Frank’s Spoke ‘n’ Wheel

Frank’s won’t wow you with its appearance, but it has a lot of other qualities in its favor. The prices are reasonable, the staff is friendly and willing to spend time answering questions (even basic ones), and you don’t have to make an appointment in advance. I’ll be back.

What kind of bike store is closed on Sunday when most people ride? The store is sloppy and in need of a remodel. I went to Landry’s in a Natick for service and they were outstanding.

I was excited to find a bike shop so near my house and went to Frank’s Spoke ‘N Wheel today for the first time. I was completely disappointed and disgusted by my experience. The shop was small, cramped, understaffed, and highly disorganized. I was specifically looking for SPD cleats for my cycling shoes, but since no one greeted or offered assistance when I walked in, I spent about 15 minutes wandering around the store looking for them myself. I couldn’t find the cleats and asked an associate, who proceeded to rumble through a cardboard box in the back of the shop (no surprise I couldn’t find them) and pulled out a set of Shimano cleats. My shopping experience up to this point was already unacceptable, but it only got worse when I saw that the cleats were priced almost twice the price of other places. Furthermore, when I asked if they would install the cleats, the associate gave an extremely lengthy «no» and said that they were easy to put on. I was shocked. I am totally able to install the cleats, but in my experience other bike shops have put them on for me as part of the purchase. I left Frank’s without purchasing the cleats and went to REI in Natick, where the cleats were significantly less and they happily installed them for me. I will never return to the Spoke ‘N Wheel and I will never recommend them to anyone. It’s a shock that they are still in business.

Spoke n Wheel is cramped but you can tell that the employees here are serious about their bikes. A huge dog named Magic guards the cash register (which is, incidentally, where his treats are stashed) and the staff is not in this for the upsell. I took a bike in with a bent (perhaps irreparable) chain ring. They quoted me the price for replacing the chain ring and labor and sent me on my way. When I picked it up the next afternoon, they’d salvaged my original part, straightening it and saving me oh… about $ 60. Also, later on the day of the repair, my bike was stolen. I called Frank’s about a week later and asked them to fax me the bill in order to show the insurance company the bike was in my possession (I’d lost it) and they did with no complaints. Great customer service and authentic staff. They’re in it for the grease more than the green.

Spoke ‘n’ Wheel is a good shop. They do solid repairs, even if sometimes there’s a bit of a back log because there aren’t other shops nearby, and their best wrench only works part time.
Their main brands are Trek/​Lemond/​Gary Fisher, although they also carry Bianchi and Quintana Roo on the road side, and they also sell Haro for the BMXers.
Full disclosure: my roommate has worked here on and off for 7 years, and I worked here once, on my 22^nd birthday.