Chari & Co NYC

I suppose this is advertised as a men’s bike shop but still when a female patron walks in it would be nice for her to be noticed and attended to. I came in simply to buy a bike lock and I had to approach an employee for help. I just got weird stares when I walked in. Even a hello would suffice. Not a friendly atmosphere. :/

came around 7pm to the shop as my tire was pretty flat! they normally close at 7pm but were so friendly to help me out and pump up my tire! Great service!!!

Awesome service. I went in thinking I would pump my tire myself and go, turns out every possible thing that could’ve rusted or broken on my bike did and these guys fixed it quickly and gave me a more than fair price. 6 stars guys

Best bike shop in nyc! These guys carry incredible brands/​products that no other bike shop does. Fair prices, good service and the hard to find brands make chari and co. great!

Nice shop but they are incompetent.
I live in the neighborhood and had a flat. They fixed it. I rode ten blocks. Next morning it was flat. I brought it back. Same guy was there. He looked at me like, «not my fault». I gave him benefit of the doubt and paid him again. I asked him to make sure there was nothing inside the tire, etc. Rode the bike ten blocks. Next day flat again. This time I figured he’d take responsibility. Instead when I walked in he looked at the tire and said, «It was fine when you left. I’ll fix it but you have to pay.» No apology or even slightest indication of care or concern.
I left and bought a tube at REI and fixed it myself. Inside of the tire I found the tape had dried up and was puncturing the inner tube. I fixed the tape. Tire is fine. No flat even after eleven blocks!
I should have just fixed it myself to start but my apartment is dinky and figured I’d help the local shop but instead just wasted a lot of time.
These guys are incompetent and don’t take responsibility for their work.
UPDATE: I received a note from the management a year later saying they are looking to improve these issues and offered a discount on my next visit. I have yet to take them up on it but it’s cool they are trying.

Nice shop. I found myself at the top of the Williamsburg bridge with a flat tire and only 15 minutes to get to work in the E.V. I ran into Chari and they were nice enough to let me drop my bike and run. Came back the next day bike was all fixed up and ready to roll.

Wow.
Super Japanese and super sick.
Everything in here is unreal. Their own line of gear is awesome.
Just wow. Bring your plastic. $$$

Solid. Great bags especially. And gorgeous clients. :) They were a bit aloof when you walk in. I get it. «We put together a really cool shop that should really be in Brooklyn but it’s right here in Manhattan.» Yeah, and maybe these types of dudes are socially eccentric. Took some effort to engage the shop dudes and then it was a better experience. They have some hand-​made clothes from Brooklyn. I got a hat I love, the stitching is crooked and how fun is that?

I agree with most peoples reviews — The stuff they have is ill, and that’s why I go back and deal my bread at this place. The guys in the store graduate from Punk U. And that’s it.

Pretty cool store layout, but that’s about it. The guy seemed nice considering other reviewers saying they were uptight hipsters.
I went there to buy a chain for a fixie I am building. First of all the price of the chain in the store was 10 dollars more than what it was online. I had to show him the price online to prove it. Than he went into the back and got the chain. When I went home and opened it, it was USED. There were hundreds of scratches and dings like a used chain should have. There was no question that it was just a repackaged used chain.
I went back and told him and he didn’t even deny it. He tried to play dumb and said sorry than got another chain. The next one he gave was also used but the condition wasn’t nearly as bad. I brought it to another bike store and they confirmed it too and showed me what a new chain really looked like. But they said that it was still useable so I decided to just use it so i wouldn’t have to deal with them again. Horrible experience and on top of that it was on Christmas Eve.

I just bought the CHARI & CO — CARABINER TOOL and its garbage. A total waste of money. I wore it for a week and it broke.
I wished I would have just thrown my money away instead of them having it for such a piece if shit product.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
The store front consists of just one window and with the exception of the small chalk board out front, there isn’t much in the way of signage. Random walk-​ins are a rarity; as with many places in the Lower East Side, unless you knew of and intended on visiting Chari & Co., you’d probably pass right by the front door. Inconspicuous is good!
SERVICE:
Don’t expect anyone to greet you. Even though a friend and I were the only two customers in the shop, we still had to walk all the way to the back to ask for help. Also when asking for an item that isn’t on hand, they won’t give an exact date, instead they give rough estimates (eg. «check back in two weeks, we should have it then»).
OFFERINGS:
It’s not nearly as diverse or desirable as there website or the Google Maps drag-​and-​drop icon would lead you to believe. Most are these BMX-​style frames made by Brooklyn Machine Works or various used ones. Where are all the exclusive, vintage Japanese track bikes this place is known for?
There are some nice parts made by Sugino and Campagnolo, but they were waaaay overpriced. From road cycling perspective, $ 250 can buy you a top-​tier crankset (SRAM Red/​Dura Ace) but here it’s like the norm.
They take pride in the fact you can mix and match things, but nowadays unless its to match color schemes there’s no advantage to selecting your own hub/​rims or chainring/​crank arm.
EXPERIENCE:
Ricky, who had his own MASH in the front of the store, said he could would be willing to build us our own MASH, one with a real basic setup for around $ 2000. I asked him what «basic» meant and he said that it would probably weight around 25lbs. «No, that’s not going to work,» I said «the bike I commute on weighs 22lbs and has 27 speeds.» Then I described exactly what I wanted: Cinelli MASH frameset, SRAM Omnium Crank, Mavic Ellipse wheelset, bullhorn handlebars, time trial brakes. «That’ll be more like three grand» he said.
CULTURE/​VIBE:
My feelings are that unless you look like a hipster and act like one, then it’s going to be hard working with them. They definitely do work at their own pace, and have an idea of what riding single/​fixed should be. Even though I had a clear picture of what I wanted in my build, they insisted that I run with a super aggressive slammed stem, a 650c wheel in the front and 700c in the rear, and to forget brakes and ride fixed gear. Being that the frame already has a low position, I said no a few times, then that I’d think about it; but I definitely did not enjoy fact that the guys there consider riding a fixed gear to be an elusive club of the most hardcore riders. Single speed and fixed gear are the same thing.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Not thrilled by this place. Part of me feels that when you walk into an establishment and say you’re willing to drop nearly a grand on one item, then you shouldn’t work at all, instead they should work to close the deal. Not the case here. They make spending money difficult, because you constantly have to check back with them and they’re very insistant on building you their dream bike.

