Element Cycles

OK, I am not the most techno rider and I don’t know all the cool slang about parts and bikes but I do know good service when I get it. The staff at Element cycle could not be more friendly and helpful with my questions and service for my old bike. There was no snootiness and the manager went out of her way to make sure my experience was great! She did not try to up-​sale me and when I am finally ready to turn in my bike and upgrade, I will make sure to go back and get treated like gold once again.

Love that they are all about the kids! Elements has helped out our high School mountain bike team with all kinds of assistance. Friendly and super knowledgeable!

Love this place. Great service, great selection, helpful and friendly staff. What else could you want from your local LBS? (A COUCH — C’MON GUYS — MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!!)

I like them a lot when they were Sammamish Valley Cycle. They just different now. I ordered something a week ago, and they would guarantee it will take about a week. I came back a week later, the order didn’t come. The staff asked me if I would like to cancel it. I said yes. Couple seconds after that, he asked me not to cancel it because they will lose money and asked me if I can wait for couple of days more. I was thinking about it for couple seconds that I should change my mind, but then he said «That’s fine if you don’t want to do business with us, and continue his comments that next time don’t put anything on order with them». Obviously I get offended, and told him that I don’t want that again. I had an issue with them a while back about the other stuff as well. I thought I may have different experience this time and would like to give a chance again. Oh well, there are other bike shops in town and I can always order online.

Fabulous service with a smile! Plus water for the thirsty riders… Thank you for the help with my flat tires!

Me: Old alu. BMC that needs tune up, new tires, chain…, looking for a new Carbon BMC, budget $ 6k, reason for selecting Element Cycles — high rating and largest BMC retailer in the area
Shop: staff — mostly friendly, basic tune up — $ 95, external cable replacement fee not included in tuneup and costs additional $ 35 because «It’s hard and it takes a long time», wait time for service ~2 weeks, cost for tune up+chain+break pads+cables+tires+new bar tape ~$ 400,quality of the job — unacceptably, ridiculously poor! Avoid at all cost!
Details (pre-​service):
I needed my BMC serviced and wanted to buy a new Carbon BMC. My old BMC was squeaky and was shifting poorly. I brought in the bike and they est cost would be $ 200 – 250 tops. I asked if it would be possible to minimize the amount of time they hold the bike in their shop. I was left with the impression that it would take 3−4h to service the bike and they they will have it ride like new. The mechanic was trying to get me to buy a new bike within 3 minutes of walking in — «you need this one!» pointing to a Granfondo. I did say that I am looking for a new carbon BMC (possibly SLR02/​01) and they got me to try one. The manager agreed to rent me their demo carbon BMC bike for a day while my bike is in service if I want to, at a discount rate of 50 $ instead of $ 95 (which generally gets waved if I purchase a bike).
Details (drop off):
The day of the drop off I arrived at 10AM sharp as requested so they can service the bike ASAP. It turns out that they have 3 tiers of tune up and the basic would just be adjusting breaks, shifters, do some alignments, wipe the dirt off the bike and inspect it (not the impression I was left with earlier). No fancy 4h to take the bike apart, re-​grease hubs etc… (that’s a ~$ 250+ service) The mechanic started adding additional fees — 35 $ for changing the cables as «it’s hard and takes a long time». Additionally he said that I need to buy new bar tape as it is impossible to reuse the old one (~$ 50). I explained that the bike doesn’t shift well and is squeaky (something was off…). The $ 50 rental deal was forgotten but the mechanic eventually agreed to «make an exception» and offer it again (he was there when his manager instructed him to offer me the discount, not sure if that was dishonest or genuine but I shouldn’t have asked a second time). The mechanic asked that I return the rental the same day if possible. I immediately asked how long it would take to service the bike — he said «not very long at all, about an hour or less». So I said that I can wait an hour and not rent the bike (saving me an additional 3 hour round trip from Seattle and $ 50). Instantly he said that there are 6 other bikes before mine (despite of having scheduled 2 weeks in advance) and that would be impossible. I suspect that this was done in order to get me to ride the rental bike… either ways even if it’s just poor scheduling it’s still unprofessional granted our initial agreement for as fast as possible service and the 2 weeks notice!
Details (pick up)
I returned the rental bike the very next morning at 10AM sharp and picked up mine. The chain and gears looked dirty and old, I couldn’t tell if they have replaced the chain. Absent the handle bars, tires, and a gentile wipe of the frame it didn’t look like they did much. The handlebar tape was handed to me unraveled and it was taped around my bell!!! Within a minute of picking up the bike, while they were processing my payment the caps fell off the handle bars. I had to ask the guy who handed me the bike to fix all this, he fixed the caps and glued one side of the tape, leaving the other still a bit unraveled. This was all unacceptable granted the amount of money I paid! The guy apologized about it and agreed that it was unacceptable but did nothing further (other than process my payment of ~400). The bike was shifting a little better now but it was still squeaky and sounded funny. At this point I didn’t want to have any further dealings with these guys at any cost!!! They called me later that day to tell me that they forgot to charge me the 50 $ for the bike rental (which wasn’t included in the ~400 I already paid). I expressed my colossal disappointment and they insisted I pay the 50 $ and that they can take a look at the remaining problems — again (wasting an additional 2 – 3 hours of my time)!!! This was highly unacceptable at this point and I don’t trust them, nor do I want to waste my time dealing with them again!
Conclusion:
A week later it turned out that my frame was cracked and that’s probably why the bike was sounding squeaky in the first place. The quality of the service was abominable especially considering the high price I paid. The neglect of my concerns, the lack of transparency and the little tricks they employed in order to squeeze more money out of my pocket were truly repugnant. I urge you to avoid Element Cycles at all cost!

