Zukkies

This review is for the bike rentals only. Basically you are coming here for the price, not the customer service, but beware, things may not work out exactly as cheap as you anticipated. For $ 25 for 24 hours the bike rentals are cheap compared to other places in New York and we didn’t really want to pay $ 50+ for a day of riding so Zukkies looked like a great option. We arrived to find all the bikes outside, most of which were well used but acceptable for the price. I wanted the cruiser but doing a test ride the chain fell off twice and they took it inside to fix, and then told me it wouldn’t be available that day. So we grabbed a couple of the other bikes and locks ($ 5 extra). As I was concerned about quality of the rentals I checked the locks before riding off. Good thing as the first one was jammed. They then brought out a second one, also jammed. Third time lucky we got a lock that actually worked. They make you sign paperwork explicitly stating (to their credit it is very clear) you are responsible for EVERYTHING, even flat tires. This made me a bit nervous given the condition of the bike but we took the chance. Sure enough by the end of the day my tire was completely flat and when I returned it they charged me $ 14 for the flat. I can’t say they didn’t warn me but c’mon, tires going flat are wear and tear, so its basically luck of the draw if you end up being the schmo that has to pay for the upkeep of their bikes.
Net result, I don’t think I’ll come here again as I had the distinct feeling of being screwed walking out of there. Considering I paid $ 50 anyway for the rental all up I think I’ll try a more reputable place next time and get fully tuned bikes with good customer service. But if price is your single most important factor, then try your luck, my friend only had to pay for the bike and got away with it.
Pro tip: bring a seat cushion, my butt is sore as hell today.

I just bought a slightly used trek bike for $ 275. I walked out not loving it because of its color, but after riding it for about a day, I had taken it to different bike shops around the city (buying accessories and asking the bike shop guys what they thought of it). Every single bike shop dude that I asked his opinion on the bike said I got a great deal. I saw the same model (brand new) for 490 in one of the stores, so I know I got a great deal. The guy working at Zukkies was super friendly helping me out with fitting the bike to my body and making sure I was happy with it and the woman was wonderful with me, helping me out with accessories and paperwork. I feel like I might have gotten a one of a kind bargain, but I’ll definitely check here first next time I’m in the market for a new bike.

I paid 65 bucks for a non-​hardshell Gatorskin tire. Overpriced…
People were fairly nice, but inventory was pretty much geared to low-​end commuter/​low-​end toy fixie stuff (lots of Tektro/​Orgin8/​bargain basement «Pure Fix» bikes). If you’re not really super into cycling, or even want something with gears, it’ll be fine for you.
They charge for air. Lame. At least just have a shop floor pump.

Had my Surly bike tuned up for the start of bike commuter season. Great service and fast! Currently riding like a dream. I am a happy camper.
***UPDATE***
After less than 1 month of riding my Surly my chain broke on my morning commute to work. My repairman informed me that he was giving me a used cassette and that if I had any problems to come back into the shop and they would take care of it. It was skipping a bit but I was waiting until I had a day off to come in, not thinking I would have any problems, especially not less than 30 days after the repair.
When I returned today I was being amicable and not expecting anything for free. I thought I could pay the difference on a new cassette and chain, and that would be that. But by the owner, I was greeted only with arguments and attitude. They only have a 3 day warrenty she says. She couldn’t recall anyone by my description working for her (even though I have the credit card record of the repair on my phone). It was so rude and so not what I was expecting I cannot believe it! I have worked in customer service so I know how to treat people in a dispute. I am honestly shocked by her attitude of dismissal and disrespect for a local customer. I work for a large camera store and we warranty our USED items for 90 days. I said this to her and she literally said «well you should have taken it there!» This business owner is TELLING US to avoid her services.
It’s not hard to be respectful to other people, and it’s important when they’re your customer base. It’s slightly harder to own up to the sale of a faulty used part. I would have happily paid for the remainder of a new cassette and new chain that day, and since the USED part didn’t cost them anything, no harm done. Nope, she wanted to tell me I’m wrong, I should know better.
I will NEVER again have my bike serviced here and I will leave this here as a warning to all. They don’t care about your bike, or the work they provide, and when a dispute arises, you’re up a creek.
I told her I was going to leave a bad review and she responded «it will only bring in more customers!»
***Update 2***
In response to the business owner below. Yeah it is amazing what it takes to get a person angry. Which is why I was amazed at your terrible attitude and rudeness when I came back to your shop and repeatedly stated I’m not looking to get anything for free. You came out guns blazing and acted like a bratty child. You don’t guarantee your work, you don’t apologize for botched service, you don’t treat people with respect. You were in business as a junk shop first so don’t act like you’ve been serving the cycling community for years. But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll continue to dupe newcomers into accepting your shoddy work for years to come.
Seriously people they don’t know what they’re doing. Another review I saw said they sell stolen bikes which wouldn’t surprise me at all.

