City Bikes

Strongly distrust the mechanics. Deliberately overreact to try to take advantage of people who aren’t familiar with bikes. It was almost like watching an acting routine where the mechanics show each other spots on the bike and freak out about how screwed the bike is. Tried to charge me over $ 200 to conduct repairs that the mechanic couldn’t even prove the bike needed.
Took it across the street to Bicycle Space, where the mechanics fixed some of the same stuff on the spot for free.
The shop staff are friendly and try to be helpful. Just go across the street, though, if you want a mechanic.

Staff is friendly and gave me honest advice and many options to choose from to help me decide if I want to invest more on my bike or not.
I love their cat.

I got a flat tire back in October and had not gone to fix it until now. Mark identified the problem, fixed it on the spot, and it only cost me $ 20. He even pointed out a few issues with my bike that I could fix on my own. I did not feel like the novice bike owner that I am! Will return should other problems arise.

Came in for two issues with the shifter. Came out $ 300 poorer, with an earful of hipster attitude, and with the same two problems with the shifter. Bicycle Space — right around the corner — later fixed the problem for $ 40. Go to Bicycle Space instead.

This place is extremely overpriced. The repair section mush have built its model on exploiting customers’ assumed lack of knowledge on bike repairs. They immediately suggest the most expensive solution. When they are working on your bike and ask for a simple additional work, such as screwing something that will literally take a tool and turn, they respond by saying that ‘The only way i’ll do is is to replace it all.’ You agree, then they try to add another labor cost. Mind you, you had already paid for labor before.
Never again.

I’ve been biking to work in DC every day for about 8 years, been to this bike shop several times over the last 5 years, and I can now say without a doubt that this is the worst bike shop I’ve ever been to. Honestly their accessories and the bikes themselves are decent quality and they aren’t terribly priced, but DO NOT GET YOUR BIKE SERVICED HERE. Here’s just the three top times they’ve tried to rip me off, or been too lazy to be any help.
1) I went in about 5 years ago to get my brakes adjusted. Guy did a decent job, but when he gave me my bike back he lectured me on how «worn down» the chain and front chain-​ring were on my single-​speed bike, and that they needed to be replaced. Told me it’d be about 100 bucks with labor and all, but since my bike had been working fine I passed. I’ve been biking almost every day for the last 5 years on the same front chain-​ring, and I changed the chain only two years ago, not because it broke, but because I wanted a smaller rear chain-​ring. Nice try asshole.
2) My front fork had gotten pinched, making it difficult to take the front wheel on and off. City bikes said the only solution would be to spend $ 200+ on one of their crappy forks. Weary from my last experience at City Bikes I went to District Hardware Bike Shop on 24^th street where the guy told me to buy one of their $ 10 metal files and told me to shave just a hair out of the opening in the fork. They wouldn’t do it themselves (modifications like that are obviously a liability) but it worked perfectly, and saved me over $ 190 and a lot of time.
3) Today I went in because I had bent my front wheel in a minor accident. Their «mechanic» told me that the wheel was irreparable and that I’d need to get a whole new one. I was dumbfounded. I’ve been biking almost all my life and I’ve seen guys fix way worse bent rims. Then I noticed it was 6:30 and they closed at 7, so I figured he was just being lazy and I went to BicycleSpace just a couple blocks away. The kid there didn’t seem bothered that I walked in 15 minutes before close and he fixed my wheel PERFECTLY. Someone there also noticed that my handlebars were missing bar-​ends and gave me a couple they had laying around for free. Now that’s some freakin’ service!
Now that BicycleSpace is just around the corner I can’t wait for City Bikes to go out of business. You can go to ANY bike shop in DC and get more helpful, thoughtful service. This is the only bike shop I’ve been to where anyone has ever tried to sell me crap I don’t need, and I really resent that. I should never have given this place another chance after story #1, but I can say with certainty now this place is truly terrible. Only way they’ll stay in business is if they can keep ripping off people who don’t know any better with replacement parts they don’t really need.

City Bikes has a decent selection of bikes and good mechanics, but their service can be bad.
I called the store a few days ago at 4:59 pm not knowing that they had switched over to their winter hours and were closing at 5 pm. I asked if my bike that I had dropped off earlier to get some repair done on it was ready for pickup. First, the employee on the other end of the phone was rude to me and said, «how am I supposed to know if your bike is ready? I didn’t do repair on it.» More importantly, the employee didn’t tell me that the store was closing.
Having no idea that the store was about to close, I made the 15 min walk over to City Bikes from my apartment. When I got there, they were packing up and the closed sign was on the door. I asked them what was going on and one of the guys outside said that they switched to their winter hours and were now closed. The time was 5:16 and I told him that I talked with someone 15 min ago who said my bike was ready for pickup. I asked if there was any way I could pick my bike up and he said there wasn’t because the registers were closed. I walked back home without my bike.
I’m giving City Bikes three stars because the Manger, John, emailed me afterwards and cleared up the bad experience I had very professionally.

