# Velo Pasadena



## oalvarez (Dec 25, 2005)

i've read some very negative commentary re: this local bike shop and simply wanted to say a few good words on their behalf. i will lead off by saying that i've always heard very good things about Budget Pro Bikes and Helen's, and have purchased bikes both at Pasadena Cyclery and Velo Pasadena. When I was deciding on a bike back in Oct 2004 i was disappointed by the somewhat condescending attitude from one of the sales/front=counter individuals. That is not to say that he didn't spend an enormous amount of time trying to help me formulate my thought, he also spent a great deal of time showing me the different rides, zero pressure (ended up purchasing my bike from another LBS unrelated to the above). I kept visiting Velo throughout the year (that one gent I have not seen in quite some while) and became acquaintances with the store's owner. i subsequently purchased my wife's ride from Velo (lightspeed vela), all of her accoutrements, new dmt shoes for me, a Thule rack, and just recently my new Time VX EDGE frameset. all of these purchases were handled by the store's owner, he helped us/me with each and every one of them. his level of customer service was exemplary, he personally spent about 30 minutes fitting me to my new ride (trainer, plumb-bob) both in-store and outside. the most important part in all of this is what i witnessed in-store in his and others interactions with the customers, i was quite impressed with what i saw. on one of my visits i was able to meet a pro-rider from the east coast who was here training for upcoming competition in China. he had nothing but kind praise for both the store and the owner and said that he would trust whatever the owner had to say. anyhow, i consider myself fortunate for becoming a friend of the owner and the store, Hrach is truly a good person and kind in his ways (if you don't like it bring it back and we'll figure out what to do next), on top of it all he is an accomplished bicyclist (Armenian National Champ) and knows what he's talking about. So far so good with me.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

Agreed. There aren't many shops around that carry the range of high quality product that Velo Pasadena does. Hrach is a cool guy and he knows his stuff.


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## Jett (Mar 21, 2004)

oalvarez said:


> i've read some very negative commentary re: this local bike shop and simply wanted to say a few good words on their behalf. i will lead off by saying that i've always heard very good things about Budget Pro Bikes and Helen's, and have purchased bikes both at Pasadena Cyclery and Velo Pasadena. When I was deciding on a bike back in Oct 2004 i was disappointed by the somewhat condescending attitude from one of the sales/front=counter individuals. That is not to say that he didn't spend an enormous amount of time trying to help me formulate my thought, he also spent a great deal of time showing me the different rides, zero pressure (ended up purchasing my bike from another LBS unrelated to the above). I kept visiting Velo throughout the year (that one gent I have not seen in quite some while) and became acquaintances with the store's owner. i subsequently purchased my wife's ride from Velo (lightspeed vela), all of her accoutrements, new dmt shoes for me, a Thule rack, and just recently my new Time VX EDGE frameset. all of these purchases were handled by the store's owner, he helped us/me with each and every one of them. his level of customer service was exemplary, he personally spent about 30 minutes fitting me to my new ride (trainer, plumb-bob) both in-store and outside. the most important part in all of this is what i witnessed in-store in his and others interactions with the customers, i was quite impressed with what i saw. on one of my visits i was able to meet a pro-rider from the east coast who was here training for upcoming competition in China. he had nothing but kind praise for both the store and the owner and said that he would trust whatever the owner had to say. anyhow, i consider myself fortunate for becoming a friend of the owner and the store, Hrach is truly a good person and kind in his ways (if you don't like it bring it back and we'll figure out what to do next), on top of it all he is an accomplished bicyclist (Armenian National Champ) and knows what he's talking about. So far so good with me.


I never had the pleasure of dealing with the owner, but I have run into couple of his "condescending sales/front counter individuals". My feeling about Velo is that more money you willing to spend the better the service. If you buying a $2000+ frameset you get the royal treatment, but if you looking for a $600 bike to get started on you get the bum rush.


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## lexicondevil (Feb 14, 2005)

Jett said:


> I never had the pleasure of dealing with the owner, but I have run into couple of his "condescending sales/front counter individuals". My feeling about Velo is that more money you willing to spend the better the service. If you buying a $2000+ frameset you get the royal treatment, but if you looking for a $600 bike to get started on you get the bum rush.


ive been going to velo for about two years... they're pretty cool, they always help me out and answer my questions, and the guys who work there really know their stuff, if you really value friendliness over actual bike knowledge, you should go to supergo, theyd love to sell you a weyless frame or something.


