Briarcliff Bike Works

Poor customer service. Not the friendliest experience. Went one time and had to wait 5 minutes with no line to get the owner to acknowledge I was there. Then he seemed unimpressed with the repair inquiry I was making and seemed disinterested to help. Live very local and I drive across TapanZee for my bicycle needs.

I’m adding one star because that’s as low as you can go. The guy who runs the shop is a greedy schmuck. I came in to buy an inner tube for my 10 year old daughters bike but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t just filling the tire wrong so I asked to borrow his pump. He said there’s a $ 20 minimum charge for any service!!! This was for air!!! This is the third time I’ve been to his shop over a 9 year period and I’ve had three dreadful experiences. I have 6 bikes at home 2 high end, and I will never go back to this jerk again. While I was there one lady was paying for 2 tires and the guy said the derailers were in need of oil…$ 185!!! Then another lady comes in to pick up her bike, 1 tire replaced and same oil bs $ 138!!! Talk about taking advantage… buyer beware! Or just don’t go.

About 4 years ago, I trashed my front wheel while mountain biking at Graham Hills park. Another rider stopped and helped to get the rim into ridable shape so I could get back to the parking lot. I knew I would need to get the wheel rebuilt, and I had a race coming up soon. This guy seemed knowledgeable, and I mentioned that coincidentally, I had just been talking with another friend about wheelbuilding and he had recommended Briarcliff BikeWorks. «Yeah, I used to work there» was his response. My point is — ask almost any avid mountain biker in the area, and they will know this shop and the owner, (Lou) and attest to their quality. His work is thorough, exacting and dependable. They are part of the community, riding a lot, sponsoring events and doing trail maintenance. They love bikes and biking. It is true that they carry only high-​quality bikes and parts because I don’t think Lou would suggest you buy anything he wouldn’t buy himself.
Briarcliff Bikeworks caters to people who love cycling and are looking for high performance from their bikes. I have learned a lot from Lou just by watching and asking questions while he worked. I have seen him fix up basic issues with low-​end bikes that people bring in, and I have seen him refer people to other shops when they want a type of bike he doesn’t stock. I’ve never seen him be rude to people.
Buying my mountain bike there recently was a great experience. Lou laid out the options, made recommendations, measured the fit on my old bike, compared it to calculations from measuring my body, and made sure everything was just right. The result is that I’m riding faster and with more confidence than ever before. If «cyclist» is one of the top 5 words you’d use to describe yourself, this is your shop.
Update: March 2013. I’ve now had the bike I bought from BBW for about 1.5 yrs and am just as happy with the shop. Lou’s thoroughness makes him like a «bike whisperer». If you have a problem with your shifter, he won’t just replace the part and hand the bike back. He will verify that the shifting is dialed in perfectly, checking the dérailleur hanger angle, the cabling, the B-​screw, and literally listening to the bike. This means more happy riding time and fewer return trips to the shop or mid-​ride breakdowns.

My first experience with Lou was when I was on a group ride and got a flat. Somehow, none of few stragglers riding with me had a working pump. Since we were close to Briarcliff Bikeworks, someone suggested going there. Lou was great! OK, it was only a flat, but he changed it pronto. I asked him what he charged for a tune-​up and compared to some other shops, it seemed quite reasonable. Ever since then, Lou has been my biking guru. And what a salesman! He kept telling me that for the mileage I was doing, I should be on a better bike. Thus began a wonderful journey to the fabulous, perfect, semi-​custom bike I ride today. He would give me a bike to test — not in the parking lot, but on one of my typical bike rides. We worked, and tweaked, and he listened, and I can’t imagine a better bike for my needs for any amount of money. If you show the least bit of enthusiasm for biking, Lou will work wonders.

I’ve been riding most of my life, living in Millwood for the past 19 years. I am familiar with all the local bike shops within about 15 miles.
Lou’s shop, Briarcliff Bike Works, is unquestionably a cut above the rest and outstanding in virtually every way.
Here are a few thoughts:
Service: I ride a lot of miles (think of a number and double it) and frequently need parts and service. Lou and his mechanics cater to my needs. I bring my bike to the shop and get it back when promised — period. Lou has even come to rescue me when I was dead in the water due to a breakdown.
Mechanical ability: Lou is a perfectionist. «Good enough» is not good enough. Also, Lou is clearly the best wheel builder I’ve ever known.
Price: This is an expensive area. Anyone who complains about the cost of anything around here is just not aware. Lou is competitively priced.
Passion: Lou’s approach to bikes is unique. While some needs are routine, most are not because we all have different riding styles and needs. Lou takes the time to understand them so he makes sensible recommendations that fit the rider’s style and budget.

I’m really sad about the experience I had here. My husband and I both have high-​end bikes, so we looked carefully to find a guy who could take care of them.
Bottom line, I waited around for close to an hour after giving the guy a solid 24 hours notice that I’d be by. He’d already had it about a week, AND I gave him four extra days from when I actually said I’d swing by to pick ‘er up.
Then, when I got there, he hadn’t done what he’d said he was going to do, which was to let me buy a better part off one of his existing bikes. So I waited for that.
Then I got the bill for a whopping amount of labor, and this is after we waited for an hour.
But the work is good. That’s not what was really awful about my experience. What was really heartbreaking, and, at the end of the day, was the dealbreaker for me and the reason I’ll never, ever go back again, is the way he treated his other prospective customers.
A guy walks in with his kid, dragging a bike with a dodgy chain on it. Yeah, okay, it’s a Huffy. The kid’s maybe five. The guy looks pretty nervous, but he asks for help. Lou goes, «We don’t do kids’ bikes here.» Me and my husband are lookin’ at each other, waiting for Lou to say, «BUT you can bring it to XYZ of the other six hundred bike shops in the area and they can help you.»
He says nothing. There’s a long, awkward, awful silence. I’m about to say something, but then Lou tells the shop assistant to take the bike back and do something with it. The customer feels bad, you can tell.
I was mortified. The same thing happens about two minutes later: A whole family walks in. They’re looking for hybrids. Lou goes, «We don’t do that kind of bike here.» Again, I wait for him to point business to another bike shop.
Again, I’m disappointed. The entire family walks out. The other guy walks back with the kid’s Huffy. Lou goes, «What’d you do?» The guy mumbles something about putting air in the tires and fixing the chain. Without looking at the customer, Lou barks, «Twenty bucks.»
And that was it. And that’s the entire reason I’ll never, ever go back.
I love my bike. I ride it a lot and it deserves great care. But I love people more, and good customer service is a must-​have.
Most important, I love encouraging people to ride their bikes best, and Briarcliff Bike Works doesn’t help me in that mission at all.
One star for the good work.
The rest is obvious.

When I finally decided to treat myself to a new high-​end bike I contacted several shops inquiring about a few brands I was interested in.
I was particularly impressed with Lou of Briarcliff Bike Works. He was extremely knowledgeable, yet easy going.
He made me feel very comfortable that everything would go well with what turned out to be a very pricey bike (though I saved at least 15% by purchasing from Briarcliff Bike Works).
The most impressive thing was Lou’s patience with me in choosing the components for the bike. I hand-​picked almost every component on the bike, oftentimes changing my mind.
In the end, I received a gorgeous bike that was exactly what I wanted. No buyer’s remorse here!
In sum, Briarcliff Bike Works built me a bike that was exactly what I wanted for a very competitive price. Highly recommended!