Carytown Bicycle Company

I visited Carytown Bicycle on Thursday searching for a road bike. I have been to a few bicycle stores recently comparing models, features, weight and price. I can say that Tim of Carytown really did a great job of explaining the differences between sizes and features. He fitted me into a 54 cm had me ride test a couple of bikes. I felt more knowledgable and more aware of features that I may want to spend extra on after my experience. He was not a pushy salesman but esablished trust and ensured that I was a more informed buyer. I didn’t purchase the bike as I am narrowing the bike down and need to get final approval from the wife. Thank you assisting me and when Im ready to buy I will definitely go back.

Love this shop. They hook it up every time, whether I am asking very basic questions or getting an overhaul on my racing machine they provide tremendous customer service. I love how unpretentious they are, rare to see in a high end bike shop. I brought in my icky trainer bike with all sorts of rust and gunk and they brought it back to life. Can’t beat that winter time tune up deal! This is my LBS!

Carytown Bicycle Company is by far and large the best bike shop in town with unparalleled expertise in bicycles. They take great care and diligence in all their repair work.
There have been at least 2 great experiences with Carytown Bicycle Company
The first time I had a bought a car bike rack, didnt like it and returned it for a full refund. Afterward my wallet was stolen. In it was the gift card from CBC. After a quick phone call to Tim he made me another gift card– a value of over $ 200!
The next time I was having some trouble installing the «handcuff» device on my Yakima Ridgeback. One of the screws was rusted and it was nearly impossible to remove it and install the handcuff. Matt, one of the guys at CBC took time out of his day to help me. It was a tough job and we needed to use pliers, a box-​cutter, screwdrivers, and even a hacksaw! After everything is said and done Carytown Bicycle Co. goes above and beyond the standard to help their customers. Im sold for life and strongly recommend this to anyone interested in buying a bike or finding a reliable bike shop!

My friends went to rent bikes this morning while I was stuck at work. When I got off work, I wanted to join them, but carytown didn’t offer a half day bike rental and it was already 3pm. Instead of making me pay for a full day of bike rental, the owner let me borrow a bike for free to join my friends on the ride. We had a blast! The staff was so friendly! We will definitely be back during the day when they are serving food.

Scam artists. They stole parts off my bike when I had them do an assembly. On top of that the tires were under inflated the handlebar was misaligned, and I’m too much of a noon to know if anything else is wrong.

Each member of the staff was welcoming, quick to strike up a conversation and truly cared what you had to say. Quick and easy bike rentals with actual decent bikes unlike the normal junk I have encountered around the country. They take the time to make sure where to go and offer advice on which trails to hit. It doesn’t hurt that the shop is in a great part of town and near some of the coolest flowing single track I have ever ridden. This shop is a must visit for anyone who loves bikes. Keep up the great work and fantastic apparel.

After riding my mountain bike around my neighborhood for the last year, I decided that I should graduate to a road bike. Unfortunately I knew very little about road bikes. I visited Carytown Bikes a few weeks ago and spoke with Andy. He was very attentive, listened to where I was coming from and what my goals were. He pointed me to a few options (Synapse, Diverge and Roubaix) to get the discussion started and then took his time familiarizing me with each and how they might work for me. It was a great start and I was able to go home and do a bit of focused research.
When I decided that I wanted to go with an endurance bike I went back in for a test ride. Of course I asked for Andy but unfortunately he wasn’t available. William stepped in and helped me first rent a Synapse for a day, and then after I settled on a Roubaix, worked with me to decide which model, size, and setup was right for me. He was patient and informative as I made several trips back in to ask questions or seek guidance.
In the interest of being thorough I visited two other area shops and while I can’t say I had a bad experience at either, I can say that neither showed the level of customer service I received from Andy and William. I went back in and purchased a Roubaix and I’m very happy with my experience.

I travel a lot for work and stop in bike shops to get socks from that city. This has been by far my favorite shop. My business partner and I ended up staying for a while talking to the owner. He had amazing stories about riding to the top of pikes peak. They also have a great assortment of bikes and knowledge. Wish I lived closer to call it my home shop.

The staff is super friendly and the owner Tim is a great guy. The repair area is well organized and they are very knowledgeable

This team of individuals provides some of the best customer service I’ve ever received. I’m befuddled by the negative reviews; on the contrary, in the times I’ve been in this shop, the only rudeness and condescending behavior I’ve witnessed came from customers. The professionals in this shop never fail to maintain a pleasant, friendly, professional, and upbeat attitude regardless of your experience as a cyclist. Both locations of this companies will always have my business!!!

Went in to grab a pump and a new tube. Thought I would give the closest bike shop to my house a try. I’d heard Agee’s has some problems with rudeness. But Holy Crap are these Hipsters mean.
You know that bike shop over on cary near campus with the dude who speaks no english? HE was nicer and easier to understand than these guys.
Dismissive jerks. I was the only person in the store, now don’t get me wrong I don’t mind demeaning apathetic and frankly rude employees in a place where no one speaks english… but…
In a huge store with 3 people working and one customer you’d think someone would have had the decency to behave like a kind adult.
moody damned hipsters.
I’m going to no english dude from now on.

