# DFW: Where do you shop?



## Aflick

I just moved to Dallas a few days ago and need some advice on where to find a good bike shop. Who has the best service? Who has the best prices?

Thanks, 

CR


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## 633

Aflick said:


> I just moved to Dallas a few days ago and need some advice on where to find a good bike shop. Who has the best service? Who has the best prices?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> CR


Where do you live in Dallas? I'm not sure there are any great bike shops here in town. There are a few good ones. All that I've found have trade-offs.


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## Aflick

I live in the Downtown area. I went to 2 Richardson Bikemart locations today (the one in Dallas and one in Richardson)...they both seemed okay. The one in Dallas had much less to choose from but the employees were much more helpful.

Where else would you suggest?


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## rule

Those would have been my two recommendations.


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## 633

Aflick said:


> I just moved to Dallas a few days ago and need some advice on where to find a good bike shop. Who has the best service? Who has the best prices?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> CR


BikeMart is a mixed bag.I'm more on the FW side, but I occasionally shop in Dallas. I do sometimes go to BikeMart in Richardson for the selection. It's the closest thing in the metroplex to a cycling superstore, but my experience with their sales staff has been poor. It has been rare for me to find anyone there who could actually knowledgeably discuss plusses and minuses of either higher-end bikes (road or MTB) or components. And while they have the best selection of any LBS in the area, it's still not in the league of a decent Supergo store or any online vendor. I'd say every time I've been over there, I've been disappointed. It sounds like the Dallas store might actually make a better LBS than the Richardson store.

I've heard really good things about Plano Cycling & Fitness, but have no personal experience with them. They sponsor a team, and seem to be frequented by people who know what they're talking about. Probably worth checking out. 

In the mid-cities, Bicycles Inc. in Bedford has a decent selection, and if you deal with the manager or assistant manager, you get good experiences. Dealing with anyone else there is a hit-or-miss proposition, and experiences with the service dept. can be random.

Fort Worth Cycling & FItness on the far west side of FW is a good shop, but a long way from you. Mad Duck in Grapevine is a great small shop that's not terribly far from you, and focuses on the high end. Great bling-bling bikes, good service and advice from people who really know what they're talking about, but limited selection of components, equipment and gear.


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## Dallassite

*Rbm*



633 said:


> BikeMart is a mixed bag.I'm more on the FW side, but I occasionally shop in Dallas. I do sometimes go to BikeMart in Richardson for the selection. It's the closest thing in the metroplex to a cycling superstore, but my experience with their sales staff has been poor. It has been rare for me to find anyone there who could actually knowledgeably discuss plusses and minuses of either higher-end bikes (road or MTB) or components. And while they have the best selection of any LBS in the area, it's still not in the league of a decent Supergo store or any online vendor. I'd say every time I've been over there, I've been disappointed. It sounds like the Dallas store might actually make a better LBS than the Richardson store.
> 
> I've heard really good things about Plano Cycling & Fitness, but have no personal experience with them. They sponsor a team, and seem to be frequented by people who know what they're talking about. Probably worth checking out.
> 
> In the mid-cities, Bicycles Inc. in Bedford has a decent selection, and if you deal with the manager or assistant manager, you get good experiences. Dealing with anyone else there is a hit-or-miss proposition, and experiences with the service dept. can be random.
> 
> Fort Worth Cycling & FItness on the far west side of FW is a good shop, but a long way from you. Mad Duck in Grapevine is a great small shop that's not terribly far from you, and focuses on the high end. Great bling-bling bikes, good service and advice from people who really know what they're talking about, but limited selection of components, equipment and gear.


I have had some good dealing's with Bike Mart. I had run into some problems with a particular Sales Person and quickly addressed this issue with Jim Hoyt (owner) and this issue was resolved. In My opinion Jim is very approachable and will help You out in any way that he can. I Myself prefer to deal with Andre @ the Richardson store (very helpful) or Joe (store Mgr) @ the Dallas store, I go to the Dallas store more because I live near there. Sean & Joel Are awesome wrenches @ the Dallas store as well.


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## wzq622

I usually do my shopping at Bicycles Plus, since it's 5 min from my house. On weekends, I'll shop at B&B Bicycles in Cedar Hill, since I do my weekend rides with them.


