La Bicicletta

I am really disappointed with la bicicletta.
The customer service was atrocious. I had stopped by the shop in person to order the Dura Ace 9000 c35 clincher wheel set with a 10speed cassette.
The day I placed my order, I had provided my name and phone number to the fellow that was helping me– Henry. I saw him input my information into the store database for orders.
I had called Henry about 6 times to try and obtain an order status. Each time we spoke, he would ask me for my phone number and indicated that he would call me back with an update. However, I never received not one damn return phone call from Henry to update me. I was beginning to wonder if he was taking me seriously.
Eventually, the wheels came after just over 3weeks. But, here’s the kicker, when my wife went to pick up the wheels for me, Henry advised that he ordered the wrong cassette and had to order the 10speed cassette! There was not one apologize for the inconvenience.
Now, I have a wheelset with no cassette.
Thanks a lot Henry. I will not be doing anymore business with this shop in the future. Poor attention to customer service. I’ve found a new store, the Eleven, and immediately I can feel the difference.

I have generally had ok experiences with this store, however, inline with what someone wrote below, their promises are not exactly promises.
I purchased a chainring online, which I could not fit on my bike since this part required another chainring which the store guaranteed to deliver but really could not since they had no availability. so basically i brought the first part into the store to have it refunded based on the lack of availability of the other chainring. The person at the counter told me that they would refund it later, and I ended up buying another complete crankset from the store and left the chainring behind.
The refund never came on my credit card, I called the store next week. They told me that they would not accept the chainring since they said I «used it». The item was in «new condition» as per their requirements and I had not used it and in fact I bought a complete new set up at the store and the person at the counter told me that they would refund me anyways. I had indeed installed the part on my bike, but had to take it off since I could was relying on receiving the other chainring from the store as promised.
Long story short, they would not refund the item, and since I already bought a complete new set up from them, the original chainring was completely useless to me and i left it at the store (also having given them my original crank for resale for free!). Lesson learned, goodbye 50 $, their promise is a complete lie, BUYER BEWARE, since they might not return something you buy even based on their guarantee of being able to fit that part on your bike.
«Returns
We stand by our products, and that’s why we offer an easy returns policy. If an item you ordered does not meet your expectations for any reason within 30 days of receiving it, no problem! As long as the item is in „as new condition“, simply return it for an exchange or full refund– whichever suits you best. Simply put, we want you to be a happy, long term La Bicicletta customer.»
— See more at:
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THIS IS A LIE ^^^^

I shopped with this bike shop back in 1997 (good-​great experience, by a fella named Henry… last I heard 2 – 3 years ago he was still there). Then in 2000 (eek! Methinks in retrospect not). A fella was working there at the time by the name of «Adam», who gave me serious grief over the phone. I ended up buying a LOOK carbon frame-​set from them in 2000, that they had price matched for me. I had Colorado cyclist send them a Record 9spd Rear dérailleur, to be installed before they shipped the frameset. I ended up with the package in the mail, and the Record Rear dérailleur had a crack going length-​wise (hanger bolt direction) on the rear dérailleur. When I questioned Adam about it, he sounded clueless over the phone, then he proceeded to come at me with some kind of crazy attitude. I’m highly doubtful that Colorado Cyclist had sent out a faulty RD. The Record box, containing the RD was rag-​tag/​beat up. I had my local shop at the time (BikeMasters… defunct now) do a warranty claim on the RD. They handled it, but then charged me $ 15 to then install the RD on my frame. Curse of the Campagnolo comes back to bit you in the end!

