# Bianchi shops in SoCal? (Preferably Pasadena area)



## Takashi (Jul 27, 2005)

Just as the title suggests, does anyone know of any Bianchi shops in the Pasadena area? I searched Bianchi's site, but I have doubts on how up to date it is (i.e., information about some shops seem outdated).

Thanks!
greg


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

The Open Road on Sierra Madre Blvd, perhaps a block or two north of Colorado, sells Bianchi. It's also a heck of an interesting bicycle shop.

I'm not sure if they still carry them, but Budget Racing Bicycles in Eagle Rock on Colorado Street is a possibility, too. 

Try them both.


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## The Walrus (Apr 2, 2000)

Velo Pasadena carries Bianchi, but I don't have contact info for them anymore. 

Open Road _is_, ummmmm, interesting, but Steve doesn't seem to have that much new stock in the shop any time I go in there. He will go out of his way to order for you, even to the point of tracking down a bike everyone else says is no longer available, as he did for me. I also like the way he has containers of all those little things you need, like ferrules and cable ends and dork nuts and whatnot, on the counter, free for the taking--a welcome change from the shops that'll charge for every freakin' thing, no matter how good a customer you've been.


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## Takashi (Jul 27, 2005)

great, i will check these places out... i actually visited velo pasadena quickly one day. i got a definite elitist feeling when i went in there, but maybe that's just me (but in comparison, stan over at velo monrovia was exceedingly helpful and informative). 

correct me if i'm wrong, but helen's doesn't carry bianchi correct?


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## achiral (Feb 24, 2005)

Helen's (at least in Arcadia) does not carry Bianchi. 

Open Road (Steve) does, but I doubt if he will have anything high end in stock. However, he will order/build a bike. 

Velo Pasadena. Hmmm... Here is a story for you. 
Someone I know recently got into cycling and purchased a bike from Velo. The bike was fit was pretty far off (it might have been decent had he been riding/racing for several years)
and the bike, in general, was adjusted poorly (brakes, derailleurs, etc.) Also - and this is what I find insane - is that he was told that noone could possibly need anything more than a 39-23 for SoCal riding. In fact, he had to argue vehemently for them to even agree to switch the crank to a compact. (39-23 up to the Baldy Ski Lifts? Ouch.)


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## Takashi (Jul 27, 2005)

i will definately have to pay steve a visit just to see what he's got laying around and talk to him about bianchis. 

as for velo pasadena, a very close friend of mine got a bike from there, and although he appears to be pleased with their service, i do have suspicions about the size bike they recommended for him... ah well, this isn't a velo pasadena flame thread, so i'll also add that they have a great looking shop and leave it at that.


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## Takashi (Jul 27, 2005)

also, does anyone around here have experience with scott bikes? specifically the speedster s2? that bike peaked my interest in my search for a new bike....


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## The Walrus (Apr 2, 2000)

Well, it _could_ be a Velo Pasadena flame thread, if we wanted it to be... I don't think your catching a whiff of elitism was your imagination, not unless you and I suffer the same sort of delusions  That attitude was the reason I never did business with them. 

Like I said earlier, I like Steve at Open Road, but if Paul is still at Budget Bikes, he's also a great guy to deal with. One other place I thought of, although it's a bit farther out, is Bud's Bikes in Claremont; if the drive doesn't appeal to you, you could always take Metrolink out there, as the shop is directly across the street from the station.


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## Squeegy200 (Dec 1, 2005)

The Walrus said:


> Well, it _could_ be a Velo Pasadena flame thread, if we wanted it to be... I don't think your catching a whiff of elitism was your imagination, not unless you and I suffer the same sort of delusions  That attitude was the reason I never did business with them.
> 
> Like I said earlier, I like Steve at Open Road, but if Paul is still at Budget Bikes, he's also a great guy to deal with. One other place I thought of, although it's a bit farther out, is Bud's Bikes in Claremont; if the drive doesn't appeal to you, you could always take Metrolink out there, as the shop is directly across the street from the station.