But i highly recommend B&B. Very helpful, knowledgable, and friendly people. Look for Jeff.


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## jerman

*Ft. Worth Cycling in West Ft. Worth*

See James at Ft. Worth Cycling at Hwy 80 and Cherry Lane in West Ft. Worth. He rides well over 150 miles per week and does triathalons, so his recommendations come from actual experience using the products.
I don't spend much time researching anymore, I just ask James and do what he says. I have come to appreciate good, honest people.
Jerry


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## probikeparts

*Bike mart*

The trick is to find a good salesman at bikemart. stay away from the fat guys


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## 633

jerman said:


> See James at Ft. Worth Cycling at Hwy 80 and Cherry Lane in West Ft. Worth. He rides well over 150 miles per week and does triathalons, so his recommendations come from actual experience using the products.
> I don't spend much time researching anymore, I just ask James and do what he says. I have come to appreciate good, honest people.
> Jerry


Just saw this note about FW Cycle, and I would completely agree. I have some friends who ride for their team, and several others who have been outfitted there. In general, they don't do their own work, they don't care about the intricacies of components, they "just ask James and do what he says," and they do just fine that way. A lot of other shops, I feel like I have to tell a friend to see what they say and run it by me before they plunk down their money (like the shop that just advised my bro-in-law that what he really needs for his commuter bike is high-end Looks and a pair of road shoes, instead of MTB pedals and something he can walk in). I'm in Bedford, so it's a long way West to get to FW Cycle, but if you're anywhere close, that's definitely the way to go.


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## Lance_work

For those of you that live on the western side of D/FW, have you had any experience with Bicycles, Inc? The Keller Bicycles, Inc is the closest bike shop to me, with Grapevine Bike Center, Mad Duck, and Bike-O-Rama in Denton being the next closest three (I live next to the Speedway).

I bought a stem from Mark at Bike-O-Rama, and felt comfortable talking with him about my bike. I had Bicycles, Inc build a wheelset for me (labor only) simply because they were the closest shop. Other than that I don't have any experience with these shops.

What's been ya'lls experience with them?

Thanks!


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## rriddle3

Lance_work said:


> For those of you that live on the western side of D/FW, have you had any experience with Bicycles, Inc? The Keller Bicycles, Inc is the closest bike shop to me, with Grapevine Bike Center, Mad Duck, and Bike-O-Rama in Denton being the next closest three (I live next to the Speedway).
> 
> I bought a stem from Mark at Bike-O-Rama, and felt comfortable talking with him about my bike. I had Bicycles, Inc build a wheelset for me (labor only) simply because they were the closest shop. Other than that I don't have any experience with these shops.
> 
> What's been ya'lls experience with them?
> 
> Thanks!


I bought a bike from Bicycles Inc in Arlington, and have had the Granbury Rd store do several wrench jobs for me. Always had very good service and fair labor pricing from them. I'm thinking of having John Meyers, the service manager at the Ft. Worth store, do a wheel build for me.


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## Dave Hickey

Lance_work said:


> For those of you that live on the western side of D/FW, have you had any experience with Bicycles, Inc? The Keller Bicycles, Inc is the closest bike shop to me, with Grapevine Bike Center, Mad Duck, and Bike-O-Rama in Denton being the next closest three (I live next to the Speedway).
> 
> I bought a stem from Mark at Bike-O-Rama, and felt comfortable talking with him about my bike. I had Bicycles, Inc build a wheelset for me (labor only) simply because they were the closest shop. Other than that I don't have any experience with these shops.
> 
> What's been ya'lls experience with them?
> 
> Thanks!


Rick is the manager/owner of the Bikes Inc Keller and Clarence is the manager/owner of Mad Duck. Either one will set you up. Bikes Inc carries the usual Trek and Specialized while Mad Duck carriers Merlin, Pinarello, and Cannondale...I wouldn't hesitate to buy or have my bike serviced by either. Where do you live? I'm in North Richland Hills


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## Lance_work

Dave Hickey said:


> Rick is the manager/owner of the Bikes Inc Keller and Clarence is the manager/owner of Mad Duck. Either one will set you up. Bikes Inc carries the usual Trek and Specialized while Mad Duck carriers Merlin, Pinarello, and Cannondale...I wouldn't hesitate to buy or have my bike serviced by either. Where do you live? I'm in North Richland Hills


Where do I live? Well, the deed on my house says Ft Worth, but my mailing address says Justin.  The best description is that I live right next to the Texas Motor Speedway, off of FM 156.