Huaband and wife team made things very simple
They are true «enthusiasts «and it comes across in their dealings
I did a lot of shopping over the phone prior to my purchase and found that most shops in the area are run by smart assed kids with attitudes
His wife was super helpful and respectful
I’m glad I used them and will certainly use them again

Been there twice. Curious to me that a vintage store became a bike fix it place, with the same owners, but they seem to have their stuff together. I like that they are laid back and there’s no pretensions.
Came in with stiff back wheel The owner sat right down and replaced my back brakes right in front of me. He gave me different options on brakes depending on what I was able to pay. He also gave me a diagnosis on different things the bike might need in the future for the problem I was having. The whole time it was a pleasant experience. He’s no hipster, he’s an old time regular dude with stories to tell if you ask. That’s my kind of atmosphere. Second time I went there the bike was handled by a young assistant, but he seemed to be knowledgable enough. I had a flat. They convinced me to get a new tire with the tube, not sure if it was 100% needed, but what the hey, I’ve had the bike for a while.
Maybe I’ve gotten lucky here, and shown up at the right time. I get fixed up with no wait.
I’d say the prices are right down the middle here. I’ve been charged less, but by places where the results may not be as good. In my experience if you’re in a hurry and in the hood then this is the place to go.

I bought my bike here a year ago and was promised by the owners that any damages or basic maintenance issues would be under warranty. I recently came into the shop and to my dismay the owner conventiently «changed» the policy on the spot to milk a few dollars out of a loyal customer. You would think the owner would be a little more thoughtful to customers especially given a potential lawsuit in the making with the snapped/​fraying brake lever they sold me. These people are money grubbing frauds. There are much better and cheaper shops in nearby bushwick, go to them.

I’ve been coming here for years. The guy that owns it is a really cool dude, he’s cut me a ton of deals and he’s probably been in the neighborhood since who knows when.
I wouldn’t say it’s the most dependable place, one time I came and it was closed, when I came the next time, he said something like «yeah, it was raining, so I decided it’s better to just stay home and drink beer» — so… no, not the most dependable, but a taste of old Bushwick — and you get what you pay for, so if you’re looking for a deal, this is the place to go instead of the new hipster ripoff bike shops.

They are a family owned business. Rented a bike and lock for $ 32 for 24 hours.
Everything delivered as promised. Let me rent whatever bike I wanted

I would never recommend this bike shop. Sadly, my roommates and I went here for all our bike needs for over a year until a terrible brake job made up never go back. After three flat tires in a month, an employee told us that whoever replaced the break pads did a terrible job and was causing the flats-​not knowing that Zukkies had done the job. After telling the woman at the desk she said we could be lying and offered us nothing in the way of an apology or discount. After going next door to Neilsons, they told us our brake pads were the complete wrong size and we never looked back. I don’t think they have the proper parts or knowledge to fix your bike without having to go back every few weeks when their «fix» inevitably breaks again.

Worst bike shop ever!
I’d give it no stars if I could.
If you own a business please answer your phone during business hours!
Rented bikes here and still haven’t seen the deposit back. Called, after they’ve finally answered, they’ve told me to come back in with the receipt and the card it was charged on.
Hello get your things in order please!
Horrible service needless to say

FOR BIKE REPAIR: I’ve lived in the area for around 3 years now, and Zukkies has always treated me great. Recently I took my bike to another shop to get the rim fixed: they gave me a quote of $ 70. I took it Zukkies and they fixed it for $ 20. Service is great, the people are friendly… I don’t know what the deal is as far as their thrift store, but for bike repairs I’ve never had a bad experience.

DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE. I came here with my bike two days ago. SOmeone had stolen my back tire, handlebars, chain, and front brakes. The two kids in there were nice enough, but kinda clueless about how to deal with a customer.
I started to get the feeling that they didn’t really have their shit together, but then I realized as I was talking to them that the owner wasn’t there and that they seemed new to the job.
Anyway, we figure out what we need for the bike, I pay for the repairs and leave them with my number; they say they’ll call me the next day and that the bike will probably be ready by around 2pm. Cool.
Next day, nobody calls me. I call repeatedly at around 3pm, and again at 5pm but nobody picks up. I didn’t want to walk over (I live ten minutes away) and find that my bike isn’t ready or something, so I figure I’ll just wait until today.
Today, I walk over at 2:30PM and the place is closed. I ask the guys next door at the thai (?) place what the deal is, dude tells me that this happens ALL THE TIME.
Nobody picks up my repeated phone calls; I left three messages. I came back again at 6pm, still closed (the message when you call them says that they’re open until 8pm).
So they still have my bike, I already paid for repairs, place is closed, and nobody’s called me back.