Went in with a rear flat. They replaced the tube on the spot. Took about 20 minutes. $ 10 labor

The people at this shop are extremely helpful. I was in the market for my first new bike in 15+ years (previous bike was bought in 1988 (Fuji Cadenza) which I donated 15+ years ago. I had so many questions and they were very patient with me… even after several trips to Element and other local stores. Element allowed me to borrow several different bikes to test out on local Sammamish River Trail to get a feel of what would work out best for me. I primarily ride paved trails and city, so I ended up getting a BMC Alpenchallenge AC02 series bike, and I’ve been very happy with it. They were very helpful and the purchase price includes maintenance for 1 year, which is great since I don’t have a lot of experience with that (yet). Their prices seem to be on par with other bike shops in the area.

Went in with a tricky problem. My shifting was just off. Upon investigation, first suggestion was to upgrade my bike from gen1 di2 to gen2 di2. Fyi, that’s $ 2000. I asked more questions and Chinzo reluctantly settled on plan b which was to tear down and rebuild everything. $ 250 quoted for the work.
I didn’t think that was right so I went elsewhere. Tom @rei in Issaquah solved my issue in 20 minutes with one ordered part @$ 35. Seriously.
Please be aware of up selling. Chinzo tried to up sell me on a groupo when the issue was set screws and a deraileur hanger. He also tried to up sell on dura ace cables.
Me, I’m staying away.

I approached them for service and they gave me the line «We don’t work on bikes from the Internet for liability» — oh, yeah, right, whatever — you don’t work on bikes you didn’t get 100% markup on at $ 3000 is more like it. Never, ever, ever going back.

My boss rented us bikes to ride around after work. The people at the shop were really nice and accommodating. The bikes worked perfectly and we had a great time riding toward Woodinville on the path… not sure what it’s called ;) we will definitely do it again!

I visited 6 different bike store before deciding to purchase my bike here. When I arrived, there was someone there to greet me and and asked what I was looking for? I appreciated that they didn’t look down on me. My previous experience at the other bike store wasn’t so friendly. I did tell them that I was a first time rider and what my budget was. Ishan (hope I spelled his name right) was able to pull a few selections from the store. He encouraged me to test ride all of them. He even took the time to educate me on all the important mechanism pieces on a bike. I appreciated how he valued my time and didn’t pressure me into buying a bike that same day. I eventually came back the next day and bought a bike there. I definitely will be referring riders over there!
Thank you Element Cycle.

I brought in a new German scooter a few days ago because the tires were flat and I misplaced my German pump. It was a present for my son’s birthday, so I really needed the tires to be pumped. I asked if they could fill the tires or had the pump I could buy. The boy who «helped» me told me the best he could do was put in new tubes (on brand new tires). I asked if there was anything else he could recommend and he said no and that no one else in town would be able to help me either.
I left thinking «That sucks! It’s a brand new scooter for my son’s birthday and I am going to have to buy new tubes.» Across town at REI, I did more shopping and stopped by the bike department to reluctantly ask the same question. The man there took 10 seconds to give me an adapter that changes the end of the tire valve to fit my pump. BOOM! Done! And at a store that doesn’t even specialize in my issue.
I thought to myself, why didn’t the kid at Element recommend the same thing when I asked if there was anything else I could do? The answer: their business model is broken. They want to upsell you, not listen to what you want. In fact, on the same trip just in front of me, I overheard a young man trying to get a job there. He said he didn’t have any bicycle experience, but could sell anything to anyone. Needless to say, the manager told him to wait around because she wanted to talk to him more.
From all the trips I’ve made there and the hundreds of dollars I’ve spent, it took 1 minute to show me how much my business was worth. I won’t be going in there again.

