to come and check out the bike. The only way to really test ride it is to ride around the aisles between the storage buildings — not flat and filled with pot holes and rocks.
I asked about negotiating a price and he said that I could pay less for the bike — however, if I did, I had to pay cash and the bike would be sold as is… if I paid the asking price, I could pay with a credit card and there would be a 30-​day warranty for the bike.
I originally offered less and he accepted. However, when I went back to pick up the bike, something told me to pay «full price» and have the warranty. He explained his policy that I could return the bike within 7 days for a full refund, no questions asked — except that the bike had to come back in EXACTLY THE SAME condition. After 7 days and before the 30 days, then it would be for repairs. Fair enough.
I take the bike home and ride it around in my neighborhood. I rode for less than 5 minutes and I heard the unmistakable sound of metal rubbing on metal. When I got home, I looked at the rear dérailleur and saw that there was a plate between the dérailleur and the spokes… that plate was all bent up like a pie pan that had been stepped on. At first I panicked thinking I must have «broken the bike» somehow.
I took pictures of the bike and texted him and told him there was a problem with the bike and that I wanted to return it for a refund. He responded: «I made bet here that you were coming back. I won 50 bet with a friend. I have been selling vintage to college commuters.» At this point, I was rather offended because any way you interpret the text, it was not positive.
I went online to where he had the detailed pictures of the bike on flickr and saw the exact same issue — he sold the bike knowing that it wasn’t going to ride true. Then I was REALLY mad.
I made arrangements to take the bike back the next day — this time he had his wife there. He told me that he loved «big women»… that «his woman was a big woman»… and proceeded to tell me how much she weighed. (If my ex had talked about me the way he talked about his wife, my ex would be dead and I would be a widow because I would have killed him!). He just kept talking about how much he loved big women… I told him to just stop.
Then he tried to convince me that the issue was purely «cosmetic» and that it could be fixed. I said that if it could be fixed, why didn’t he fix it before he sold it. I also said that metal rubbing on metal would cause the bike chain and the parts to wear out.
This guy is in business to rip off college students. He does a half-​… job and hopes that a) you won’t know any better or b) you negotiate a lower price so that it is «as is». He makes his bikes look nice on the CL ads — however, he doesn’t really do quality work. And he is insulting and rude on top of it all — but don’t worry… if you are a «big woman», he loves you!