Marty’s Reliable Cycle

I had come to Marty’s originally off a friends recommendation, at the time i was looking at a few bikes at REI and just wanted an opinion other than theirs. The sales reps at REI were 1 for 2 for being correct about deals and specs they were offering. When i came into Marty’s Dean originally helped me out, i told him i was just looking and that i was going to buy in the next few weeks. He was very helpful and ended up showing me the bike i eventually bought from them. He gave me the best advice personally for what i wanted in a bike and have been very happy with my choice.
When i came in to buy it, Marty was there and helped me size the bike and another guy helped adjust it perfectly. They were all very helpful and friendly loved it.
A few rides in i screwed up one of my big cogs, I was shifting and in a more rushed decision while still learning the gears i shifted up when i meant to shift down and ended up doing a small amount of damage. I took the bike in and they were able to fix what i needed no charge and tune up some other things for me.
This past time i went in because by brakes were squeaking like a banshee, they checked out it made some adjustments and ended up replacing the front pads for me to fix the problem, no charge to me.
I’m pretty new to the bike world but the service i have gotten from Marty’s so far had made be very satisfied i took my friends advice for getting my bike here.

Go to the Hackettstown location– much better service, knowledgable reps, nicer employees. See my longer review on the Htown board.

Dissappointed.
The final straw happened this Sunday.
I took my bike there for a tune up. I rode it a total of 4 times. The chain started going off of the largest chain ring with the smallest amount of pressure. So I brought it in to get it adjusted after the tune up this Sunday.
The gearing was adjusted. I rode the bike today (Tuesday) and the bike started to almost go off of the chainring again. Also, the rear derailer stop going through half of the gears. Marty’s was closed today. So I decided to go to REI because I have had a positive experience there with my urban/​beater bike there.
REI in East Hanover determined that I had a frayed wire to the back derailer, I need a new chain ring (broken cogs), I need a new rear cassette and I need a new chain. I need over $ 180 of repairs that I would have gladly paid Marty’s for if they would have found the damage that I was able to see myself. This is something that Marty’s should have caught. Marty’s has always given me the best tune ups available anywhere. I have been a Marty’s customer for over 15 years. To miss these problems is unacceptable and a waste of my valuable time.
Also– when I went to get shoes a week before this happened I was annoyed with Jesse’s sales tactics. I went in to buy shoes that would work with my clipless pedals. I have wide feet. He found the size that I need but only in shoes that cost $ 180. He said that it would be very hard for me to find shoes that fit me for less. (I ended up buying comparable shoes for $ 120 at REI). Also– he was trying to hard sell the bike fitting at a $ 60 hour cost. If it were my store I would take a little time to look for fit problems without pushing so hard for the $ 60. I am a sales professional and I learned from Jesse how to never be in a sales situation. He was eager for the $ and showed little if any true concern for the needs of the customer. I am the opposite. I feel that if I work my hardest for my customers the money will follow.
I may or may not give them another chance for them to give me a tune up on one of my bikes depending on how REI does. For the past 10+ years I have been totally happy with Marty’s– no one has ever tuned up bikes better. In 2008 I bought a bike from the Bike Stand in Scotch Plains because what I wanted was $ 800 less there than something similar would have cost at Marty’s. I was not happy with how the bike stand set up my bike, and Marty’s straightened it out then. Surprisingly, I predict that the people at REI will fix my bike with no issues.
2 stars is generous. If I would have gone with my recent experiences with them I would have given them 1 star. But because I have always been happy with them in the past I am being generous by giving them 2 stars.
If you go there to buy a bike know that you can probably find a better deal elsewhere. Also– if I were to get a tune up from them again I would watch what they do closely, which I have never had to do with them in the past. I am upset that I can’t trust their tune ups anymore.
FYI– I am not any type of road weight weenie or anything like that. I mostly use both of my bikes as a way to burn calories going to work, the gym or to the grocery store. They were probably overwhelmed and understaffed. They probably gave my bike to some rookie mechanic. But they should take better care of their reputation.

Today my husband and I picked up two dual sport Trek bikes from Marty’s in Randolph. Our purchasing endeavor began last week and right from the beginning it was a great experience. We didn’t know much about bikes and Dean was super patient and really knowledgeable! We wanted to get into biking and we didn’t know where to start. He listened to what we wanted and didn’t try to sell us some super over priced bike or a cheaper first time bike. He pretty much understood what we were looking for an wasn’t pushy or pressured us at all which is a huge turn off for me when shopping.
We did shop around to compare pricing (since the shopper in me always wants a good deal) But truth be told these bikes are priced the same where ever you go. The difference is in the customer service and the extra mile that Dean went for us! We seriously walked into another shop and walked right back out when we realized no one was going to help us the same way Dean did at Marty’s. And their bike was even priced a few bucks less but we didn’t even care.
Today we picked them up and needed to install the attachments on our car to get them home on our roof rack. Dean pretty much spent all afternoon (2+ hrs) helping us put them on and adjusting our bikes before we left! I would highly recommend this shop to anyone I know! The prices are fair, they aren’t pushy, the customer service is par none and the life time service guarantee is a bonus! Thanks again Dean!

From the minute I walked in-​the staff was great. No high pressure sales–
i havent been on a bike in a long time-​lol-​but the guy that helped me was great. He took alot of time making sure that this was the right bike for me-​sized everything-​and made me ride it to be sure all was correct and comfortable.
I bought the bike-​and hit the road –glad to have a new hobby.
Id recommend them to anyone