# What's the best bike shop in Austin?



## barbedwire

Hi. Just wondering if anybody has been through Austin that can recommend a couple of cool bike shops. Just in town and looking around. Mostly roadie and some mtn bike stuff. A place with a decent selection of apparel and tools would be cool. A place that isn't real pushy and no high-pressure sales or people peering over your shoulder. Any recommendations?


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## Dave Hickey

Bicycle Sports Shop- It's just south of downtown

http://bicyclesportshop.com/


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## Oxtox

Most of my purchases are made at BSS (they have more than one location, btw). But, there's also Freewheeling and if you want to look at some high-end stuff, try Nelo's.

For service work, I would have recommended Discovery, but my main guy there left to open his own shop, so you're on your own..


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## ti_litespeed

There's two REI locations. Definitely not pushy salespeople type and I like those. But for the lowest prices, there's a Performance Bike store on Anderson Lane. Don't expect good service in the shop though.


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## barbedwire

Actually, I'm kinda an experienced cyclist already so i don't really need alot of handholding from service oriented shops. If the shop has great service, then that's fantastic, but I often prefer not to be "serviced" by the pushy types. I'm just looking for a place with great selection and no high-pressure. You know, one of those Keep Austin Cool kinda places. Mostly, I'm looking for roadie stuff, no BMX. I'll be down in Austin soon enough. So far I got recommendations for Bicycle Sport Shop, Freewheeling, REI, and Performance.

I'm mostly looking for Roadie high-end stuff. I did a Google search. Anyone heard about these shops? Buck's Bikes, Discovery Cycles, Ozone, Waterloo Bikes, Nelo's Pro Cycles, Southwest Cycles, Cycleworks 360. Which ones have the best road bike mechanics at reasonable prices? Thanks.


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## naawillis

barbedwire said:


> Actually, I'm kinda an experienced cyclist already so i don't really need alot of handholding from service oriented shops. If the shop has great service, then that's fantastic, but I often prefer not to be "serviced" by the pushy types. I'm just looking for a place with great selection and no high-pressure. You know, one of those Keep Austin Cool kinda places. Mostly, I'm looking for roadie stuff, no BMX. I'll be down in Austin soon enough. So far I got recommendations for Bicycle Sport Shop, Freewheeling, REI, and Performance.
> 
> I'm mostly looking for Roadie high-end stuff. I did a Google search. Anyone heard about these shops? Buck's Bikes, Discovery Cycles, Ozone, Waterloo Bikes, Nelo's Pro Cycles, Southwest Cycles, Cycleworks 360. Which ones have the best road bike mechanics at reasonable prices? Thanks.


of the ones you just listed, bucks is lower end, discovery has moved somewhere new and is lower end also, ozone is the funky and awesome commuter shop, waterloo is a 400 sq ft joke (sorry), nelo's is PRO, never heard of sw cycles and 360 is closed.

for high end road bikes: nelo's is THE high end race shop. spandex, carbon bits and shaved legs all the way. austinbikes @ mlk and guadalupe is just as high end (w/ orbea and scott, and nice consignments). freewheeling and bss are trek/spec (fw also has indy fab), but are a little more square.

performance - lame, REI - lame


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## Schneiderguy

I get to Austin about once a month. I go to the BSS just south of the river, Austin Bikes at UT, or Nelos depending where I'm going in Austin. Austin Bikes is close to my Austin office and my son races for AT&T which the shop sponsors. The greatest selection of "stuff" is BSS. Nelos is very interesting. Has a large collection of high end bikes. Austin Bikes is small. I had them do bike work for me and was pleased. Campy parts and some shops aren't really trained to work with Campy. I haven't found any of the shops "pushy". BSS is the most commercial, Austin Bikes is real laid back. The owners work on the bikes and they are working behind the customer counter so you can talk with them. Nelos is very interesting and worth visiting. Don't know that I would buy there as it is expensive. But I buy most of my "stuff" on line at good prices and not from shops unless I have to, or I want to give them some business.


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## saintsfan342000

Freewheeling on 24th and San Gabriel (UT West campus). Great bike shop. Didn't buy my bike there b/c I wanted a C'dale, but that's where I go for tuneups, accessory purchases, and sometimes just to talk cycling - they're more than happy to do even that.


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## the Inbred

naawillis said:


> of the ones you just listed, bucks is lower end, discovery has moved somewhere new and is lower end also, ozone is the funky and awesome commuter shop, waterloo is a 400 sq ft joke (sorry), nelo's is PRO, never heard of sw cycles and 360 is closed.
> 
> for high end road bikes: nelo's is THE high end race shop. spandex, carbon bits and shaved legs all the way. austinbikes @ mlk and guadalupe is just as high end (w/ orbea and scott, and nice consignments). freewheeling and bss are trek/spec (fw also has indy fab), but are a little more square.
> 
> performance - lame, REI - lame


While BSS is Trek/ Speccy, both the cental and north stores also have Pegoretti, Serotta, and Co-Motion on display.