Budget Pro Bikes is a great place to start. Oscar is great and recently built a featured bike in "Road" magazine. Check with them. They often give me discounts just because they're nice people. 

Regarding the aforementioned bike store in Pasadena--Don't got there. I've had similar experiences with them


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## The Walrus (Apr 2, 2000)

OOPS! Forget Budget Pro--I called earlier today to ask if they had the San Jose yet, and was told they are no longer a Bianchi dealer. Got the "...but we can order one for you" routine.


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## Ride_glendale (Sep 4, 2002)

Takashi said:


> Just as the title suggests, does anyone know of any Bianchi shops in the Pasadena area? I searched Bianchi's site, but I have doubts on how up to date it is (i.e., information about some shops seem outdated).
> 
> Thanks!
> greg


I would suggest Budget Pro Bikes as well. I have known Oscar and Michelle for years and they are fair, good people. Their wrench, Manny, is the only person I will have work on my bikes.


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## ari (Jan 25, 2005)

*Commence Velo Pasadena rant ... now!*



achiral said:


> Velo Pasadena. Hmmm... Here is a story for you.
> Someone I know recently got into cycling and purchased a bike from Velo. The bike was fit was pretty far off (it might have been decent had he been riding/racing for several years)
> and the bike, in general, was adjusted poorly (brakes, derailleurs, etc.) Also - and this is what I find insane - is that he was told that noone could possibly need anything more than a 39-23 for SoCal riding. In fact, he had to argue vehemently for them to even agree to switch the crank to a compact. (39-23 up to the Baldy Ski Lifts? Ouch.)


Hey, I think you're talking about me! It's true -- I started riding in January, and they insisted that I could climb anything in a 39x23. They said I _might_ need a 39x25 for climbing long 15-20% grades (I'm not kidding), but that only a fat old guy would need 39x27 or easier. They literally made fun of me when I asked to spec it with a compact (thank God I did). They also set me up with a 5-inch bar-to-saddle drop (what are you, some kind of cruiser-riding wimp?), and adjusted my derailleurs so badly that I dropped chains on a regular basis and couldn't trim the FD at all. I learned how to tune my own derailleurs and got it shifting beautifully ... but after I took it in for a "free tune-up," the shifting was just as awful as before. Even worse, they refused to budge from the sticker price of the bike, even though it was from the previous model year and should have been discounted.

Honestly, I was a victim of my own vanity, because I wanted to fit in with the "real riders" -- as these guys constantly reminded me, with their attitudes, that they were. I've since gotten my bike to fit and improved my fitness dramatically, but I would never spend a dime there ever again. I'm convinced that this shop stays in business precisely because of its obnoxious elitism, which probably strikes the rich-businessman-on-a-C50 crowd as "exclusivity."

Whew ... that's enough out of me! So, yeah, you might want to go somewhere else. Incycle and Helen's are tremendously friendly and knowledgeable, and Steve at Open Road may be a bit quirky, but he knows his stuff, too.

Cheers,
Ari


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## Squeegy200 (Dec 1, 2005)

achiral said:


> .....Velo Pasadena. Hmmm... Here is a story for you.
> Someone I know recently got into cycling and purchased a bike from Velo. The bike was fit was pretty far off (it might have been decent had he been riding/racing for several years)
> and the bike, in general, was adjusted poorly (brakes, derailleurs, etc.) Also - and this is what I find insane - is that he was told that noone could possibly need anything more than a 39-23 for SoCal riding. In fact, he had to argue vehemently for them to even agree to switch the crank to a compact. (39-23 up to the Baldy Ski Lifts? Ouch.)


I'm surprised they're still in business. Their Monrovia store closed. I've been in the Pasadena and have been treated the same. Disinformation, excessively high prices, lots of attitude. 

Drive the extra five miles beyond Pasadena to Budget Pro Bikes. You'll be treated much better. 

BTW: My wife climbed up to Mt Baldy Village via GMR on a 39-23. I don't know how she did it.


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