I stopped by Mad Duck yesterday because I needed a chain tool. However I spent about 30 minutes more there oohing and ahhinh over the bikes they had!  The staff seemed quite happy to have me wandering around, quite the difference from Bicycles, Inc.


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## 633

Lance_work said:


> For those of you that live on the western side of D/FW, have you had any experience with Bicycles, Inc? The Keller Bicycles, Inc is the closest bike shop to me, with Grapevine Bike Center, Mad Duck, and Bike-O-Rama in Denton being the next closest three (I live next to the Speedway).
> 
> I bought a stem from Mark at Bike-O-Rama, and felt comfortable talking with him about my bike. I had Bicycles, Inc build a wheelset for me (labor only) simply because they were the closest shop. Other than that I don't have any experience with these shops.
> 
> What's been ya'lls experience with them?
> 
> Thanks!


Someone from the area commented on this board months ago that they'd had their best and their worst LBS experiences at Bikes Inc. And that fits. Dealing with the managers tends to be good, and I've had Russ, the manager of the Bedford store, go way above and beyond on things for me, and charge me less than he probably should've. I've also had crappy repair work, delivered late and not according to instructions. It's usually just easier for my peace of mind to do the work myself, but when I'm traveling a lot, I'll pay them to do it. However, the last three jobs I've had them do, even when we agreed on a firm date and I talked to Enrique, the service manager about it, have been delivered 1-3 days late. I've liked what I've seen from the Keller shop, but don't frequent them often. Never been to Arlington shop. Both times I've been to the SW FW shop, I wandered the store for 15 minutes and couldn't get anyone to even acknowledge my presence, so I left.

Clarence and Gary at Mad Duck are great to deal with. They left the corporate gig to start the shop, and it's a labor of love for them. I've never had them do any wrenching for me, but I'm going to try them on my next job that I don't have time to do myself.


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## Lance_work

633 said:


> Someone from the area commented on this board months ago that they'd had their best and their worst LBS experiences at Bikes Inc. And that fits. Dealing with the managers tends to be good, and I've had Russ, the manager of the Bedford store, go way above and beyond on things for me, and charge me less than he probably should've. I've also had crappy repair work, delivered late and not according to instructions. It's usually just easier for my peace of mind to do the work myself, but when I'm traveling a lot, I'll pay them to do it. However, the last three jobs I've had them do, even when we agreed on a firm date and I talked to Enrique, the service manager about it, have been delivered 1-3 days late. I've liked what I've seen from the Keller shop, but don't frequent them often. Never been to Arlington shop. Both times I've been to the SW FW shop, I wandered the store for 15 minutes and couldn't get anyone to even acknowledge my presence, so I left.
> 
> Clarence and Gary at Mad Duck are great to deal with. They left the corporate gig to start the shop, and it's a labor of love for them. I've never had them do any wrenching for me, but I'm going to try them on my next job that I don't have time to do myself.


That sounds like pretty much how my first visit went at Bicycles, Inc. The first time I went in last fall (as a complete newbie), I asked someone about shoes and pedals and very quickly got the impressions that 1) he wasn't interested in talking to me, and 2) he knew barely more than I did.

However, I do need to say that the wheels that Scott (Keller store) built up for me have been great, and he finished them a day earlier than he had quoted me. He was also very easy to deal with.

I'm not sure who I talked to at Mad Duck (two men and a woman), but all three were wonderful and gave the impression that they were happy to have me there, even though they were relatively busy. They were all already helping customers when I arrived, but I was happy the examine the beautiful bikes until they got around to me. All I bought was a chain tool, but they seemed happy to sell it to me, and priced at half the price of Bicycles, Inc! (Park chain tool from Mad Duck, don't remember the brand from Bikes, Inc)


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## SnowyL

*Bikes, INC FW*

I've had mixed experiences at the Granbury Bikes, inc. It REALLY depends on who is working that day. I think his name is Shawn - he is very knowledgable & helpful. There is a lady there who I waited for 20 minutes to talk wheelsets with her & she didn't know squat.