The best bicycle shop around! No job is too small or too big. Staff is very knowledgeable.
If you have not already, you must check out E-​lab, their new training facility right behind the shop.
www.

Took a bike in with a broken rear dérailleur cable and the cable end caught up in the flight deck. Mechanic was kind enough to drop what he was doing and check it out on the spot. Ended up being able to dislodge the broken part, saving me $ 100 on a new right Ultegra brake lever.
I’m planning on dropping a lot of dough on a new road bike before long, and they’ve earned at least a chance at my business. They have to steal it away from Specialized, which I’ve ridden the past several years, but with Pinarello and BMC in the store I’m more than willing to drop by for a test run given my past experience there.

Element cycles is everything a bike store should be. A curated selection of high quality bikes, patient and knowledgable staff, and a thorough service dept. I recently bought a Norco mountain bike. Before I bought it, they spent a lot of time walking me through different options and styles of bicycles. I test drove the bikes at their store, and also took a couple out to the trails through their demo program.
At the same time, a friend brought his bike in for repairs. They went over the bike in detail and thoroughly explained its current state. They told him that some of the repairs he thought he needed were actually unnecessary, thus saving him money. This is the kind of straightforward and honest service that creates long term customers.
I live in downtown Seattle, but drive out to Redmond because the folks at Element are awesome. Most of my interactions have been Lorraine, James, and Mike.

Recently into biking and Element Cycles has a sign that directs you to the shop off the Burke Gillman bike trail! Genius! Get people already on bikes to come to your bike shop to buy clothes, gloves, lights, tubes and such — and in my case it works! I have stopped in a few times and found the staff very helpful and the inventory very good. Helpful staff with beginner riders (me) but also appears to cater to hardcore too. Anything they sell they offer to put on the bike if you have it — and are nice about it — I have purchased lights, gloves, jersey and some other odds and ends. Very convenient and really a nice place!

Element Cycles rocked! I was back in town after moving away 5 years ago and wished to hit some of the old roads I used to love. I went to Element because they are the same folks who used to own Sammamish Valley Cycles, where I had bought 2 bikes during my Seattle days. They still had me in the computer!
I rented a Pinarello Dogma 65.1 from them. It was expensive, but hey — it was a Pinarello. When I walked in and said I had a reservation for a 54, I was told I looked more like a 53 since Pinarello’s run differently than other bikes. They were right! They then took the time to make sure that I was fitted properly with multiple seat and handlebar adjustments. So when I rolled out I was dialed in. The bike had some shifting issues while I had it, but otherwise was excellent. Great staff — very friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and accommodating. I’ll be back on my next visit.

I went today for my complentary anual bike service and I was surprised with the great service! They spend over half an hour checking, adjusting and cleaning my bike. My Norco bike feels like new again. My husband tried to get the same service at the gercks store and guess what they only dedicate 10 miss or less to check the bike a little bit of oil and that was it! He was jealous that I got a better service.

My last two bikes, which I bought over the last 6 months (BMC road hybrid and Norco Bigfoot fat tire), where both from Element Cycles. I’ve had generally very good experience at all the bike shops that I’ve been to in Redmond, Bellevue, and Kirkland, and I’ve been to most if not all of them. Based on all my excellent experiences with the service department, answering questions, and overall customer service, I now take all my bikes to Element Cycles for service exclusively since summer of 2013, soon after they got new management.
Another thing that’s great about Element Cycles is location, behind Trader Joe’s, Staples, Canyons and cross from Ooba’s — and just a few hundred yards off the Sammamish River Trail and Redmond Corridor (formerly Eastside Rails) paved bike paths. It’s very common to see people ride their bike into the shop while biking on a nearby path. Element Cycles has also been increasing and enhancing their community activities this year, with more organized group rides, and sharing news and information on their Facebook page.
I have several friends who bike for recreation as well as commuting, and they all now go to Element Cycles. I’m in their shop at least a couple of times per month. Recently their product offering, online website (now with inventory status), and service department has been better than ever.
Regardless of what some people have reported about their experience in the past, it’s worth it for people to check out Element Cycles (or any new bike shop) in person to decide for themselves. Reviews can be a helpful guide, but sometimes they only represent less than 2% of the reality of general service and experience. Element Cycles is not the only bike store on the eastside that I go to, but it’s my favorite bike shop and exclusive for any service for my bikes.