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## endo verendo (Nov 22, 2005)

lexicondevil said:


> you should go to supergo, theyd love to sell you a weyless frame or something.


Um, Supergo is dead.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

Jett said:


> I never had the pleasure of dealing with the owner, but I have run into couple of his "condescending sales/front counter individuals". My feeling about Velo is that more money you willing to spend the better the service. If you buying a $2000+ frameset you get the royal treatment, but if you looking for a $600 bike to get started on you get the bum rush.


I think Velo Pasadena is geared for the more serious cyclist. As much as Hrach would love to sell any customer any bike, be it entry level or pro, if someone is shopping for a "beginner's" bike they might be better off shopping elsewhere.


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## yarble (Dec 16, 2005)

i just bought a new bike, and dealt with both the owner and the bigger counter guy. overall the attitude i got/get from the shop ( and this isnt my first time there, ive made some other pretty big purchases there) is one of "our store is good, every other store is crap". the guy i spoke to (not the owner) told me straight out that this bike was the best deal i would find, and i would be stupid to not buy it. he was also hesitant to let me test ride a bike i was going to be spending alot of money on. who buys a bike without riding it? the big counter guy also was really into pressuring you into buying a bike and not looking around, which i didnt care for. the owner was easier to talk to, and nicer to deal with, but we just didnt really connect. he was helpful enough showing me the bikes and frames i asked to see, but when he took a phone call only to yell at a customer becuase he hadnt come by the shop in a while, it was kind of the nail in the coffin. 

out of the 3 big pasadena shops ( velo, pasadena cyclery, and incycle) incycle is the way to go. again, you may not like the laid back attitude of the people there, but they were helpful and never pressured you to buy something. 

dont even get me started on why you shouldnt go to pasadena cyclery


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## The Walrus (Apr 2, 2000)

C'mon--don't be a tease...let's hear about Pasadena Cyclery!

I agree about Incycle, although I prefer the "flagship" store in San Dimas.


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## Squeegy200 (Dec 1, 2005)

*I'm glad you had a good experience*

I've been into Velo three times over the years and each time was a bad experience for me. I'm glad yours was different.

I make attempts to support my local bike shops even though I do all of my own maintenance, builds, tuning, and repairs. After two harsh and unpleasant experiences in Velo, I didn't make much effort to ever go back. 

One day I went to Budget Pro Bikes to purchase a 13-23 Shimano Ultegra Cassette for a Birthday gift. Budget did not have the Ultegra in stock but had the DuraAce which was a bit more than I had intended to spend for the gift. So I reluctantly went to Velo to give them another chance. 

Velo had the 13-23 cassette but it was more expensive than the equivalent DuraAce cassette at Budget Pro Bikes. When I informed the guy behind the counter of the difference in price, he responded by telling me that Shimano made different "levels" of Ultegra and DuraAce. He then went on to say that Budget carried the lower level DuraAce.  

I experienced this type of condescending attitude on three seperate occasions in that store. However, in addition to treating me like an idiot, now they were lying. 

After three seperate instances, there is no reason for me to expect anything different from Velo in Pasadena. So I find no compelling reason to ever go back. There is nothing in that store that I cant find someplace else. At least I'm treated better.


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## bandoulu (Nov 1, 2004)

*ok*

Budget is a good store.
Velo is ok to check out top end stuff.The owner is a really nice guy.
Incycle...well i didnt want to like this mega store when they opened in pasadena but the staff are super cool, always helpfull and i'm a regular because of that..


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## yarble (Dec 16, 2005)

bandoulu said:


> Budget is a good store.
> Velo is ok to check out top end stuff.The owner is a really nice guy.
> Incycle...well i didnt want to like this mega store when they opened in pasadena but the staff are super cool, always helpfull and i'm a regular because of that..


i dont really have a reason to go to pasadena for a bike shop, but if i do its always incycle. staff is way cool, and at the end of the day dealing with cool people is more important then getting a good deal. you can really connect to them on a person to person level, instead of a buyer/seller level. ive never once had the feeling that they were pushing something on me, or putting buisness ahead of the individual.


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## colnago_ed (Jan 14, 2006)

*Ordered mine today*

I ordered mine today there 48 slope extreme c, less than 30min I was out of there, now the waiting game started. . . . . .