Expert, exceptional, mechanic service, with quality, honesty and integrity, a particularly well-​managed shop, where you can expect the kind of excellence you would get from a local family-​owned shop. This is due to their strong staff and management.
City Bikes is the bike shop to go to no matter who you are.
They go the extra mile and stand by their word. If you only go to one bike shop in DC, make it city bikes.

This place has been very disorganized and unreliable in my experience. I came in one weekend to look for a bike, and it took nearly 15 minutes for any staff person to talk to me. When they did, they seemed hurried and were constantly dividing their attention between me and other customers.
On to my actual terrible sales experience with them:
When I then settled on a bike I was interested in, it turned out they didn’t currently have it in stock in my size (XS), so a staff person placed an order for me with the manufacturer and said it should arrive for a test ride within 7 – 10 days. I needed a bike within 2 weeks or so, so I thought that should be OK, even if not ideal. I asked if I should put down a deposit for it, but he said it wasn’t necessary, so all I left was my contact information. 10 days later I still hadn’t been contacted, so I called them back to ask about status. The person who picked up said that a number of those bikes had been delivered to the store a couple of days ago, but only 2 were left (in odd colors) because all the others had already been sold. I was furious that no one had told me and said that one was supposed to have been set aside for me, to which he replied they can’t do that for customers who haven’t put down a deposit — even though the first guy told me otherwise! I immediately came down that afternoon to test ride but when I got there I realized the person on the phone had been talking about the wrong model bike all along. The person I spoke to at the store said there hadn’t been any update on the actual bike I ordered, and also didn’t know why the first salesman would have promised 7 – 10 days because there was no estimated delivery time whatsoever on the order. According to him, it would be indefinite for that particular model/​manufacturer. Having wasted so much of my time already by then, I was extremely frustrated with the store, but again requested I be contacted when the right bike eventually came in, and had them confirm that I would NOT need to put down a deposit in order for it to be held for me for a few days once it arrived. It was not until NEARLY FOUR WEEKS LATER that someone finally left a voicemail alerting me it had arrived — by this time I could have bought a bike from another store multiple times over instead of waiting again and again on City Bike’s incompetence. The person on the phone demonstrated absolutely NO prior knowledge of my order history, and in a very impatient tone, explained in the voicemail that there was no deposit on the bike so if I didn’t call back to confirm in the next couple of hours that I would come to test ride in the very immediate future, he was going to put it out on the floor for general sales. Again with their inability to get their policies straight.
I ended up instead buying a bike with the MUCH better bike shop that has recently moved into the Adams Morgan neighborhood — my experience there was an absolute pleasure and a breeze compared to City Bikes. I would 100% recommend that anyone go to their competitor instead.

Everyone at this store is always very helpful and knowledgeable, and service usually happens very quickly as well. I deal with Marcus Simmons and Kevin Martini every time I go, and they are always very friendly, remember who I am, and go out of their way to make sure I have a good experience. I refer my friends all the time, and because of those two I will always keep coming back!

Came in on a Sunday to get a flat tire fixed. I was quoted $ 25 for patching the tire for parts/​labor. The staff member who assisted me was fast (it took only 15 minutes and I was on my way!), but not overly friendly. Another staff member had told me that if the shop wasn’t busy, they could show me how to fix the tire but unfortunately, I was told I had to come back for the Thursday night class.
They have a modest selection of all things you might need for your cycling needs, but the shop isn’t that big and predominantly features bikes for purchase.
I was satisfied with my experience and the repair, but the staff members weren’t overly friendly and the space has more of a commercial than «neighborhood» bike shop. I miss my Chicago shop!

This visit not so pleasant went in because my seat post was stuck he straight off the bat told me I need a new bike? Then said I have to pay $ 60 whether he fixes it or not? I’m mechanic and we don’t even do that to customers. I would do it myself but I live in an apartment, I guess there’s no honest bike shops in DC. Good luck

The mechanics there are great. Especially Paul, who built my S5. Great guy and the build is absolutely top notch and he charged a good bit less than others in the area. I couldn’t have been more impressed.

The guys who work here (Kevin, Joe, and Marcus are awesome). They aren’t condescending like most bike fixers. Kevin fixed my bike with swift expertise and even showed me how to do it. He gave me a pretty accurate price estimate for it beforehand and even checked something else out (although he didn’t tell me how much doing so would eventually cost on my final bill, even though it wasn’t expensive). Kevin also informed me that a past diagnosis from a dif employee at another bike shop was wrong so that was helpful. He also gave me a lower estimate to fix it than two other bike shops. Overall, cool guys, sweet shop cats, low prices, and great service.

Came in to drop my bike off for a tune up. Kevin immediately dropped what he was doing and hung up my rig to do some tweaks. He clearly did more than I originally expected, didn’t charge me for a full tune up, and I was out in 30 minutes.
I kid you not — I called 6 places around DC/​bethesda who told me it would take 2 weeks to get done what Kevin did in 20 minutes on the spot.
Also, I’m an idiot when it comes to bike mechanics — but at no point did I feel like the guys behind the counter were going to expose me. Very easy going crew who are clearly passionate about riding.
I’ll be back.

