Ride Brooklyn

This is the best bike shop I’ve been to in Brooklyn. Everyone is super helpful and repairs are really reasonable. The mechanic Ricky really knows his stuff and he’s super nice too.

I wish I could give this place 500 stars. Every time I go in there for service, the staff is incredibly nice and helpful. They work quickly and are happy to accommodate my schedule. The prices are also very reasonable. I have been commuting 20 miles a day round trip in the city for the past 7 years. My bike has taken a lot of beatings, and I have been to lots of bike shops. Ride Brooklyn is by far the best one in the city.

Good spot got my
Cannondale at a steal !!! God sent !
They give one year of service and help
Great team get your bike at Ride BROOKLYN !

I write this review after unpacking my delicate and beloved bicycle after it took a 2500 mile road trip in a FedEx truck. I’m sure it took a wild ride: bumps, drops… maybe even a bored Fedex worker tried practicing some wrestling body slams with the bike box. Yet none of that matters due to the care the guys at Ride put into packing the bike up for shipment. Ricky was the one who helped me out and I can’t thank him enough. The price was totally fair for what must have been a lot of work taping and securing all the parts. Attention to detail is the name of the game in the bike shop world, and these guys are doing it right.

I first visited Ride Brooklyn on Bergen a few weeks ago, looking to get my bike in order — I bought a new pannier, something I’d never purchased before and had no experience with, and the salesman pointed out a cheap bike rack to go along with it. The bag is a Linus pannier called the «sac» — it’s canvas and comes with a shoulder strap. The rack is a plain planet bike Eco rack.
The customer service I received on the first day was absolutely impeccable. The guys at the shop were really interested in getting my bike set-​up the way I wanted. They complimented my old frame and made me remember why I got the bike in the first place. Unfortunately, it all went downhill.
A couple weeks later, with a full pannier, as I was moving through traffic to enter a bike lane, the pannier somehow caught in the wheel and got completely sucked into the spokes. I lost all control of the bike and careened into a parked car, bounced off, and was lucky to be totally OK. As it turns out, there is a warning label inside the Linus bag that warns against using the bag with other racks, and I did see the tag after making the purchase, when I got home and went to try it out. But, the bag snapped on OK and everything looked fine. Not having any prior experience, I assumed the rack sold to me at the same time must also support the pannier.
Here, I’d like to make a couple of points. Earlier today, I stopped into the Bergen location with the wrecked bag to discretely let management know that selling those two items together is dangerous. I know the store is not technically liable for anything, and said that. There was no injury anyway. However, as a first-​time pannier/​rack owner, I trusted that I would not be sold a dangerous combination of items, and I think there is an important difference between legal liability issues and general empathy and customer service.
Since the store sold me two items that do not function together, and as a result I now have a rack which does not support a pannier, and a pannier which is incompatible with the bike rack, I thought that by bringing them in and explaining the situation someone would surely acknowledge that they should have sold me a different rack and attempt to remedy the situation in absolutely any way — store credit, new rack, simple product exchange for the correct rack, something. After my initial, positive experience, that seemed a likely option.
Instead, the man I spoke with (not sure who) immediately reiterated the store’s lack of liability and assured me that they always sell the proper racks and panniers together. (The fact that they actually do not, I think it is purely an oversight, which is why I stopped in to just let them know). He then asked if I had a new bag, to which I replied that I would need a new rack first that would support one. He defensively responded that no one else has ever had a problem in the three years that they have sold Linus bags, and then launched into a pitch to sell me a basket, at which point the emotional trauma of the bike accident and his utter lack of empathy both sent my jaw to the floor, and I walked out of the store, sadly, probably never to return.
***By the way, I have seen that combination of items on at least one other bicycle during my daily commute. For everyone buying panniers with a rack, make sure that you do not buy a rack that makes a 45 degree angle triangle. Get one that makes more of a rectangle so that it creates a wall between the pannier and the wheel, even if it initially looks like it’s far enough away not to make contact.

Mixed reviews about these guys. Their front desk is nice enough and efficient when it comes to buying or renting bikes or bike related hardware.
However the repair department in the back always acts as if they’re doing you a favor and don’t take responsibility for their mistakes. I left my bike there for two weeks for a tune up and when I came to pick it up they realized they had totally forgotten about it.
At first they tried to blame it on me saying that I didn’t pick it up on time … Which obviously didn’t make any sense. Then they apologized and promised me a «killer deal» (I quote) on my repair to make it up to me. When I picked up my bike the next day they gave me a 10% discount… What a «killer» deal…
Then one week later my tire totally deflated for no apparent reason, but obviously that was not part of the tune up…
Very mixed.

