VéloCity Bicycle Co-op

Velocity needs to pay their staff. What velocity call’s volunteering is actually work and staff should be rightfully compensated!!! just like #fatchristian

A bike repair and co-​op shop which exhibits competence and knowledge in regard to bikes, but also… hold for it… conscience and compassion. The owner/​operator did something so exceedingly kind and altruistic for us, it left us speechless for the rest of the afternoon. He is proof there is hope for our species. It was such rare and exemplary behavior, I won’t describe it, because no one would believe it. Do not put any stock in any negative reviews; they arose from some small unintended slight or the writer’s imagination. We need to clone the proprietor. There are too few people like him remaining in the world.

What a great find! Had the opportunity to meet the dedicated owner as he was opening for the day; Black Friday no less. He took great care fixing the brakes on our daughter’s bike. This place is a must to support.

They were really nice, affordable, and helped me in a bind after I got a flat on my work commute. Was exactly what I needed and seems like a great bike shop.

A great place to borrow some tools and DIY, with solid coaching along the way.

Go here if you do not expect any service. I appreciate their purpose but the guys there are not really versed in customer service. I was waiting inside for nearly 15 mins to get anyone’s attention. When they finally did come outside with me to look and try bikes the guy chooses to work with another customer who had just come in. Will not go back.

I think the idea of a bicycle coop is a good one. Unfortunately, many of us here lead very busy lives and I don’t really need to know the ins and outs of bicycle repair. I would rather just pay someone to fix my bike and be on my way.
Anyway, very ornery staff work here. I’m not sure why they’re volunteering if they don’t seem to like helping people. I’m the first to admit I’m a moron when it comes to my bike, so maybe this is not really the place for me. If you have some experience changing flats or fixing your own brakes, then I guess this would be a pretty good place to go to.

The people here don’t fix your bicycle for you; they show you, step by step, what to do.
I paid $ 20 ($ 5 new inner tube, $ 15 donation) to fix 5 issues my bike was having. As a broke college student, this was fantastic, and I felt empowered afterwards. A great experience and I will be back.

I’ve had 3 super-​positive experiences with these guys over the last two months.
One involved purchasing a used bike from them at a very fair price and one involved stopping by their fun bike-​to-​work-​day pitstop. But the third really inspired me to give them a high review —
I parked my bike out front and was actually headed into the nail salon next door. One of the Velocity guys was outside and asked how my bike was, just being friendly. I happened to be having trouble with a front brake pad rubbing, so I mentioned it and asked if they’d be open later after my appt. Instead, he just squatted down and fixed it right then for me. So nice!
I love having them in my neighborhood and I’ll definitely be back to give them more of my support and business.

So this is the bikeshop of has-​been cyclists? There is nothing like walking into a shop and having the guy dis your equiment. Do you have «X.» «Oh, no one uses X,» he says condescendingly, What are you talking about, X is good because of Y, I have convered bunches of people to Y. shop guy says «Well you should use Z» I say «like I said, Y. Z doesnt have Y. That’s why people use Y.» Shop guy says «Well I…» some selfrighteous statement about when he used to race track.
Dude. Go ride your bike.

Awesome shop, super helpful and friendly staff, great concept, amazing prices. I go out of my way to stop by. Highly recommend

Absolutely wonderful experience coming here after a friend suggested I have my bike (unused but garaged for the past 8 years) looked at before riding again with my 1 year old. We are talkin spiderwebs on the spokes. And what else? I had to YouTube how to remove the front tire because it’s been forever!
After finagling it into my SUV (had to move the child car seat over to flatten the back seat). Upon entering the shop, Brian was smiling and eager to help. He was so nice and welcoming I instantly felt like I would be taken care of. Once propped up onto the rack, he inspected the brakes, gears, everything. Nothing needed to be done except to lube the chain and put air in the tubes! He taught me how to take apart my tires and explained what I should look for over time, when it comes to wear and tear. He said how happy he was that I came in on a weekday so he could spend time teaching me things rather than trying to cram a bunch of teaching into limited time with customers on jam packed weekends. I felt he really cared to impart bike care knowledge on to me.
Total cost for the visit: $ 10 in a donation purely for his time, attention, graciousness, and not giving me too hard a time for not riding this great bike.
Pretty stinkin impressive. I’ll definitely be coming back to get my husbands bike looked at, to get a child trailer attached and whatever other bike needs that may arise!

