Varsity Bike Shop

Poor customer service that left a sour taste in my mouth.
There was quite a bit of variety in terms of parts to choose from when I bought a couple new components for my bike, but nobody working in the shop could give me a solid answer on any technical questions.
When a set of pedals that I bought there started clicking, I decided to open the hub and inspect. I found metal shavings. I cleaned and repacked the bearings myself with fresh grease, but the clicking persisted. So I called to ask about bringing them into exchange for new ones. I was told that I had probably voided the warranty, but to bring them in and they’d «see what they could do».
When I pressed them further about the warranty and whether or not I had voided it, nobody would give me a solid answer. I said I didn’t want to waste my time visiting the shop if nothing could be done, and was told that they didn’t want me wasting their time in case I’d broken the pedal by taking it apart myself.
Go to Erik’s Bike shop next door.

Waaaay back in 2010 or 2011, I was biking by this shop when my back wheel just basically fell off. I was in the middle of the street and brought my bike to the sidewalk to investigate. A guy ran out of this place suddenly and tightened something on my bike and told me it was all good. I didn’t pay a single cent and I didn’t spend more than a couple minutes with a broken bike. It was amazing. I’m moving back home soon, and I’ll be sure to stop by and check out their bikes!

The staff is not friendly and frankly not overly helpful. I have opted for Varsity over its next-​door competitor for a few years primarily because it’s the small shop. I have purchased hundreds in components over the years, and I am done with Varsity.

My daughter bought a bike online and I wasn’t able to fully assemble. Came in Saturday morning and the guys quoted me $ 40 to finish the job and would have it done the same day by 3:00. Done deal and they delivered. Great value and service.

Stopped in here to see what kind of goodies they had. Decent selection of bikes, friendly staff. Lots of stuff packed into the store, made me slightly claustrophobic!

My sister was stopped in town from her bike trip across the country. Her handlebar bag hadn’t survived the first leg of the trip, and she needed a new one for the rest of the 1,000 miles. We went to four bike shops in the city to find a good bag, unfortunately we bought the one from Varsity Bike Shop. The bag was a little higher priced than we expected, $ 25, but you should get what you pay for. Well she didn’t even make it to Chicago (one week in bike time) before the straps ripped clear off. Next time I saw her on the east coast, she had the bag bungeed to her handlebars. We haven’t been able to return it yet because she lives in California, but I’m hoping Varsity has better customer service than they do products.

This past month I moved to the Twin Cities to go to school and immediately I was psyched about biking as much as possible. Coming from low-​density, small, ag towns and later, big-​city California sprawl, the idea of getting some exercise, saving the planet and sticking it to the Saudis in one shot was a dream come true. Plus, there’s no better way to experience a city than on a bike.
Anywho, I’ve been shopping for this big purchase for months, in three different states, big shops, small shops, Craigslist, garage sales — you name it. Varsity Cycle was my last stop. I rode a lot of bikes and came to find that price more or less dictates the feel of the ride. Thus, it eventually comes down to who you want to do business with. I left the store, looked at my wife and said «I want to buy a bike from these guys.»
It’s hard to really explain the difference between these guys and the rest cough-Erik’s-nextdoor-cough. But nobody wants to give $ 500+ to someone they suspect is a total douchebag. You get the feeling at some bike shops that the sales folks think you’re a lump just wasting their time — until of course they realize you’re in buying mode. At Varsity they walked me through everything and didn’t make me feel like I was a dipshit for asking dipshit questions — forgive me, my last bike was the same one I took the training wheels off. They were just laid back, knowledgable and cool. It didn’t hurt that while I was shopping there, umpteen people rode in off the street with minor maintenance requests and Varsity took them in like they knew them, turned them around quick, and got people back on their bikes.
I love my new Kentfield and I’d never buy a bike anywhere else.