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## barbedwire

UPDATE:
Well, I've visited many bike shops in Austin since myasking for advice on here. Really good tips from the Austinites in here. And someday this tall, skinny, bike nerd (yours truly) would like to call Austin a more permanent home. This has been an experiment, sortof, as I was looking for a city-type bike for an Austin friend who needed the standard after-sales service (ie, cable, brake adjustment, etc). So, I was primarily looking for a place with awesome service. 

I took each advice and visted all the bike shops listed. My opinion is that the service varies dramatically at each locale. Here is how I see it. I'll add to this a little later. Some of it is good, some not so good. To start with some good.

Austin Bikes - cool place, kinda small. It's weird. Kinda like going into a bar. They have bar stools for the customers to sit on. The bartenders, are the mechanics. I'm not kidding you. It's that feel. Very cool. Laid back, no pressure and didn't feel like they were trying to sell me anything. Parking was a pain though. They didn't have a bike for us, but I would come back for service for sure. Seemed competitive with the service prices. I would definitely revisit them in the future.

Bicycle Sport Shop South Austin - unfortunately, I had a semi-bad experience from them. Selection was great, as you guys said. I just felt like I was hounded by the sales/mechanic staff. "Just looking", I said. And the follow-up from the dark-haired bearded fellow was, "what kind of bike do you have"? Then, like 2 minutes later, same dude asks again if I need help. Then, another 2 minutes goes by and another question. I think he was a mechanic, but not sure because he walked into the mechanic area to do something and he possibly mistook me for another customer because he said something under his breath about me being a catalog shopper or nashbar shopper or something. It was my first visit and I felt insulted. Perhaps, it was just a weird experience. When I did ask for help, I got some racer dude who knew everything and was very helpful, without being pushy. It's a big shop, but I know who to get help from and who to avoid if I go back in that place. I guess the moral of this story is, it pays to have good employees. It was a night and day difference in bike shop appeal between the two different bike shop employees. Like literally 2 different bike shops.

...more reviews to come


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## Schneiderguy

see my post of a month ago. As I said the guys at Austin Bikes are laid back. The guys behind the counter working on the bikes are the owners. They built up two bikes for me and the best I can tell did a good job.


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## the Inbred

Bicycle Sport Shop's north store is worth a visit. Before working at the north store, I preferred the South store because of selection. Truth be told, the north's store staff is a little better, in my opinion. No "filler" staff. Everyone there is working to serve a purpose, not just an after-school job.


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## barbedwire

Update:
Tried out a couple of other "off the beaten path" bike shops. Surprising results.

Buck's Bikes - I heard that this place was for low-end MTBs and kid's BMXes. I was really surprised to find that this wasn't the case. The place is ALOT bigger on the inside than it looks from the street. It looks like an old barn. They make great use of airspace because they have bikes going pretty high to the ceiling. They had some nice quality MTBs and some Bianchi road bikes that looked real good too. We walked in, and a guy asked us if we needed any help. "Just looking around", I told him. And he told me that if we needed help to just find him. It was GREAT not to be hassled and followed around the store. When I did have a question about parts and generally just about asking about hybrid bikes, the guy was helpful, answered my questions, and then left me alone. I like the non-pushy attitude. I'd get a bike from them someday if they have what I'm looking for.

Bicycle Sport Shop (North) - I'd thought I'd give them another try, at the smaller location, since I had a generally negative experience at the other Bicycle Sport Shop. First, I'd just say that quality employees make a quality difference. We got there and a dude who I think was probably a racer, I could tell by his shaved legs helped up find an screw for a broken derailler. Totally helpful, and I just told him we wanted to check out the place and look around. No pressure. No attitude. No pushy behavior like I got at the south store. I don't know what it is. My general theory is that bike racers who work in bike shops are generally very helpful and since they are the equivalent of poor starving artists they know that people sometimes buy through Nashbar, Performance, Excel, etc. and they let you look. They don't give you a hard time. Their generation X co-workers, all tattooed up, are another story. And frankly, I am starting to stay away from their help because I find that most of them are pushy, not real knowledgable, and just a pain because they want to sell you something. Word of advice if you go to Bicycle Sport Shop. Find either the dudes that look like racers, or go elsewhere. They actually help without hounding you. I cannot say the same for the other people that this store has hired.