I had been to roughly 10 bike shops before I darkened La Bicicletta’s doors, including a number of the «higher end» places in Toronto. My experience at La Bicicletta outshone all of the others. Heath and Brian spent the time discussing my cycling goals and measuring my geometry before even suggesting a bike, and then showed a number of lower-​priced and sale models that they felt would be appropriate (no inappropriate upsell attempts like a number of other places, ahem Dukes and Wheels of Bloor). It was a busy Saturday afternoon so it was a bit of a wait to get the help I needed, however it was well worth the time (and I was repeatedly asked by other staff if I needed help while waiting for a fitting).
Once I came back to buy the bike, significant time was spent making sure everything was custom fit (which was included in the price — other places seem to charge $ 100-​$ 300 for this), all questions were answered, and I was given discounts on all of the add-​ons and a truly unparalleled sales experience. The staff were honest about where to spend money and where to save, including what upgrades were and weren’t worth the coin.
The guys at Bicicletta clearly cared about getting me on the right bike, not just on any bike or making a sale, and ensuring that I have the best possible riding experience. The store is full of staff who clearly love the sport and want to help others love it too. I’ll definitely be back — this has become my go-​to cycling store.

Terrible customer service. I went in there with my brother and girlfriend to buy a bike trainer for the winter. I saw the one I like and ready to drop a few hundred dollars on it, however the service was terrible. I wanted the store rep to drop the seat so I can get a more comfortable ride on it and he refused to saying it’s good as is… when it only takes 15seconds to do. The store is run by 20 year old kids… place wasn’t even busy when I went. will not go there again.

La Bicicletta has a great online portal and pretty decent prices for Canada. I purchased a frame set from them and product was what I expected. The reason I am giving them 2 start is that their so called «Low Price Promise» is not really a promise ;). They claim: «find the same product online at a lower price from a valid North American online retailer? No problem! La Bicicletta promises to match our competitors pricing.». However, when I found a US online retailer that offered the same frame set for about 10% less they claimed they sell at MSRP and they don’t know why the other retailer offered lower prices. Great explanation, well, I guess I’ll be looking for the deals somewhere else.

I have a bad, bad addiction to classic Italian bicycles. Luckily I’ve been sobering up a bit due to my new geographical and financial issues. But if I lived in Toronto, this place would be my enabler. I would be out on the streets with no home, no food, but the nicest bicycles known to man.
They themselves don’t carry a LOT of vintage stuff but they have the most gorgeous cases of Campy groupos you ever done seen. I’m talking like special edition, gold-​plated craziness.
I got some new Miche track hubs here that were mouth-​watering at a decent price. Nice headsets, saddles, and other parts. Scratch that. Not nice. Naughty. I mean really, really naughty. Seductive and gorgeous.
They did have some classic rims (like the MA40s) but mostly tubular. And let’s face it, I’m not that much of a fanatic nor am I racer nor do I have the skills/​patience.
They had A LOT of bikes in the shop and I’m sure they were all very pretty, immaculately designed, and of top notch quality. But I don’t do completes. Or new fancy iron steeds. And I didn’t have time to do some browsing about. So I can only report back about the parts for builds.
The clerks were awesome. Very helpful, not at all condescending, professional, and knowledgeable.
It might be a little off the beaten path but for a mecca, it’s worth the pilgrimage.

La Bicicletta are serious about cycling! They carry a wide range of some of the best built road bike brands, starting with models for the enthusiast and going all the way up to frames and builds that will make the hardcore racer, time trialist, cyclocrosser or track rider start to drool with envy (and sticker shock!)
They also feature many top brands of components, shoes, clothing, computers, nutrition products, tools and accessories.
I didn’t buy a bike from the folks here so I can’t speak to the quality of the sales experience, but my visits to the shop for fit and maintenance reasons made it clear that they listen carefully to the concerns of individual riders and have the know-​how to suggest only what they think would suit a given person best. I came in with some concerns about the fit and performance of my existing bike that wasn’t even of a make that they normally carried, and they were quick to ask lots of good questions about my riding style, fitness, experience and concerns before recommending a single product or even putting me on the stationary trainer.
They have staff who are certified to perform the comprehensive Specialized Body Geometry Fit to make sure your bike works with your body with absolute accuracy. Even if you don’t go for the full BG Fit (which, I’ve heard, is pricey and time consuming but apparently worth it if you need absolute biomechanical perfection) they will get you on a trainer, spin you around and measure all the key bike/​body variables, whether you’re searching for maximum power or just want to be comfortable and injury-​free on your bike.
The only things you won’t find here are mountain bikes, BMX or cruisers, but Toronto has many other options to scratch those itches. If you love cycling, check them out.