Friendly and knowledgable staff in a super tiny shop. Selection is small and geared for students looking for a bike with a budget. Lots of colorful and snazzy single speeds. There’s a small collection of road and crossover bikes. I bought a Marin crossover bike and im very satisfied with my purchase. Prices are decent and unlike majority of other bike shops they understand your financial constraints and won’t try to talk you into buying a $ 1200 bike «since you’re spending the money anyways might as well make the investment»…
They sell most bike accessories that you’ll need, excluding spd clip in shoes and bike racks… understandable though considering the size of the store. You get a free tuneup within 90 days of purchasing a bike. Staff seemed very competent and passionate about bikes. Tuneups seem on the expensive side, but I’m sure it’s worth the expertise

I don’t trust anyone but the awesome peeps here to take care of my Stal (the name of my bike… short for Stallion of the Night.) When we first began as bike & girl back in ’08 and she was a rusted out bucket of scrap metal, the guys at Varsity cleaned her up and fixed her brakes, making her the toast of the roadsters.
After a rather sad mishap, I had to bring her to another bike shop, and they just did not have the touch at all. After putting her up for the winter and then bringing her out, it was time to get her a tune-​up for the summer. The nice boy at Varsity that helped me this time was very practical, didn’t try to oversell me a front bike light, and kept me posted when Stal needed more a new front wheel and a part that wasn’t expected.
All in all, these guys don’t try to screw you over, are budget-​friendly, and are genuinely concerned you have a great experience with them and with biking.
They also offered sassy input on my choice of Chrome bag color; if you’re in for a penny as a hipster biker, you probably should be in for a pound.

I’ve been here quite a bit, and the service is something to bitch about.
The first time I was here, the guy helping me was pretty nice. I left with a pretty good feeling.
The second time here, the guy helping me was a total dick. He snorted at my bike. Plus, the second day I got it back from the shop, the chain BROKE. I was two miles from my house and walking it all the way back with a fifteen pound bag of books is no treat, let me tell you. So thanks blondie, for being a dick and being a bad mechanic. Walking home the whole way, I felt like I was going to have a heart attack from being so pissed. When I walked it into the store, another guy — who was thankfully sympathetic — fixed it for me while that asshole worked on the other side of the store and pretended not to notice me.
I have been there to replace some parts since then, but the transactions have been normal. There was also a cute girl mechanic the first time I was there in the fall, but I haven’t seen her since.

Varsity Bike Shop is wonderful and has the best customer service around. Let me tell you my experience:
So a few years ago in Austin I saw an electric bike and thought it was just about the coolest thing, but never saw one after that. Then last month I was reading the Star Trib online and saw an article about Varsity selling electric bikes. Now, I’m living in Indiana, but thought I’d give a call and find out about these bikes.
I ended up speaking with Rob at VSB on the phone for a while, as he explained to me differences between the electric bikes in a thorough but easy to understand way (for the non bike-​ophile).
I was sold on one of the Schwinns he was talking about and ordered that day, and received the bike later that week in the mail.
Long story, but here’s the main point: Rob was awesome with dealing with me as an out of state buyer — calling to update me on shipping costs, calling to make sure the bike arrived, and offering to give me advice on the motorized part of the bike when it gets assembled.
If they are this good with an out of state shopper, I can only imagine what they’re like with the local buyers!
If I lived in Minneapolis (I’ll be back eventually!) this would hands-​down be my bike shop of choice.

This is my go-​to bike shop.
It’s close to the U of M campus, so the convenience factor is part of it. Also there is the «David vs. Goliath» aspect, seeing as it’s a couple doors down from a larger Erik’s bike shop. Given a choice, I always choose the smaller, more independent looking place.
VBS is a little hallway of a place, but I’m always surprised by how much they cram in there. Their walls have all the standard accessories (locks, pumps, bells, tools, tubes, etc). Hanging from the ceiling and above the door are a number of bikes for sale (again, I am really surprised by all the stuff they fit in there). Behind the counter is the workshop, where repairs are done. I’ve brought a couple bikes in, and always been pleased with the work, the time it took and the cost.
The staff is laid back and friendly. Often times one of the employees dogs is lounging around the place. Out front are free air refills and a few tools to tune up your bike.