Chain Reaction Bicycles

Shady, shady service! I had a Groupon for a tuneup and the bike I originally took in was «determined» to cost almost as much in repairs as it would be new, so I said no to the repairs and tuneup and that I’d take it back and bring them another bike for the tuneup. When I arrived with the second bike, they had already made most of the repairs on the first bike without my permission, and offered to buy it from me. I had planned to sell it on Craigslist anyway, so I accepted the credit for it even though I felt it was a really tricky move on their part. A couple days later when they called to tell me bike #2 was ready I specifically asked if anything extra/​above and beyond the cost of the tuneup had been done. I was told no, but when I picked the bike up and mentioned I had a credit, suddenly there were several parts that needed to be paid for. This shop is greedy, greedy, greedy and not only will I not ever be going back but I will be spreading the word all over about how shifty they are.

After discovering I’d be spending a good deal of time in Gainesville, FL, for the next few months, I decided to buy a loaner-​bike to pass the time, stay in shape, and minimize my car usage.
I walked into CR and explained my situation to Raleigh, one of the awesome dudes that works there. He pointed me towards a sick, refurb’d road bike, that happened to be my two favorite colors, and had practically all new components.
Considering my situation, and that I may suddenly get called away from Gainesville, he offered me not only a reasonable discount on the bike, but also a 60-​day return policy, and a substantial discount on all the gak that I need to ride properly (lights, lock.)
I popped in later to ask about a good skate shop, and he directed me to one, but not before offering me his personal Longboard, a killer-​sounding Sector 9 deck. Unfortunately, it turned out it had been sold, but the gesture still meant a lot to me.
I’ll visit these guys everytime I’m in town — they’re a tremendous source of friendliness, knowledge and compassion, and, as I came to find out in the weeks to come, truly represented the spirit of the people of Gainesville.
Great town, Outstanding bike shop. Check it out.

It’s pricey but you can’t ask for more legit service, it’s also the closest place to campus. If you want a full-​proof diagnosis and repair for your bike this is definitely the place to go. I often took my bike here for repairs or new inner tubes if the free SG student repair at the Reitz didn’t have the parts. The staff is courteous enough and they do have good deals/​sales occasionally; my brother bought a brand new large frame Giant mountain bike with a U-​lock and back/​front lights for $ 300 in march 2009.

I brought my bike, a 2006 Specialized Stumpjumper, to Chain Reaction for a tune-​up because my mom had found a good deal on Living Social where you could buy a coupon for $ 30 for a tune-​up worth $ 60, which seemed like a good deal. When I took the bike in, the person I spoke with looked it over and recommended replacing both tires and the chain, which made sense because both were fairly worn. He suggested replacing the tires with mountain bike tires called CST Pro Copperhead which he claimed were a whale of a deal, as the tires retailed for around $ 50 and he had them on special for only around $ 32. Then he suggested replacing the grips and we selected a nice pair of grips. The Living Social deal included checking all bike parts and systems, cleaning the bike, and minor adjustments. A day later, the salesman called and suggested they also take the gears off and clean them because they were dirty and it made sense to clean them since they were installing a new chain. Well, that did make good sense, but wasn’t cleaning included in the Living Social deal? Regardless, I said, yes, for $ 30 extra we’d go ahead and clean the gears – I could do it myself, I couldn’t quite see why it wasn’t already included, but it needed to be done and we might as well get it done and done – I assumed – perfectly. I didn’t mind paying extra for getting professionals to do a top-​notch job and that’s what I expected. The salesman, by the way, tried even to sell me a biking jersey which was, of course, on special. That at least I declined.
When I picked the bike up, the repairs/​replacements made to it seemed done overall correctly. The new grips are good, and things seem to work alright. However, there was obvious dirt in a lot of spaces on the frame. I realize the mechanic probably rode it some in order to ensure the shocks and other aspects worked correctly – that’s standard. You don’t expect a mounatin bike to remain perfectly clean, no, but when your servicing includes cleaning it and you pay for additional services, you do expect it to come home clean. Beyond that, I decided to look up how much these CST Pro Copperhead tires cost online: they didn’t look or seem to be the best tires while riding the bike – not as good as the factory tires. Online, most retailers sold these same tires for around $ 19. The highest price I could find for them was $ 27. Now, I have not checked yet with the company to see what the MSRP is, but will do that Monday. I have a hard time thinking it’s around $ 50 when everyone seems to sell them for around $ 20 and not even indicate this is a sale price. I’m having a hard time seeing that Chain Reaction had them on «special» at around $ 30.
The staff was friendly enough, but I felt that they took every possible chance to sell me something. Moreover, it appears some items and services were overpriced. $ 30 to clean the rear gears? Really? Tires that are ten dollars less when sold by most online retailers and you claim you’re giving me a great deal on these? And I brought in a bike that retails for just over $ 2000. .. I don’t consider myself an expert but I’m serious about mountain biking. If they had tried to sell me a higher-​end tire at a fair price, I’d have even gone with that, but don’t overcharge me on something that I read online reviews about and people are saying is not that good anyways. Next time, I will be sure to read the reviews before getting an unfamilar part installed and next time, I will go to Super Cool Bikes instead of Chain Reaction.

I’ve bought my last two bikes from here. The last bike I bought was quite pricey and I expected them to fit me to this bike just as they would any rider looking to step up their experience and gear. (especially since this is Chain Reactions claim to fame).
However, I had to take my bike back to get it all adjusted to fit my small frame. I recommend buying from here, just make sure they spend time consulting with you and your needs verses «just trying to make the sale.» I felt I was given the latter.

I bought my first bike here and I am in love with it! They adjusted my fit, showed me how to lock my bike up with a U-​lock AND a cable so it doesn’t get stole, and showed me little things like how to pop the tire off. There’s a pump around the side of the shop so you can go by and get free air for your tires. The guys at this shop are super nice and chill, and they don’t mind if you watch them work on your bike in the back!

I came here to rent a road bike while visiting a friend here last week. I was originally planning on renting the bike the week before last, but then an unexpected summer rainstorm blew in and stayed for the duration of the weekend (and much into the next week). The guys here were very understanding and helpful in allowing me to delay the rental. When I rented the bike, a very nice Specialized Ruby (and a step up from my own Specialized Dolce bike at home), they were very accommodating in changing the handle stem and adjusting the seat to fit my 5’1″ size. They also pumped up the tires, lubed the chain, and checked the cables right there when I came to rent it.
I enjoyed the bike and the patches of good weather so much that I extended my rental another day. I got a four day rental special at $ 133; all in all a good deal for the quality of bike and service.
I would highly recommend this shop to anyone looking for good, friendly service and a nice selection of road bikes. I’m definitely coming back the next time I find myself in Gainesville, and wish I could teletransport this charming LBS to my own neighborhood here in San Francisco.