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## jhenry4 (Feb 4, 2006)

*incycle's hit and miss*

i've delt with the incycle pasadena folks a couple of times. the owner is nice and super helpfull but I question their service. maybe i'm expecting too much here but when you go to a cannondale dealer for an integrated headset for a cannondale you would expect them to install the correct type...that wasn't the case for me at incycle, and then when i went to exchange the headset, they didn't even stock the correct size for cannondales!

call me crazy but I would expect a dealer for any manufacturer to A. know what components fit what frames and B. have at least a limited stock of replacement parts. 

just a random foaming rant


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## bigchromewheelssuck (May 26, 2005)

Art at Velo is a good guy. As a matter of fact they are all good guys, but Art knows his stuff and never tries to sell you anything. I've become sort of regular and get treated pretty good.
they'll get my business just about every time.


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## bernmart (Sep 7, 2005)

yarble said:


> out of the 3 big pasadena shops ( velo, pasadena cyclery, and incycle) incycle is the way to go. again, you may not like the laid back attitude of the people there, but they were helpful and never pressured you to buy something.
> 
> dont even get me started on why you shouldnt go to pasadena cyclery


I agree about Incycle in Pasadena. I bought a bike there last spring 'cause it was close to my office. I don't work there anymore, and there are other lbs's closer by, the the helpfulness and low pressure keeps bringing me back. Good folks, good prices, and good inventory.

Note, though, that a new Performance store will soon be opening in Pasadena! Hmmm.


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## yarble (Dec 16, 2005)

bernmart said:


> I agree about Incycle in Pasadena. I bought a bike there last spring 'cause it was close to my office. I don't work there anymore, and there are other lbs's closer by, the the helpfulness and low pressure keeps bringing me back. Good folks, good prices, and good inventory.
> 
> Note, though, that a new Performance store will soon be opening in Pasadena! Hmmm.


incycle is super low pressure. they would be happy if you just wanted to come in and chat, let alone buy a bike.


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## colnago_ed (Jan 14, 2006)

*here is my new bike from Velo*



colnago_ed said:


> I ordered mine today there 48 slope extreme c, less than 30min I was out of there, now the waiting game started. . . . . .


here is my new bike from Velo Pasadena


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

colnago_ed said:


> here is my new bike from Velo Pasadena


Nice bike. Hope to see you out on the road.


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## steamboatsig (Feb 9, 2006)

I recently purchased a Felt F-55 from Velo and experienced pretty good service. The original sales person was a bit green when it came to knowing his stuff, but Hrach jumped in and really took some time fitting me to my bike. My experience is that Hrach is a very good salesman and can make you feel good about what you are buying, be it right or wrong. The shop is what really impressed me. The inventory is outrageous. There is nothing like visiting a shop and seeing high end bikes wall to wall

I also like incycle because the 10 times I have been there, no one has tried to sell me anything. I was looking at baby carriers and one of the service techs that was building a bike jumped from behind the counter to make sure I was okay. I asked him a few questions, he found out the answer and left me alone to browse. That is how things should be done, in my opinion.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

As steamboatsig says, it's worth going to Velo Pasadena just to gawk at the inventory. Even better, they've got a veritable galaxy of classic bicyles hanging from the ceiling. Lugs. Chrome. Old Campy. A retro fan will think he's died and gone to heaven.


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## ari (Jan 25, 2005)

steamboatsig said:


> I recently purchased a Felt F-55 from Velo and experienced pretty good service. The original sales person was a bit green when it came to knowing his stuff, but Hrach jumped in and really took some time fitting me to my bike.


Wow, they actually fit you to your bike? When I bought my first bike there, a Felt F65, they told me they'd do a fitting. Then they just had me ride around the parking lot and said, "Yeah, that looks good." When I still wasn't comfortable after a few weeks, I asked them if they could put me on a trainer and do a real fitting ... they refused. Long story short, Felt bikes just don't fit me, but they sold me one because it's what they carried in my price range. I bought it anyway because I was a newbie, and I wanted the approval of the "real cyclists" who worked there. Several thousand miles later, I'm getting a new bike, but not from them -- in fact, I haven't gotten anything from them since my bike, and I don't plan to, either.

And of course, there's the story (probably well-circulated by now) about how they made fun of me for wanting a compact crank, insisting that anyone but a middle-aged fat guy could climb anything in SoCal in a 39x23. For the record, I'm 6'1" 165, 25 years old, and I thank FSA for making my compact crank every day.  (Sure, I could do all my climbing at 60 rpm, but why would I want to?)

Cheers,
Ari


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## MWT (Nov 12, 2002)

What happened to Open Road in Pasadena?


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

Open Road is still there. Same as ever.


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