I came in on a Friday to order a Specialized road bike. Had multiple offers of assistance once I entered, the whole staff was very kind and very helpful. They took the time to hear what I was looking for, answered my questions, helped me find the right fit.
I came back in on a Sunday and ordered my bike. They said it would take up to two weeks. Four days later they called me to let me know the bike had arrived and that they would call me back when they had finished assembling it. The next day the called me to let me know it was ready to go.
When I came in to pick it up I was helped by a third associate. Again he was great and I was out the door.
City bikes is a great shop. Their sales team and their mechanical shop are both very well qualified and customer focused. This is my second bike from them.

I visited this shop back in February when my tire blew on the way to work. They weren’t open yet so I tried to come back later in the day, but at that point they were closed. Their hours of operation are not ideal.
A few weeks later, I dashed over after work to buy a gift card for a colleague before they closed for the day, and it took me over an hour for this simple purchase. It shouldn’t have taken so long, but the person at the front desk kept prioritizing other customers that came in off the street, since there was only one person working. He was completely unapologetic– terrible customer service.
I have been there successfully one other time, and their mechanics know what they’re talking about. However, it isn’t worth your time– avoid this shop at all costs. There are other options for getting your bike fixed in the area and more on the way.

Here is my City Bikes story. I went to the Adams Morgan location and found a bike that I really liked. The only problem was that they only had the small frame and I needed the large. The Adams Morgan people called the Capitol Hill Store and they said they had a large frame version of the bike. I traveled from Adams Morgan to Capitol Hill the next day to pick up my bike (I pre-​paid to secure the bike).
When I arrived, the sales people were confused and could not find the bike. They repeatedly ignored me to help other people. Finally somebody investigated and called Adams Morgan and realized that they had reserved a MALE bike, large frame, which was too large for a female. Not the same bike at all. I asked if we could find the bike elsewhere, and they checked around and said they could order it. They said it would arrive within 1 – 2 weeks. This was after me being in the store about an hour.
A week and a half goes by and I decide to call in to see if it had arrived. The employee answered and seemed confused as he pulled my name up in the system. He said he would call me back. 20 minutes later he did, and told me that the clerk who I had spoken to in the store had ‘messed up’ and, while they charged me, they did not actually order the bike.
I demanded a refund. I’ll buy my bike from some place more competent. Ridiculous. I suggest going to a different place if you’re looking for a bike.

Terrible customer service. Poor bike maintenance practices.
I’ve been in the store several times now with bad experiences before I finally decided to write this review. The bike mechanic is rude and lacks attention to detail.
This morning I called asking if he had a specific headset bearing for mountain bikes. He asked me to bring the bike in to take a look at it. I communicated to him that I would have to walk 4 miles carrying my disassembled bike and gave him the bearing specs to see if he had them in stock. His reply: «well it’s a beautiful day out and we’re open till 7 – start walking.» He made no effort to help.
The last time I was in the shop I brought in a rim and asked for a new tire to fit – he picked out and sold me the wrong tire.
Another time I was in the shop, I brought measurements for a seat post tube along w an old seat post that I wanted to replace. The mechanic mis-​measured the tube and sold me one that didn’t fit, insisting that it would work – I had to bring it back.
Good luck if you decide to do business w this bike shop!

Busted my tires in the park came in to get them repaired Adam and Kevin did a great job fast quick and sent me on my way I recommend them to repair anything that you need done to your bike

I came in here not knowing anything about my bike and what I needed to get done. The staff here is so helpful and honest. They looked at my bike and told me that a tune up would be a waste of money and there were some minor adjustments to be made, which they helped me with right on the spot. These guys are trustworthy. Jim helped me with my bike. They also classes on Thursday evenings for beginners like myself to learn how to do basic things and maintain a bike. I wish people understand that this is a service business and these mechanics are specialized in their field and deserve gratitude. You can’t walk in here and expect free service and then rate it poorly on Unilocal.Anyway, I had a good experience and I would certainly go back.

I love this bike shop and Colin is my favorite employee. He’s so friendly, inviting and quite frankly. so damn cool. Colin has major swag, he’s just so effortlessly laidback and it rubs off on me. You cannot leave this bike shop feeling stressed or upset, I promise.
The other employees are helpful and really make me feel comfortable as a cyclist. I asked a lot of really dumb questions 5yrs ago when I began biking and I’ve never felt judged. I even took they’re free bicycle maintenance class on Thursday night, it was so beneficial to me and recommend it to everyone! I love that they keep an air pump inside for all city bicyclists to use; this location go to great lengths to avoid the DC cycling shop pretention. I always leave this shop feeling like cool member of a bicyclist family.

I went in just now to fix a popped inner tube on the rear tire. In and out in under 10 minutes, got the chain greased and alignment checked for free, and ready to ride for under $ 25. I don’t remember which Mark fixed up my bike (both Marks were there), but he was nice and professional and did a great job.
I’ve also been to them in the past for a few things (installing new handlebars, etc.) and never had any problems, but this was by far the fastest and cheapest visit. Will come here again.
Saw some bad reviews from a few years ago. Whatever, that just helps me have a shorter line.