B1 Bicycles

Update 4÷17÷2013:
I was looking for gray bar tape Sunday, so I went to the two bigger bike shops on Lane Avenue, and neither of them had gray tape. Monday afternoon I went to B1 and there it is, gray bar tape. I’m still surprised at how they often have exactly what I’m looking for in such a small space, while the larger shops often do not.

Great shop. The owner was so helpful and fixed my bike for cheap. Helped me find secure accessories and the bikes at the store are amazing.

Pretty disappointed with the service here. I went there with my new bike to have the wheels trued. They told me they were beyond repair and that I should have the manufacturer send me replacements. I took the wheels to another bike store for a second opinion because the rims seemed okay to me but just needing some adjustments. The other store was able to true the rims without any trouble. I won’t be going back here. Also I was charged $ 15 at the other store and B1 was going to charge $ 30.

I went into B1 today to purchase a single tire for my 73′ Varsity Schwinn road bike. Now I am not too sure of how much a tire should cost but $ 16 seemed a bit steep to me. (everything in that place seemed to be a bit expensive) I thought the cost of labor for replacing the tire ($ 6) was fair BUT it took one of the guys 15 minutes to switch the tires out and he actually fumbled around and had to have assistance from someone who seemed to have seniority. I understand he is probably new, but if he’s not then he must have been high or completely unprofessional. The guy helping him had no problem stating out loud that my bike was a piece of shit and that wasn’t the only remark that I noticed but the only toward my bike. Whatev, I’m not sensitive but really, try a little courtesy.
When I left my tire was wobbly and my derailer clicked repeatedly if I wasn’t in a certain gear. I didn’t pay $ 6 for labor to have my bicycle put in such a condition. Honestly I didn’t even go back. I would much rather take it to 3^rd Hand, which is where I purchased my piece of shit antique anyway. The guy at 3^rd Hand who sold me the Schwinn was very polite and willing to cut down the price a few bucks. Granted they’re a non profit organization.
Sure B1 is top of the line when it comes to gear, parts, etc. but customer service is a major part of being a good business. I would have given their customer service 1 star but after seeing how snooty and condescending they could be that dropped to 0. So I give them an overall 2 because of the conditions of the store and the quality of merchandise. Decent place to buy a great bike (if you have several hundred to a couple thousand to spend) but not the place for mannerly service.

I was completely unimpressed with B1 and will not be shopping there again. I am new to cycling and was looking to make my first large bike purchase on a road bike. I had done my research and new I wanted to purchase a Scott. B1 is one of the only Scott dealers in Columbus, which is what led me to their store.
However, when they did not have the bike I wanted in stock, they said they could order it for me and confirmed with Scott that the bike could be shipped and ready within the week. When I had not heard from their store within the week, I called their store. The employee who answered the phone did not know where my bike was so he set the phone down (I could still hear what he was saying) when he responded to the employee he asked the question to I specifically heard him say «Well, I will just tell her it is back ordered.»
This makes me think they FORGOT to order my bicycle which they said would be in within the week and then I heard them LIE to me about it. I later received my bike two and half weeks after expected.
I would not recommend this store to any of my friends and would recommend that anyone else looking for a bike shop search elsewhere.

I stopped by this bike shop, hoping to get some information about buying a new bike and the accessories I might need. The staff was super helpful, showed me around and even the sale section; which was 50% off. I will definitely go back for my biking needs. They were so friendly, not presumptuous and made it a great experience overall. What would be even greater, if they had a law-​away program, so I could pay off a bike within 1 month before I took it home. This might make it more affordable, but overall I really liked the shop.

I’ll give them five stars for now. Bought a bike and feel the service and advice was good and friendly. A big selling point was the life-​time service as long as I am the original owner. My front hub and disc brake were squeaking and they adjusted on the spot. On next ride the brake was fine but the hub squeak remained. Casey lubed it and I went for another ride, squeak was less but not completely gone. I don’t blame them for the issues but we will see how well they handle this on my next visit.

The guys here are great! Very helpful and honest. Rather than trying to sell me a bike they fixed my old one on the spot in ten minutes. Will be back!