Everyone here here has been amazingly patient while I rebuilt a vintage Miyata road bike. The previous owner of the bike had a very different build from me, so to get a better fit I needed a shorter stem, handlebars with a shorter reach, larger toe clips, and a different saddle. The brake levers were also old and stiff and causing neck and shoulder pain after a couple of hours of riding, so those needed to be swapped out too. Let’s just say I’ve been fussing and tweaking this bike for almost 2 months and the staff has been very patient while I get the look and feel of the bike just right. They had ordered a more comfortable modern drop bar with a shallower drop that felt good but had a matte silver finish that clashed with the smooth shiny steel/​chrome of the bike, so I ended up going back on eBay to look for these old handlebars with a shorter reach. Then I bought a Brooks B17S saddle here that ended up being very uncomfortable, so had to return it. They accepted the return even though the saddle had been removed from the packaging and the envelope with instructions had been torn open (didn’t expect to be the 1% of people that found this saddle to be very painful to ride). I eventually decided on another saddle that they didn’t have in stock, so I bought it elsewhere. Finally I got the new (old) handlebars and shorter stem and they installed it for me here along with some Brooks Cambium handlebar tape and Cinelli gel pads. And also replaced the brake pads. Rebuilding this 80’s bike was definitely an ordeal, but it was a labor of love (for me at least!) and the bike now looks and feels fantastic!
Once again, Ride Brooklyn has been so, so patient with me throughout all this. I live in Queens, but this is my local bike shop!

blah, blah, blah I have read over the comments about the service but please do not project your own lack of self worth upon the wonderful people at Ride Brooklyn! So some verbal estimates aren’t exact; you have to expect that parts and labor are not dirt cheep. Invest your patience and money into your bike if you love it! xo

Wow, worst service ever. 1 tech in particular. Needed replacement wheels and came here on a friend’s reco and because they were having a Labor Day sale on accessories. Spoke to a girl who gave me a rough breakdown of what it would cost ~200 and told me to just bring my frame in. They took a look at it and determined that I had smaller wheels and didn’t have it in stock and that they would have to order it (which I was fine with by the way). I asked questions (since I didn’t know that it meant smaller tires, tubes, special cassette, etc.) and another tech answered but this guy was pretty much focused on another bike already. So I kept asking how much for everything and he vaguely gave me random numbers and it was a lot of «I dunno, like $$ tube, $$ tires, $$ cassette, $$ labor… I dunno maybe 275 with labor». I asked him if I should eBay it or if I should just order them, that was in no rush since I have another road bike at home and I just bought another bike arriving on Monday. I just needed to know if that was the actual quote and what he recommended. His answer was «I dunno, it’s your decision». Yeah? no kidding. I didn’t ask you what I should do, I asked for you for your advice and expertise and if it was worth it to replace my tires and I pretty much got a «I dunno. Maybe another shop has them». Wtf? I actually didn’t mind paying 275 since I might sell it or use it as a backup, and I wasn’t in a rush, and this was a friends reco, but it’s like he really didn’t want to help me at all. I’m a pretty seasoned cyclist, and a daily commuter, and my regular shops techs would never act like such a dick. What a waste of time. I wouldn’t recommend this place to the bike thieves in Brooklyn, much less a friend.

The best bike shop in Brooklyn. Went there to get a bike and didn’t know what I need and they helped me find the perfect bike. They are super friendly there. The shop is nice and organized. Definitely going back for any thing i need or if I need my bike fixed.

Solid local bike shop! I’ve picked up a few parts and tools here from their wide selection to work on my own bikes but had a great experience with Ricky, one of the mechanics who recently finished a vintage frame with modern component group road bike project. He sourced some hard to find parts to convert from down tube shifters to brifters, cabled and tuned the bike. It’s smooth, crisp shifting, perfect. I couldn’t be happier.

Went here after a kind of annoying experience at another local bike shop. I was looking for a decent bike to tool around and commute from time to time in, and trae guys set me up with something I’m very happy with. The staff was attentive and I got asked three or four separate times if I needed any help, but not in a pushy way. I was able to test ride three different bikes without any hassle and found one I liked and bought it on the spot. They give you two free tune ups in the first year and unlimited «adjustments.»
The only reason I took off a star is that they were a little pushy on accessories. I get that it’s important for them to sell extras, but in the age of Amazon, charging full retail for lights and bells and locks when I can get the exact same stuff for 40% less means I’m way better off waiting a day or two. I get that they have to do it, but it got pushed a bit hard.
Happy to have these guys nearby and they’ll be my first stop from now on.