If you feel like you don’t know the bike shops in NYC, then definitely let Chari & Co take a wrench to your ride. That way when it inevitably falls apart, you can have another shop fix it. Two shops for twice the price, what a deal!
Seriously, these dudes are nice but the back is a mess. If you want to spend a lot of money on a flashy Japanese part, this is the spot. But don’t trust them with anything involving mechanics or basic business skills like following through with ordering parts or building a wheel that you expect not to come loose and puncture your tire within a week, Bike Works NYC is just around the corner or head over the Williamsburg bridge to Affinity or B’s.

I really want to like this place, truly, I’d love it if this were my main shop, but it isn’t, and it never will be.
First things first, this place is like the Wonka Factory, some of the sickest track bikes you will see in one area. They have it all, Keirin, new, vintage, custom, even a couple road frames for good measure. Anodized aluminum parts in every shade under the sun, high flange, low flange, even Chub hubs! Everything here is hot and even people new to cycling will know that they have some special stuff. This shop probably has one of the best curated selections on the East Coast, no lie.
Unfortunately, that’s where it ends. Cool stuff, bad attitudes. The guys who run the shop are usually hanging out in back and won’t greet or acknowledge you for at least 20 minutes. When you do grab their attention, they’re pretty short with you. I’ve visited this shop on multiple occasions looking for parts, hubs, bars, rims, and other track specific products. On some occasions, the in-​store price is higher than the price listed on the website! There have also been a couple times where I had asked if they had a specific part in stock, and they did not. They couldn’t give me a estimate when it would be in stock, or offer to order it for me. «Come back in two weeks.» That’s it. I come back, nope, still not in stock.
Sure, the merchandise is way cool, but I’m not satisfied with the service. Listen, I support of local bike shops 100%, but the attitude here is enough to make me stay away. I don’t need to be coddled, but I do like some sort of dialogue, or willingness to help. Remember, the reason why I came in the first place is to blow silly amounts of money on bike parts, not go home empty handed. Most of the time I’ve been just that, empty handed.

Bad experience here. I went in there looking to buy a messenger bag, and ended up standing around for close to twenty minutes while the workers were yakin’ amongst themselves in the back. Oh yeah, they saw me. Heck, I was the only customer in the store. Looked like they were more into posin’ and gabbing then trying to sell anything. Felt like I was doing them a favor by asking to see a messenger bag. They have some cool stuff, but the attitude was a big turn-​off!
If you wanna posture, go here. If you want some customer service, go elsewhere.

These guys are solid. Totally reliable mechanics who charge a fair price for their service. Not bike snobs, either.

This is my very first review. I ordered here once, and maybe I’m being a little too gracious for giving this place 5 stars, but I MUST say that my personal experience with this shop is worthy of the 5.
After ordering some goods from another shop (because yeah, they were ~$ 15 cheaper there) and having that shop cancel my order without sending me ANY sort of notification… I decided to look into Chari & Co again. It turned out that this unfortunate experience was a blessing in disguise because Chari & Co had just gotten new stock of what I wanted, in BETTER colors. Fantastic! I immediately placed my order. Within 4 hours, I received a confirmation of purchase + a receipt for payment, shipment info, and tracking info. I received my order in just 4 days. Amazing. These guys are definitely on top of their business. I would order from them again in a heartbeat.

I’ve written various reviews on bike shops in NYC but this shop by far surpasses them all. The guys here are really great and incredibly helpful. I just purchased a cinelli frame to commute back and forth to work on and they are helping me set it up-​with patience. That is important when making such a big investment. I love the shop and the unique brands they carry. I’ve lived in NYC and San Francisco and haven’t come across a shop like this. It’s fun just to look around and see the stuff they have. There are so many things I want to buy because you can’t find some of this stuff at other shops. I’d suggest checking this place out.

This is the one bike shop I go to with regularity because they are great guys with a fantastic store and they only carry what they love. They fill their store with products made well and made right. Everything is high quality and priced fairly.
Ken, Yuki and Jahoon and are the best. Congratulations on your two year anniversary. You deserve to be a Lower East Side fixture.

I bought a pair of Outlier shorts here, and I wear these more than any other item of clothing in my wardrobe. They are one of the very few retailers that carry this brand. This alone makes me want to come here.
As-​far-​as the biking gear, I bought two sets of pedals and baskets from them so I could try each out. Hi quality components and pricing that is decent (still slightly above average). Honestly, I come here for the top notch gear, and to drool over the badass frames hanging from the wall.