For the most part, I'd give Bikes in FW, INC a thumbs up. They do fine work & stock a reasonable amount of supplies. The staff is hot & cold. I do know that they have a big-time triathlete specialist at the Bedford store.


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## frogsuit

*Colonel's Bikes? Any experience w them?*

I'm in the market for a road bike for the first time, so I'm keenly interested in the service quality, as well as decent prices. Colonel's is very close to my house, so I'd like to use them if service/price is right. Anyone had any experience with them? 

I think I will check out the FW Cycling as well based on the recs here.


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## SnowyL

I'd definitely suggest trying out both stores b/c they're going to carry different bike brands. Bikes, INC has Specialized, Trek & I think Felt. Is there a particular brand you're looking to try out? I also know an independent dealer for Softrides here in FW if you can get over the freaky look of the bike for the comfort aspect. I'm not at that point yet, myself. I keep trying to convince myself to get there.


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## Chris H

I've been to most of them in FW and enjoy both Panther City bikes and Colonels bike shop. FW cycling is a nice shop, but a couple of the guys there were trying to upsell me on bikes I didn't want when I was shopping for a new road bike and sort of blew me off when I told them it wasn't what I was looking for.

Bicycles Inc isn't bad. One of the guys there really went out of his way to help fit my 16 month old for her first helmet a few months ago. Most of the staff are pretty nice there, with the exception of the kid with the lip studs. He has talked down to me on two occasions, so I'm pretty much done with him. I guess I'm not cool enough for him to help me.


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## SnowyL

Are you talking about the Granbury shop? Shawn (I think that's his name) is very helpful and nice. I haven't had any run ins with studlip yet. I'll know to avoid him. For the most part, I buy parts from gottaridebikes.com. He's in San Antonio & as far as service goes for online stuff, he can't be beat.


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## Chris H

*Yes it is the Granbury Rd shop.*

I can't remember the name of the guy that was so helpful. He has the long hair that's usually in a pony tail. He was great, actually taking the time to help me pick out a helmet that fit appropriately. Then he suggested that my daughter wear the helmet around the store and get used to it. Most places just pointed to where the helmets were. She loves bike shops, and most places don't seem to be too kid friendly(as far as kids touching the bikes). She always gravitates to the kid bikes so she's not too much trouble. Well, all 16 month olds are trouble... I just don't let her run around unchecked and tell other people how cute it is when she knocks stuff over. Those types of parents drive me nuts.


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## 24601

Hey guys, I am new to this site and somewhat new to road riding, but I have been MTB for a while. Most of my shopping is done at BB Bicycles in Cedar Hill. They are great folks, small enough that they really get to know you and you bike. It is so nice to go in and say something like, "what would this stem do to my handling?" and they know exactly which bike I have and what is on it right now. They can get busy on the weekends, so if you want to just chat try the weekdays. I second the Jeff recommendo for technical questions, and Jim is my favorite mechanic. Great store.

That isn't to say I don't go in any shop I come near. It is nice to see some varying mechandise from time to time. I think each shop has something to offer.


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## crujones

I just wanted to give my two cents. The pony tailed guy at Biclycles Inc. in FW is Sean. He is an awesome guy. I am a total noob and he was incredibly helpful. He was very patient and answered all my dumb questions. Go see him if you are in the area.


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## culdeus

Avner at Plano Cycling and Fitness (75 near the bush) has been great to me. Haven't bought a full ride, but he's really helped in other areas. 

have good cycling


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## p99guy

Hi all, Im new to the forum and just getting back into bicycling after a lot of years.
I just bought a bike from the Arlington Bicycles inc. and delt with a Robert Purinton
He was really nice! Didnt try to upsell me, let me test ride a couple, and was very knowledgable and helpful. It was a two thumbs up experiance.

Lance work, I live just a bit south of you (Haslet) off of avondale-haslet. small world factor


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