The Bicycle Shop

I have gone here for a long time because they are conveniently located, and you can find parking. I do not come here because I do not have to check their work. I’m thinking of not coming here because they have be buy extra spare parts sometimes (you need a spare! [I think they had to buy two and did not want to hold the stock]), and I don’t quite trust a shop where I have to check their repairs to make sure the nuts are all at least hand tight. But, it’s convenient.
Oh, and they have free air, which is sorta nice, and a water bowl for dogs, which is nice if you are a dog or have one.

I’m pretty much writing this review based on one employee here: Sparky. I’ve been lucky enough to have him work on my bike pretty much every time I’ve gone in there, and he’s why I come back. He’s more friendly and helpful than anyone I’ve ever dealt with in any kind of business. He listens to what I’m interested in having looked at, and regularly goes above and beyond, throwing in extra work beyond what ends up on the bill. I always leave more satisfied than I expected going in. Keep it up!

I bought my mountain bike and a hybrid bike from them, Both times I had a budget in mind and what I was expecting from the bike, the sales people worked with my budget and showed me bikes within my budget, a little above my budget and under my budget to show what I would be getting if I decided to go above my budget or below. With my Mountain Bike I ended up with something a lot more suitable for what I wanted it for, but was over my price range. They ended up cutting me a deal since it was a model that was going to be phased out in a month or two. With the Hybrid I ended up spending less that what I had planned because after talking with the sales people they said I did not need all the bells and whistles for the bike I was going to go with.
I am more than happy with my purchase, and I think it is great they have free tune ups while you are breaking the bike in, which also saves you money as you are working all the gears and shifters in.
They also rent bikes in case you have friends come in from out of town and would like to check out some of the trails in the surrounding area. Most of the employees also participate in NMBA beginner rides if you are new to sport or unfamiliar with the trails. I have also seen employees give advice of trails in the area for people looking for a little more technical rides.

This place was awesome to work with. I actually ordered a used bike from them that was falsely advertised in great condition. After pointing out the issues, they did everything to make it right from sending me free replacement parts to repairing existing parts. They actually sent out the shock to Fox to have a full rebuild done for me. It could have been a really awful experience, but they went above and beyond to make it right, and in the end I’m very satisfied with the bike. I also appreciated their frequent communication and updates on where things were at. I would definitely recommend working with this shop… they strive to make customers happy!

A few years ago I went in to buy a road bike. I brought a guy friend with me and the sales person ONLY talked with him. I would ask a question, and the sales person answered my guy friend. After that I went in one more time by myself, and was promptly ignored (I even asked for information about a particular product). I would not recommend this shop to anyone based on my experiences. I had money to spend and they wouldn’t give me the time of day. No thanks.

New to the area, I took my bike in to get worked on but also to meet some local riders and bike store folks.
The good…
The mechanic who received my bicycle was very amiable and went above and beyond the norm to offer me maintenance options to get me riding while waiting on parts to arrive.
The bad and the reason I’m writing this review…
The mechanic that helped me asked a coworker working on a Moots behind the front desk if he needed any help. The coworker dismissed the mechanic in an insulting way and told him he didn’t want his help. When the mechanic tried to make light of the situation and explain that he didn’t mean to offend, the coworker rudely responded by saying, «Are you still talking?» The mechanic walked away embarrassed without saying anything more.
If this happens in front of a customer what happens when customers aren’t around? Is this an indication that I will be treated the same way?

Products are decently priced and it pretty much all depends on who is servicing you. Sometimes they will hook you up, other times it feels like your bothering them…

I was really happy buying in Bicycle Shop, the staff was very kind generally and they have general knowledge about accessories and bikes. This is completely true for most of the staff except for Donja, who in a couple of times has been kind of rude and was not really willing to help me out.
Once I was buying a replacement tube for my bike, and I didn’t know what kind of tube I must buy, the lady was pretty aggressive making fun of me and telling me that she didn’t know what kind of bicycle I owned. She wasn’t helpful at all!
In a second time I was buying a pair of sunglasses and the lady was rude as well showing me the lenses and the frames, I wanted to buy interchangeable lenses but she didn’t want to change the lenses just with the excuse that she didn’t want to scratch the lenses… come on!!! if you are buying a sunglasses with several lenses it’s pretty obvious that you want to see all the lenses in the same frame!!!, she was pretty aggressive! and besides not very informative about how to clean the sunglasses, she didn’t know Oakley (I was buying that brand) recommend to use a special solution to clean the lenses and her recommendation was just to use the linen that comes with the lenses… obviously she might not know that a sunglasses can be covered by dust, mud and be greasy with use. .
Long story short, if you are buying in the Bicycle Shop in State College, please avoid this lady.

I went to The Bicycle Shop to learn more about Specialized road bikes — models, features, & whether a 56 frame size would be better for me than my current 58 frame size bike. Sarah was very helpful, letting me ride 3 bikes, different models, in the two sizes to compare. Sarah offered to let me ride more bikes. Getting to ride gave me a much better idea of what I should buy next. I wish I lived closer so I could go back and buy a new bike from them.
Terry

Recently bought an abandoned bike at an auction and had many issues with the dérailleur alignment on this old thing. Guys at the shop were quick, helpful and put up with my questions. Thanks!