Short: I got a new bike and forgot to take the lights off my old bike before selling it. I got new lights at B1 and they offered to put them on for me.
Long: So my friends keep giving me a hard time because I have to ride home from the bars at dusk. I don’t really care for them anyway (my friends). Then there was this cool event and I wanted to ride my bike there, but it was going to keep me out past nightfall so I needed to get some lights. I waited until 20 minutes before said event started. Of course I did. Where can I get lights for my bicycle at 5:30PM downtown?!?
I stopped into B1 because the store happened to be on the way to the event and I heard they accept the SBB card for a discount (don’t know? google it y’all) and they’re open until 8. I walked in and found lights, I didn’t have any product preferences, just whatever was there. I picked out a set and asked if the cashier, who turned out to be owner Casey, and asked if he knew if they were ready to go (I didn’t have time to track down batteries and all that). Not only were they all inclusive, Casey offered to put them on for me. I thought that was pretty cool.
When Casey was attaching the lights he noticed that my front brake was «scary» but whatever, it still stopped ok. But still, being a standup guy, Casey went inside and got a tool to tighten up something or other and I thought that was pretty cool. While I was there Casey was really nice. A week later I saw him again when I was with another cyclist friend who bought her bike from B1. She only had good things to say about B1 so I figured overall, after just one visit this place is worth 4 stars. I would go there again in the future.

B1 Bikes is THE bike shop for central Ohio. This is an in depth experienced crew that knows what they’re talking about and then does it as well as possible. I’ve been going to bike shops for about 60 years now and B1 comes closest to the epitome of what we expect a great bike shop to be.

This is my go-​to bike shop and is conveniently located Downtown for anyone spending much time there like myself. I’ve bought two bikes from here from the time they opened and both were/​are great (a $ 300 KHS and $ 500 Bianchi). Buying your bike here means free tune ups and another reason why I keep coming back, not to mention Casey the owner and his friendly staff. There’s a selection of clothing (the winter gloves I bought here are very useful), the usual bike accessories, and they’ve expanded into neighboring storefronts for a larger selection of bikes. This is where I began phasing out my car for inner city travel and rediscovered my love for biking, so you can guess that I’m a fan.

Nice little bike shop located near downtown Columbus. The staff was extremely helpful in answering all my questions. And really cared about making sure I was making the right choice in purchasing a very expensive bike. They let me test ride a variety of bikes that they had in stock. Found it very cool that with the purchase of my bike you receive free life time tune ups… I will be returning there soon to purchase my new bike!

I’ve got friends that speak high praise of this place because they know the owner and employees, and they want to see their friends do well. I’ll probably catch flack from them for this, but steer clear of B1.
I quit driving in 2005 and have been riding a bike or taking the bus ever since. In that time, through volunteering with Third Hand and personal experiences, I have come to know a few things about my bike and how to maintain and, when needed, repair it.
I was living in the King Lincoln District just off Long St. last summer so B1 was just around the corner, plus my friends said good things. I purchased a tube here once prior.
One week the chain started popping off my freewheel. Since this was my primary means of transportation I didn’t want to wait to take it to third hand, so I went to B1. I went in, found the part I was fairly certain I needed (a new freewheel spacer) and told the service guy what was going on. I wanted advice on what sort of tools I would need to do it at home and wondered if he could tell me if this was, in fact, what was wrong.
The guy (I do believe it was Casey, who is referred to often in other reviews, as I am fairly certain I’ve heard him referred to as such in bars we both frequent around town) wouldn’t even look at it without putting it on a stand, and he informed me that it was going to cost me somewhere in the neighborhood of $ 10 – 15 just to do that. Add in the $ 8 for the spacer and I was looking at something in the area of $ 18 – 22, unless he charged more for installation than just the diagnosis. I felt this was outrageous, and rightfully so. Based on reviews and my personal experience it seems quite apparent that the total cost of your purchase/​services rendered will vary greatly based on the whims of the staff.
I can only assume the «bike shop up north» everyone keeps referring to is Baer Wheels, I don’t know if I’m not allowed to say that or something, but yeah, the place is terrible. Slightly worse than B1. There is, however, a Bike Source just down the street from Baer Wheels. Maybe people think they have to go to Baer, Paradise or B1 if they want to stay local, but look… Bike Source was founded in Columbus 25 years ago and only has 10 locations. It’s a far cry from Wal-​mart, and it’s homegrown.
I went out of my way to take my bike there. The staff was friendly (quite a stark contrast to most bike shops). They checked the bike out free of charge and told me yeah, the freewheel spacer was what I needed. My total was about $ 6.12. It took some improvisation toolwise, but I installed the piece myself and haven’t had any problems. No thanks to B1.

I’ve stopped in a couple of bike shops around Columbus, and I’ve had some decent experiences. Hell, I’ve had great experiences. But B1 just feels better to me.
I don’t know if anyone else works there, but I’ve dealt with Casey (the owner), Sally, and Mason. All three know their stuff, and all three have taken the time to answer questions and suggest products that fit what I’m looking for. No pressure whatsoever.
I can see why someone might feel intimidated in the shop. Most of the gear is specialized, so if you don’t really know the right questions to ask, you might get more information than you can handle. But really, I’m glad the people at my bike shop know a helluva lot more than me. I’ve learned more about bikes in the past 5 months at B1 than I have in the past 5 years.

