Helen’s Cycles

Bought a top of the line Trek Domane Series 6 today. Three salespeople spent 2 hours with me to ensure everything was perfect… Madison, John, and Jimmy. This is the 4^th bike I have bought at Helen’s in the past 16 years, I would never go anywhere else. Not to mention Edgar is the ultimate pro on servicing customers.

5 stars cuz I got my bike from here! I believe his name was Jimmy but he was super helpful, fitted me for a bike and let me ride it around a few times. He showed us different models with different price ranges to see what we liked. He didn’t have the bike I wanted in store but got it for us same day and my husband picked it up the next day. He even gave us a discount cuz we asked. Will be coming back for all my biking accessories.

My all time favorite for bike rentals! Fantastic bikes, smooth process and great help (thank you John!!). Love you guys. I will never rent from downtown Manhattan Beach ever again!

I got a bad vibe off the manager Daniel in this place. He offered me almost a 50% discount on a road bike if I paid cash for it and that he would deliver it to my house after business hours. I asked why not pick it up in store and he replied «cause some employees don’t even get that discount». Just seemed very shady and he kept bringing this «special discount» up throughout our conversation. I wouldnt recommend this place to anyone, it seems far from legit

Took my mountain bike in for their $ 175 tune up which entails disassembly and soaking all parts in solution, etc… Service was good, prices were standard but when I started riding up a mountain… Things went south, the rear dérailleur cable wasn’t properly fed through making it impossible to shift to a lower gear which forced me to try and pedal with the chain on opposing gears which then caused the chain to break. Thus ending my bike trip for the day. There’s my sad story but lesson learned is to thoroughly check out the bike before picking it up after a tune up…

I have been to Helen’s Cycles in MB more than a few times. They never seem to disappoint in their atrocious customer service, and this time was no exception.
I dropped my bike off on a Friday morning to have two new tires put on it. It wasn’t a very big job, but they said that they most likely couldn’t get to it that day. I said okay and they told me that they would schedule it for Monday, but would try and get to it sometime over the weekend. They are open on both Saturday and Sunday.
The two employees that I talked to were very arrogant and dismissive. It really seemed that fixing my bike was an inconvenience and they really could care less. Actually, they acted like they were doing me a favor by fixing my bike.
If you look at Unilocal reviews for this business, you will see there are numerous reviews documenting a consistent pattern of poor customer service and employees that have no clue on how to treat a customer. There are several reviews that say the employees act like customers are an inconvenience and they are doing them a favor by even talking with them. They definitely have mastered the MB «holier than thou» attitude. The sad thing is, it is neither necessary, or appreciated.
Monday afternoon came, and I didn’t hear from them yet, so I decided that at 2pm my bike was most likely completed, and they just forgot to call me. I got there and they don’t even know where my bike was. They went out back and it was sitting outside in the blaring heat with a bunch of other bikes. If they couldn’t get to my bike until Monday, they should have just said that. I would have brought it back instead of letting them leave my bike bake in sun for four days.
Well, after they were able to find my bike, they told me they would get right on it, and it would be done in about an hour. An hour and forty five minutes later I got a call to come pick up my bike.
I decided to wait until the next morning to pick it up, so I could speak with the manager. On Tuesday, I walked into the shop to pick up my bike. The employee that greeted me was nowhere near cordial and the manager was on the phone. The employee brought my bike to the register and rang me up. I had to ask for my old tires and tubes, which were still in excellent shape. If I didn’t ask, it appeared as if they had planned on keeping them.
After paying, I spoke with the manager and asked him if he ever read the Unilocal reviews written about his shop. He said unfortunately he had. I informed him that there was a large number of complaints about the arrogant demeanor and lack of customer service shown by his employees. He said he has spoken with them about this issue. I told him that his speaking with them apparently did not help.
If a store manager is aware of a problem, has addressed it, and it still continues, if I was the owner of this store, I would be looking for a new manager.
I flat out told him that he had lost a customer, not just because of this one incident, but the repeated times where I have received poor or no service at his store.
When I got my bike home, I checked the air pressure. The sidewalls on my new tires said 30 – 50 psi. When I brought my bike in I specifically told them to air the tires to 30 psi. Even though I was very clear and told them several times that I wanted a specific pressure, the tires were inflated to 50 psi.
This came as not surprise, because the employees that took my bike in, were barely paying attention to me. They were too busy acting like they were doing me a favor by attempting to «squeeze me» into their busy schedule.
I wrote this review as a service to other people. There are plenty of great bike shops in the South Bay. You can choose to visit one that treats their customers like they matter, or you can shop here. That is, if you are used to, and don’t mind, the snobby MB vibe that they feel compelled to give.
I choose not to patronize this establishment anymore and I feel I will be better off.