It’s this a bike shop? A thrift store? The part I was in had bikes, bike parts, antiques and a stuffed marmot for sale, so who knows. I only needed cruiser handlebar grips, which have been surprisingly hard to find, for $ 4. I can’t speak for the repairs since I didn’t need any. The guy was helpful and asked if I needed a lock too, which makes me worried about what kind of dumba$$es are riding around brooklyn.
Also, I tried nelsons down the street and side from not having much of a selection (one helmet?) Nelson’s smelled so bad I wanted to leave as soon as I walked in. Not directly related to bike repair but pretty important if you ask me.

I went into Zukkies for the first time for a routine repair/​modification to my Univega Viva Sport and foolishly paid the mechanic (who was working with one hand and talking on his phone with the other) $ 25 to butcher a link on the new chain with a pair of vice grips. You could see that the link was badly bent and, when riding, could feel each time that it barely passed through the front sprocket and slipped out through the back one. I took the bike and battered chain to Nelson’s just up the block and had them work their usual magic for $ 5. Every part and repair that the guys at Nelson’s have sold or done to my bike is at least half of what Zukkies charges. Just take the block walk and don’t look back. If Nelson’s was a half mile from my apartment I would still make the trip, carrying my broken bicycle to avoid a gouging and shoddy repair job from one of Zukkies amateur mechanics!

The bikes here seem overpriced, but as I compared with other used bikes in the neighborhood, Zukkies was the same as anywhere else. So, I went for it and bought one of the cheapest used bikes they had. Before I got it, I rode it around the block and it seemed fine. Unfortunately, 24 hours later, it was totally broken! At first the chain fell off, but eventually the gears were all messed up and I couldn’t even make it move. Totally bummed and slightly humiliated for buying a bike that broke so quickly, I walked the bike back to Zukkies. The woman immediately remembered me with a smile and a wave. When I told her about my broken bike, she first stated that they don’t accept returns. But then I asked if they could just help me fix it, and her husband totally hooked me up! I went and had a coffee while he put on a new chain and gear shifter. Now its perfect! Thanks Zukkies. You could have screwed me over, but you totally didn’t.

This little shop is a nightmare for those with allergies.
For a place on the desolate Bushwick Avenue strip, they’ve got some intriguing antiquities, old advertisements, and taxidermies. The taxidermy that caught my eye was a Fisher perched upon a dust covered dresser. It was insanely furry with a menacing lil expression. When the owner (PURE Brooklyn!) saw me examining it, he proceeded to describe his love for stuffed dead things in great detail. I learned that somewhere, in his friends shop, sits a taxidermied horse that he has lent to his friend. I wonder if it helps business?
Anyway, there are tons of dirty old knick knacks to be ogled over, tacky paintings, the list goes on. Next door is the bike section, and while Zukkie (?) was very helpful to my bike-​needy boyfriend, we returned with a friend to inspect the findings and the result was not good. Apparently they are seriously overcharging for some beat up, no-​good hipster-​magnet bikes. No thank you in that department!

Zukkies is good stuff. And now they sell bikes! I grabbed an awesome painting with frame for $ 10. It’s small, but if you look hard enough you’ll find some real gems.

i’m just not down with this place. at first, it took up a storefront on bushwick avenue, and since has expanded to take over about 3 storefronts near the montrose L stop. i suppose this takeover is directly proportional to the loft dwellers near mckibbin street who need edgy second hand furniture/​clothes/​bikes/​etc (we’ll see what zukkie’s next storefront is filled with) to go with their edgy 2500 sq. foot lofts. dont get me wrong, i LOVE second hand stuff. but what i DON’T love is when it’s offensively overpriced and of mediocre-​to-​crappy quality, and it’s being somewhat forced down your throat. the owner once tried to sell me a bike, espousing how high quality it was, «look it’s a huffy! it’s a huffy!» whereupon my boyfriend and i discovered that it merely had a huffy sticker on it and had been assembled out of myriad other mysterious bike parts. not that there’s anything wrong with that… BUT. dude, don’t lie to me about it, and dont try to tell me that $ 250 is a good deal for it. please.

Zukkies is much overlooked, and to the real thrift shopper, to somewhat of an advantage. Closed on Tuesdays, a lot of people mistake this place as a run down half a$$ joint, but isn’t that what makes it all the better?
Not quite comparable to the thrift stores of outer DC, but this place has vintage tees, boots, and… a lot of random stuff. Most things are $ 5. It’s not that big of a place, but definitely worth stopping in on your way home.