Not sure why they get such rave reviews. They do good work but I’ve never met a more aloof bunch in my life – all 5 of the folks I had to deal with were as cold as ice; the rest did their best to ignore me. They appear to have zero focus on customer service, including forgetting to call as promised.
Will not go back.

The guys on Bergen will help you out! Bike whisperers. They were patient with me during my bike shopping and when a part got damaged soon after, Pete made the bike rideable again on the spot.

Love this place! Always professional and so helpful. I went in for a bike tune up and the guy checked it out, put air in my tires and said it was in good condition. No need for a full tune up. Saved me money.

Brought bike in for repair. Place was crowded but I was helped right away. Bike fixed fast.

Called to ask if they had time for a tune-​up and the guy just hung up on me.

Good guys who are helpful and not overly pushful, nor have an overbearing air of what I like to call «gearhead chauvanism» that is pretty common in bike shops. My bike is kind of a basket case (bike pun) and it needs work from time to time. I always take it here because they don’t overcharge for work, and will even point out when something is amiss with my bike that I don’t notice and will fix it.
Oh yeah, they have free air out front, which is nice. Its better to pay in cash as sometimes their credit machines mess up, which I have seen from time to time.

Atendimento preguiçoso. Mas a loja tem boa variedade de itens. Não usei o serviço de locação logo não posso opinar.

Went in with flats, with my never-​tuned-​up fixie. Grabbing my bike promptly, the older mechanic also did necessary alignments, pumped tyres to ideal pressure, and even installed & adjusted the emergency front-​brake (the bike being a fixie i had been neglecting the latter) and saw to it that i was only charged for the tubes and labor for changing tubes, viz. around 25 $ (even though installing & adjusting a brake alone is a lot more labor than what I was charged for).
I ended up buying an extra-​security chain and consumables, which were also quite reasonably priced.
I’m grateful and def coming back.

I don’t know where to start with Ride Brooklyn. Perhaps an adequate summary would be that they seem to be friendly enough when you come in asking for air or asking them to repair your bike and you’re willing to let them sell you whatever they want, but if you’re looking for help or parts so you can do your own work… well… read on for the full story.
I went in a few weeks ago, had a bad experience and wrote a negative review. Then I thought about it some more, started to worry that I overreacted, and took the review down. I went in again this morning and had ANOTHER bad experience. In total, I’ve had four non-​positive experiences with two of them being quite negative. I think this establishes enough of a pattern that I’m comfortable with putting it down in a review.
Experience #1: Meh
I went in looking for a specific tool. They didn’t have it. They spent 5 or 10 minutes trying to sell me on a different tool that was similar, but not what I wanted. I had done my research, and I knew what I wanted. I only came to the store to give my business to a local small business owner instead of Amazon. I didn’t appreciate them trying to sell me on something I didn’t want.
Experience #2: Bad
I went in with a very specific need. I needed a chain pin for my shimano chain so I could remove it for a thorough cleaning and reinstall it. To keep this review as brief as possible, they sold me the wrong size pin. This set off a really annoying «chain» reaction (HA!), since I didn’t realize that it was the wrong size until my chain was off, which meant that I had to ride the subway to work for 3 days until I could get the proper size. This wasn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but it seems kind of ridiculous that a bike repair shop would make such a basic mistake. I didn’t even look at the pin until I was ready to use it (because I trusted them to give me the right size), but even a cursory examination made it obvious that it wasn’t the correct size.
Experience #3: Meh
I returned the pin. The return was relatively painless, but I would have liked some acknowledgment that they sold me the wrong size. The man helping me seemed annoyed that I had the audacity to return something even though it was the shop’s fault.
Experience #4: Bad
I’m switching tire sizes on my touring bike. The tires I have are more suited to long distance touring than city commuting, so I wanted to go with a tire that was a little narrower and much lighter. I purchased the tires, but realized that I forgot to buy tubes. So I went on down to Ride Brooklyn. Not only did they not have the correct size, but the associate went to great lengths to try to convince me that a too-​small tube was actually the correct size. When I objected, he turned condescending and tried to tell me how little I knew about bikes and tire sizing. Come on guys. Not Cool.
So that’s it. I kept going back to Ride Brooklyn because I think that neighborhood bike shops are important and I would like to support them even if things are a little more expensive there. But my patience has wore thin since I was given the wrong part once and encouraged to buy things other than what I needed two other times.
My bike is important to me. Everything I do is done after careful research, and I don’t appreciate sales associates who are more concerned with making sales than ensuring that I get exactly what I am looking for.
I think I’m just about done with Ride Brooklyn. But if you need a simple repair or if you’re not sure what you’re looking for and want the store associates to make the decisions for you this store will likely meet all of your needs.