B1’s downtown location originally confused me, as the population of the area is not exactly burgeoning by today’s real estate standards, Once I started riding my bike from Victorian Village through downtown to the Brewery District, it made a lot more sense. B1 is a small yet efficiently operated bike shop that’s business is to serve the commuters that traverse the streets of downtown Columbus on a daily basis. Compared to Paradise Garage, its brand new Short North rival, B1 seems like a jangly mom and pop operation. But once you take the large focus on biker apparel and the urban hipster vibe that PG exudes, B1 seems more like the real deal to me.
It’s always good to get the feeling that a repair shop is run by people who know their stuff, and with B1 that feeling is immediately eminent as you set foot in the shop. The prices are hassle-​free and clear as day, with a list of rates for jobs ranging from minor tune-​ups to major overhauls of gear and brake systems being displayed prominently on a dry-​erase board above the rear counter. The selection of parts is impressive for such a small shop and is far more extensive than I’ll ever be able to comprehend. Whereas stores like Bikesource the Sawmill Road Trek store spread out their goods over a large sales floor, B1 has everything you need within a 20’x20’ space that’s incredibly easy to navigate. The staff is always on hand to help you figure out any issue you run across as well.
What I really like about B1 is their fast and inexpensive service for routine maintenance issues like blown tire tubes and loose brake lines. I somehow blew out my back tire while I was running late to work one day, but 15 minutes and $ 9 later I was back on the road and on my way. I’ve had frequent issues with the rear brake handle on the old-​school 12 speed Concord that I’ve been riding for a few months now, and after a brief consultation I received an offer from Casey to replace it with a spare brake lever from an extra bike in their basement for only the cost of the labor to put it on. That’s the kind of thing that makes B1 my go-​to place for bike service– friendly and accommodating service at an awesome price!

I recently decided to purchase a bike, a custom job from a small frame manufacturer, First I went to a bike shop up north on Wed, I personally wrote down my entire order, all the parts, the guy there said he would be a few days figuring out how much the order total would be then we could get it ordered. Saturday I called back, still working on it, he would be back soon, no word by Wed the next week even, so I checked again, and B1 was also a distributor for the same company, so I emailed them Wed morning they replied with a quote by that afternoon. I went in and placed a deposit for ½ the total so they could order the bike and parts. They kept in good contact with me over email, and the bike parts came in Tuesday the next week. the bike was sized for me Thursday, and I picked it up Sunday afternoon (when they were closed, Casey opened up for me to get the bike). The first Bike shop still has not called back about my original quote, after two emails (never replied to) and 3 phone calls (all of which was just a few more days).
I now have the bike and it has been a pleasure to ride, They went above and beyond to get things right.
Update: I hit a massive pothole on Tuesday (2 days later and blew out my front tube, so I took the wheel in to them at 10:15am and walked back out with a new tube installed and inflated at 10:20am.
Update: Casey was more than helpful in helping solve 2 pestering problems with an old French 12-​speed road bike of my friends, they have also recently expanded the store for more merch, and it appears a better more open area to work on bikes.

When I moved to Columbus in the summer of ’07, I headed to newcomer B1 to check out what it could offer a novice rider like me. There wasn’t much. There were half a dozen bikes on display, the staff of one couldn’t answer my question without an elitist ‘tude and basically suggested that I go to Target/​Walmart if I didn’t want to spend at least $ 400. On top of this, a friend had a very poor experience with their repair services such as holding onto the bike for over a week, not returning phone calls, only to say that they wouldn’t fix it.
I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe when I feel more comfortable with bikes, they will teach me the secret B1 handshake.

I switched to B1 from a bike shop up north, and I’ve never looked back. The owner is pretty easy to deal with and has always been good about letting me know when orders are in and my bikes are done. Compare this to the last shop I frequented, where I would get slobbered on as I put in my orders and get attitude when I picked up.
I see that someone above has had problems with B1. This seems odd as I’ve had good service from B1every time I’ve been, and I’ve never had to take any serviced bike back for tuneup or warranty work. I’ve even had my oddball 3 speed folding bike in for service and all the adjustments were spot on.
B1 has a good selection of road and commuter bikes and bike parts and is pretty reasonable on prices.
I’ve sent friends and family here, and will continue to do so.