Universal Cycles

If I had a friend ask where to buy a bike, I’d send them straight to Universal Cycle. Owen and Will are honest and trustworthy guys. I’m an above average MTB cyclist and these guys know there stuff. They’ll find you the right bike or repair service for your experience level and budget. If you’re more experienced, they’ve got the skills to keep your ride dialed. Will has built 2 Enduro wheelsets and 2 Down Hill wheelsets for me over the years and they’re bomb proof. Owen is always doing his best to meet your needs without selling you what you don’t need. I should probably also mention, Owen shreds on a bike! Can’t say enough good things about these guys. I’ve been riding DH and AM/​Enduro in SoCal for 10+ years and I keep going back to Universal Cycle when the need comes up.

Spoke with Ronin in the shop today. Felt I got honest answers and sound advice. I’ll be returning soon to purchase. Prices were in line or better than other shops around.

I like the guys that work there. I’m fairly sure they own the place. Prices are fair. Advice is good. No big pressure to buy, but they sure don’t talk you out of anything. This is my fourth visit.

Great friendly and helpful staff! I came here to get an older bike tuned up and back into riding shape. I found all the shop employees to be very knowledgeable. Reasonable prices for a full tune up and clean, bike looks great and rides like new. Ended up picking up a new helmet as well. Looked like mostly high end and brand name bikes, parts and helmets– a real shop (no knock off cheap crap).

Superior customer service with great prices. The owners Owen and Carlos provide superior customer service every time. I would rather drive extra 15 minutes to deal with these guys than the LBS. Thanks and keep up the great work.
Note; They have parking lot in the back alley.

Universal Cycles RULES! Owen and his staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. They have been taking care of not only me but the Lotus Kitty students for 7 years! Best bike shop in the valley!!!

Love it here! Ronin took excellent care of my vintage Schwinn, and had her back in action in record time. His diagnosis was expert and now, my beloved bicycle has never been more fun to ride. Their selection of accessories was on point — got some «bicycle pajamas» that were just what I needed. Thanks guys!

Great place! Recently bought a Specialized Sirrus hybrid from Universal and can’t seem to get enough of it. The guys here have been great. Thought I had an issue, took it it and they gave it a look over, no hesitation. Turned out to be normal breaking in. Also had purchased a rear light from them, mentioned to them that it had came off during one of my rides and they replaced it free. I thought that was pretty stand up of them. I’m going to drop in today see if they can tune her up, I’ve already put a few centuries on it, Want to make sure everything is how it’s supposed to be and they advertise 1 free year of bike service if u bought the bike with them. I expect a good and hassle free visit. I’ll post if I get anything different.

Just bought a bike from here and couldn’t be happier with my experience. Was shown excellent customer service pre– and post– purchase.
Came in with a vague idea of what I was looking for and a whole bunch of questions. Was helped out by Ronin who was really helpful and knowledgeable. We talked through a couple of bike options based on what I was going to be using it for and I was able to test ride two bikes, but not before he made adjustments, made sure it was the right fit for me, and explained the gear shifts. He was really friendly and patient and I never felt pressure to buy during my visit.
After I made my purchase, Ronin even helped set up the bike rack on my car while giving a mini tutorial on how to do so. Really wonderful people and service — definitely recommend.

Excellent service all the way around. Carlos and Owen always have time to answer questions and the service is awesome!

Mixed experiences here. They have a pretty good selection and a reasonably friendly staff. However, it helps to be a bit informed when shopping here. Know your components or at least how they are tiered in value when you go in for replacement parts. They’ve tried to upsell me before on parts at least a few tiers above replacement grade.

I was referred here by Studio Cycle.
Owen was really terrific in helping me find the right cycle shoe.
He had a great selection and prices were standard for cycling shoes.
I am a student at Lotus Kitty, and Universal gives a 20% discount for students at Lotus Kitty. The discount took care of the cleats and tax.
All in all, a great shopping experience.
In addition to street parking, there may be a lot behind the store. Another customer came in to pick up her bike and used the rear entrance. I didn’t investigate, but it would make sense that a lot was back there.

Will, Owen, Carlos etc… the ABSOLUTE best! They are smart and incredibly helpful.
I recommend you go ONLY here, I have known them over 20 years. They’re the best at helping you buy the right bike and keep it serviced and dialed in, just the way YOU like.
Thank you Thank you to them for keeping me in the saddle.

Bought a road bike from here a couple of years ago and have gone back regularly for upgrades and servicing. Every time, Owen and Carlos have been really helpful and knowledgeable and their prices very reasonable.
I ride about 4,000 miles a year and they keep my bike in great working order, gear changes are accurate and I have a smooth and silent bike thanks to Universal Cycles.

Owen and Universal Cycles were amazing to work with! I have been in the market for a new bike for a little over a year now and Owen patiently answered all of my questions over the past year even without me spending a dime at the shop. Just great customer service from Owen. When it came time to purchase my new bike Owen was right there ready to assist me. The transaction worked out perfectly. I couldn’t be happier with my service or bike. Very happy rider!

Brought in 6 bikes to get new tubes and break work done. Dan was awesome. Very knowledgeable of everything. Our bikes were done in about 3 hours — though I was told up to 2 days which was fine. I was not in a hurry. But very pleased with the service and friendliness of all the employees. I will definitely come back here in the future.

Came here again… older gentleman is actually a sweetheart. The entire staff is. Love this place… Carlos is always helpful. They have the best prices, selection, etc.

I have taken my bike here two times this week and each time I received an awesome service!
Quick, helpful and professional staff!
First they repaired the chain on my bike and second they replaced my tire.
They have a very nice selection of bikes, too — from cross-​country to mountain bikes.

These guys are awesome! I’ve been going here for a while with all my spinning and bike needs. They are professional, extremely knowledgeable, and friendly. Love this place.

Unfortunately this has to be the worst bike shop I have ever dealt with — and I have been to many around LA and the world. And here’s why…
Been here 3 times and each time it’s been bad for a different reason.
Bad attitude — it is never good to think your customer is stupid and let that ring through in the tone you use, especially when it is not the case, there is a real problem and you don’t want to fix it. My shifter was not working correctly and I would have happily paid to get that fixed without the mechanic’s condescending attitude.
Poor work — took a bike in to get packed for shipping. While I had done a poor job in disassembling it myself they made the call to break the chain and add a new link. This turned out to be the only major problem afterwards mountain biking with my brand new multiple thousand dollar bike in a remote jungle. That chain broke in that spot two days later… major problem indeed.
Bad equipment — I was sold a small pump to take with me for emergencies — while I did choose the smallest/​lightest — please don’t sell me something that does not do the job at all — it was impossible to get any air into my tires — and no, it wasn’t the costumer’s stupidity but a bad product (that I paid good money for)… And so on the first day of my trip overseas I hustled to find a bike shop for some air and a better pump.
Further — every time I called I got the we’re-too-busy attitude… Please, you work in customer service. Do you not think that if people had a positive aka. helpful experience with you that they’d come back and buy their next bike from you?
You are losing business and money — and while I usually don’t leave bad reviews (see Unilocal profile) these experiences still bother me enough that when a friend asked for a bike shop recommendation I could only steer them away from you.
I hope you’ll improve the attitude and make a good addition to the otherwise really friendly and welcoming cyclists community in LA.