I’m not a habitual Unilocaler, but I had such a pleasant experience today at CBC that I couldn’t help but share:
I was in Richmond for a wedding and ended up having an extra day to kill. Coming from overcrowded and dingy Los Angeles (For the record, I do love Los Angeles), the beautiful scenery and history of Richmond were beyond refreshing. I wanted to grab some wheels and check things out, but I had no experience in the small universe that is biking and consequently didn’t know the logistics of renting one… but I was hoping to find a shop that would accommodate my spontaneity.
I met Tim coming in and immediately felt welcomed. The circumstances and timing of me wanting to ride were not great (the store was not far from closing for the day), but Tim went out of his way to make sure I could enjoy an afternoon bike ride. I was very impressed by his personability and kindness. The store itself is very well put together and accessible, which was also impressive.
Tim quickly got me a bike and out the door to enjoy the neighborhood and surrounding area. When I returned the bike, I casually mentioned to another employee that I wasn’t sure how I would get back to my hotel since I was visiting from out of town and didn’t have a car. The woman I spoke with went out of her way to figure out a solution for me to get back to my lodgings so I would be spared having to walk a few miles or an expensive cab fare.
I left Richmond and headed back to LA feeling so grateful for the opportunity to explore for a few hours. It really was the cherry on top of a memorable weekend. So many shops lack the humanness and service that TIm and his staff demonstrated. I saw Tim exhibit the same magnanimy toward every other customer in the store that he showed to me, which is indicative of some real business integrity. I have several friends back in Richmond and will be recommending CBC to them and anyone I know that heads east to Virginia.

Went here blissfully unaware of the complexities that are road bikes. I only have experience riding mountain bikes and was really nervous to begin looking! However, Mike immediately dissuaded my worries with his knowledge and friendly smile.
He helped me find a bike that fit my height once I told him what kind of bike I was hoping to purchase. I test rode it around the parking lot, and then he rode his bike with me around the block. I really appreciated the ride-​along (although I’m sure that’s standard when it comes to expensive equipment), since I was uncertain of my abilities.
I didn’t want to commit right there, but he wrote down what bike I tried and then told me to come back if I wanted to test ride something else. He then thoroughly answered my questions when I called like 5 min later… ha!

I am confused! My experience here was 10 stars out of 5. But a lot of people gave this shop pretty crappy reviews.
If I had to guess why, it would be because this shop is a legit bike culture experience. It is exactly same service and expertise that I would get at a good bike shop in Chicago… or Colorado. Bike people doing and talking bikes.
Tim was beyond a cool dude in my experience… getting me a great rental mountain bike at a great price, while recommending coffee shops, trails, and calling friends to guide me along. I also had a great conversation about trails with another staff member (whose name I cannot recall).
Since most bad reviews are by Richmond people, and most good reviews are by out-​of-​towners, maybe I don’t get the local mindset. If I go to a bike shop, coffee shop, or a wine shop, I want a snob to work at the shop… and to tell me how it is, and guide me to the good shit. If he is talking down to me (which was not my experience), I don’t care. Good information and good products are worth the temporary blow to your ego that you may experience if you are not an experienced biker.
This shop rocks!

I had an awful experience going in there for some simple repairs. The staff members were downright rude/​condescending.
I could see this place being good for a serious hobbyist, but don’t bother if you’re just a «filthy casual».

I have had many bike wrenches over the years work on my bikes and it never fails some irritating (or serious) thing goes wrong a few days later, requiring a repeat visit or a roadside repair.
Braden (or his crew) are quality bike mechanics. I have NEVER had an issue arise after taking a bike to CBC for work.
I don’t live in RVA anymore, but I wish Braden would visit H-​Town and teach a few local wrenches
That and his team kits are always killer.

I’ve been going to these guys for service ever since I moved into Richmond over a decade ago. Their service is top-​notch and the selection of products and accessories they have is really good for someone who takes biking seriously.
Are you going to pay a premium for some parts and accessories over buying them online? Yes, but you’re also going to get expert advice and a high level of service in exchange for the difference in price.
As an example of one of the cool services CBC offers their customers, if you buy a bike and want to swap out one of the components for something different, they’ll sell the old (i.e. unused) part on eBay for no extra charge. That level of service is not something you see very often if at all these days.

Had a very strange experience at Carytown Bike Co. I wanted to spend about $ 3 – 400 on a wheel to replace one of mine that had been damaged on a flight, but I wanted to be able to return the wheel if I didn’t get the money back from the airline. I was even willing to pay for a wheel but leave it in the shop until I was sure that I would get reimbursed. Anyway, the guy at Carytown Bike Co. didn’t want to hear a word of it and started carrying on about how much effort it would be to get a bike out of his inventory just for me and so on. He asked «what’s in it for me» a couple of times, which is weird as there was a $ 3 – 400 sale in it for him. He also kept telling me that the damaged wheel I’d taken in was worthless, which had nothing to do with anything as I was trying to replace it. My girlfriend and I thought it was all very strange and eventually he just told us to go away and do it on the internet; instead we walked straight across the road to Conte’s where the guy was very helpful and surprisingly enough ended up with a nice little sale.
Needless to say I won’t be back to CBC.

The guys at Carytown Bikes are always down for a bike chat. I’ve talked to them about mountain bikes, their trade in deal, and kid bikes. Very helpful and friendly.
You owe it to yourself to let them help you get a bike.

I came in here awhile ago looking for a brand new bike. I wanted to take my biking up a notch. Looking for a mountain bike that was my size and price range was going to prove a challenge but i knew the bike was out there for me. Upon walking in this store, I already felt out of place. The staff was pushing bikes on me that I did not like, did not like the feel of, and really was too tall for my 5′ 4″ feminine frame. I was willing to pay outside of my price range for a good bike but after dealing with the pushy salesman (who did not have 1 customer that day it seemed), I quickly left without a bike.
I did find a great bike later– however, i already know if i need anything for my bike, i will not be shopping here.