A great place to find the parts that you need without having to pay Northern VA prices for.

Do not shop here! Unreliable. No system in place to handle customer service. No phone in the shop. If you want to do business with Chris you better do it his way or you are out of luck.

I liked the idea of taking my bike in and tuning it up myself, but it was in pretty bad shape, and I just didn’t feel up to the task. So I dropped it off for a tune up. The price was a lot less than other shops, he did a great job, and I got the bike back the same day.
The service was a little gruff, but I don’t really take that stuff personally. They do a good job, for a good price, and are also giving back to the community. I didn’t come in for a hug, I came in for a tune up. I’ll be back to check out the refurbished bikes for sale and for future fixes, and maybe I’ll even try to do the work myself next time.

This is not the bike repair establishment for the timid or self-​important. This is a blue-​collar shop where you can get your hands dirty, learn how to repair bikes, fix your own bike, and not break the bank. I understand how some people might be put off when going into the shop, it’s chaotic and very busy. No one asked me if I needed something — or if I could be helped; it’s incumbent upon you to figure out who volunteers/​works at the Coop. They have all the tools you might need and many of the standard parts — both new and used. Once I identified the repairs I wanted and that I was willing to work, I received all the help I needed for the three hours I was there. I doubt I’ll go to any other bike shop again.

It’s quickly became my favorite hangout spot.
I started coming a year ago because I was tired of putting a hole in my wallet having pro bike shops tune up my bike.
VeloCity is a fantastic organization because they’ll teach you to do your own bicycle maintenance for just $ 10 an hour for stand time. They sell mostly used parts but some new ones also. They’re always looking for new volunteers regardless of level of experience, so that’s how I got involved. I can’t say enough for the impact the organization has on cycling, the disadvantaged, and youth. I wish every town had bicycle cooperatives like VeloCity

I got into a severe bike accident last year and after over one year off the bike, I finally gained enough balls to go get my bike fixed. I’m not a very knowledgeable person when it comes to anything bike related, so I had no idea the extent of the damage and/​or the cost for repairs. I asked a few friends about good repair shops, etc, since I had to get my bike assessed for damage (on the bike and on my wallet!) and turned up at VeloCity.
I went in on a random Friday afternoon and had quick service in just getting a quick look at the bike. The guy there was helping out another patron, so he sort of jumped back and forth between us to help us. Bad news was that he confirmed my frame was in fact slightly bent. :(When I heard the news, my heart dropped as I figured I’d have to shell out the costs for a brand new bike. However, he was extremely helpful and offered to try to tweak up the bike to make it «ride-​able». He said he needed 20 minutes to work on it, so I just waited patiently and played with his huge dog, Dimsum.
In the end, he was able to tweak the bike up to make it in working order! And the best part, he only charged me TWENTY BUCKS. Thank you Lord. I’m now officially back on the bike (without breaking the bank), thanks to VeloCity.

I definitely recommend VeloCity for your bike needs. The shop is located in the main area of DelRay and was recommended to me by a roommate since my Bianchi Cortina needed some (major) fixing before I could go riding.
It’s basic looking and you’re not going to get the amazing customer service that you may be want, but you won’t be upsold, the volunteers and people working there know what they’re doing, and the price is incredibly reasonable.
My bike needed lots of care after two cross-​country drives (through snow, rain, deserts, lots of wind…) and a crash when I decided to take it off-​roading in a rocky area. I knew I needed a new tube for the back tire, though when I got there I also needed the gear mechanism to be freed (it was stuck), the brakes recalibrated, the rear wheel aligned, and a couple other things including greasing the chain. Yes, I did some damage.
Everything was fixed within 45 minutes and my baby is good as new! I didn’t learn a ton about maintenance, but I think I’ll stop back over for some of the classes because it would be useful. The man helping me (I forgot his name, but he may work there/​own it) was humorous and fixed everything, so I’m totally on board with that. Best of all, he kindly charged me $ 40 for all of it. I tipped nicely (it’s all in the donation jar) and will definitely return for my bike needs!
Also, it’s best if you use cash. The 7 – 11 across the street has an ATM with a $ 2.50 convenience fee if your card charges you for that sort of thing.

Good place to repair bike or install new components. Knowledgeable and experienced volunteers really «know their stuff».
One guy, though, needs to learn/​practice basic civility. Not asking for «customer-​is-​always-​right» fawning, but c’mon — is a USMC boot camp drill instructor mentality really necessary?