Helen’s is one of the best bike shops in the south bay. The manager, Daniel, is the best. He really cares about people, listens, and tries to give his customers what they want and need. The service guys are top notch, Edgar is my favorite bike mechanic ever. Edgar has worked on my bikes since the 90“s.

Helen’s Cycles is the shop to go to if you are looking for great customer service and quality! Daniel Bonfim will take great care of you. Very professional, knowledgeable and personable. I highly recommend it!

Helen’s Cycles is a great bike show for equipment, gear and clothing! I’ve always had excellent service at Helen’s! Since Since Daniel, the manager is an avid cyclist, he is very connected to the cycling community and works with his customers choose the best bike/​equipment for their skill level! Great shop, I highly recommend the team at Helen’s!

The service at Helen’s in Manhattan Beach is everything you could ask for. The manager, Daniel Bomfin and his trusty mechanics completely rebuilt my bike, upgrading and expertly adjusting virtually every component including wheels, brakes, crank, bearings, derailleurs, handlebars and seat. Everything worked perfectly from the get go. The work was done quickly and the bike was ready as scheduled. Daniel has helped many of my friends purchase new bikes and repair older ones. He is a wealth of information in the cycling world. He is definitely the go-​to guy for bikes in the South Bay.

I have purchased bicycles from Helen’s for over twenty years. I have been taken care of like I was a family member at the time of sales and servicing of my bikes. If they do not have an item or part they will be glad to order the item and build your custom bicycle. The mechanics are very knowledgeable and timely with service.
Highly recommend you use this bicycle shop on your next purchase or servicing of your existing bike.

Daniel is a great salesman, he helped me pick out my Boone and I love it. Riding over the green hill has never been more fun and with his help I entered my first race this season.
Their customer service is impeccable and Edgar is a really cool dude. He gives me a lot of tips which I really appreciate. He has 30+ years experience as a bike mechanic so he knows what he’s talking about.
Helens MB is my favorite bike shop hands down!

The very first bike shop I ever went to was Helen’s in Manhattan Beach. Their staff is incredibly knowledgable and never once made me feel pressured about a purchase or needed repair that you sometimes get from other bike shops. They have helped me on my journey from complete novice to a seasoned cyclist and become friends in the process. From complete bikes, parts and maintenance there is not a better shop in LA.

Really good selection (they have 80 mm tubes in stock!) and very friendly staff. Daniel helped me out a lot, was very knowledgeable and answered all my questions. Would highly recommend

I bought my Cannondale road bike and accessories here. The staff was so friendly and took lots of time to let me ride several bikes before deciding on which one was right for me. They helped me with fitting and everything else I needed to get started as a road warrior. Awesome shop. Awesome staff.

Bought my first Trek road bike there in 2007 — Love it, it is a perfect fit!
Every time I take it in, the staff takes great care of me. They take great care of all my families’ bikes, and the work is finished sooner than I expect! We have beach cruisers, vintage road bike (‘80s) and an electric. The staff is very knowledgable — I know I’ll buy my next bike there, no doubt!

I have been buying bikes from Helen’s for over 20 years. This location is the best, because the customer service is impeccable. They will always find me a quality bike that fits my budget. The knowledge that their team has regarding styles of bikes and different brands is so helpful
I will only purchase bikes from Helen’s!

Nice y professional service, they go out of their way to help!

Frank saved my girlfriend’s ass, literally. We found a seat that fit her perfectly. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff.

I wanted to upgrade my wheels. Even provided the rims. Simple enough.
What a mess.
After using the Helens service department and spending $ 300 on their labor — my bike somehow went from silent, lovely and smooth, to grating and noisy.
I don’t understand how a very high end bike can merely get its wheels swapped out but come back sounding like one bought from Wal-​Mart after $ 300 in service charges and installing $ 1500 wheels, but Helens did.
Yes, I have tried taking it back to their bike ‘wizard’ Josh three times — but heard and got back nothing but increasingly lame excuses. Somehow I now have a stretched chain, newly stretched cables (they replaced and sold them only the week prior) and every other ridiculous excuse, but never a smooth bike, clean dérailleur or even an attempt to fix it. After more than a week with my bike and hundreds of my dollars in fees and high end wheels, they apparently think this is acceptable and I now find myself surfing the online Campagnolo message boards for someone to fix their crappy work, hopefully local to LA.
I was once a client of Helens. No more.