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## 331miles

I really like Nelo's Pro Cycles. They cater to roadies, semmingly focused on the higher end. But that doesn't exactly fit my profile, and I've had great service there. I bought my Giant TCR C1 on eBay, and they checked it out, tuned it up, fitted me, and in general gave me great service on a midrange bike that I didn't purchase from them.

Other shops that have served me well are Bicycle Sport Shop North, and Jack & Adams. I am neutral / negative on Buck's Bikes, primarily due to one sales guy that pushed me to buy 'last year's beginner Bianchi' when I really didn't want it. I got the hard sell, and eventually left.

But I'm just one voice...


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## Oxtox

more on Nelo's. I took a rim and hub in for lacing late last Friday. Told them I had a group ride scheduled for Tues and it was ready Tues at noon. Price was competitive with BSS and 7 miles closer for me.

I have also used Nelo's for an insurance claim after getting t-boned by a Ford F150. They were quite helpful in dealing with the adjuster and I was awarded the full amount of their estimate.


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## barbedwire

331miles said:


> I really like Nelo's Pro Cycles. They cater to roadies, semmingly focused on the higher end. But that doesn't exactly fit my profile, and I've had great service there. I bought my Giant TCR C1 on eBay, and they checked it out, tuned it up, fitted me, and in general gave me great service on a midrange bike that I didn't purchase from them.
> 
> Other shops that have served me well are Bicycle Sport Shop North, and Jack & Adams. I am neutral / negative on Buck's Bikes, primarily due to one sales guy that pushed me to buy 'last year's beginner Bianchi' when I really didn't want it. I got the hard sell, and eventually left.
> 
> But I'm just one voice...




Oooh, sorry about your experience buying from Buck's Bikes. It probably is like you said. I went in when they were kinda busy so that's probably why they weren't pushy, because they had other customers to deal with (and maybe be pushy with them too).

Update:
Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop
This is the shop owned by Lance Armstrong. I just got back from their grand opening today. As much as I am skeptical and critical of Armstrong and his wins, I got to give them proper respect for their shop. It is really cool. The architecture is really neat. First thing I noticed when I went in, was that it didn't feel like a bike shop, even though it was. I don't know how to explain it. The layout and architecture is really amazing. It's like an old warehouse and they have all these neat little features. It's an old vintage fusion, pop culture, Hard Rock cafe, feel. There is a little coffee shop off to the side. The stools are even made out of MTB rims! The selection is great. I actually thought all they had were commuting bikes, but it is very high-end, make no mistake about it. Lots of carbon Trek road race bikes, De Rosa, Seven. The sales staff were young hipsters, but I'm pretty sure that they were well trained. Not once did I feel like they were trying to sell me something, or be real pushy. However, this may not be representative of how they truly are. Today, there were so many people there. Even a guy from one of the bike mags taking pics. Armstrong was there signing autographs in the late afternoon. They shut down the place so they could have a private party afterwards for only those invited. Decent selection, but the prices were really high. I didn't buy anything and I appreciated the fact that the sales staff were cool and not like hi-pressure type. I think I saw a commuter bike that I might buy someday. I would check them out again in the future.


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## Dave Hickey

+1 on Mellow Johnny's. I was in Austin yesterday and stopped by... I was expecting a glorified Trek concept store...it was nothing like that...While they are a Trek dealer, they also carry DeRosa, Pinarello, as well as commuter brands like Swabo and Masi....They had a decent assortment of fixed gear parts and a ton of clothing for both on and off the bike...

It was a very cool shop....


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## barbedwire

Another Update:
-found a couple of really nice bike shops I like. Well, the search continues for a one-of-a kind bike, ok really just a no-nonsense commuting bike for my friend, but something unique nonetheless. Two shops we visited I got good impressions of:

1) Freewheeling Cycles - Nice shop down near the University. Lots of cool old retro frames on the walls near the front. They had some neat commuter bikes. I like the Specialized ones and the Electra. The old man that was working there was a pretty smart fellow. We saw a bike that was perfect for my friend an might come back. The selection was really good, lots of handbuilt wheels in the rafters above the service area. The generation X people working the counter weren't exactly straight with us when my friend was inquiring about ordering a part and getting service. It was weird conversing with them, but thankfully the old guy stepped up and helped us out. Honestly, some of these generation X'ers are in over their heads working at a bike shop. Anyway, no big deal. I like the place. Good bikes and welcoming service.

2) Nelo's Pro Cycles. OMG. They are expensive! I guess the name of the shop gives that away. It's Nelo's "Pro" Cycles, not Nelo's "Fred" Cycles. But, I suppose this is the place to check out if you dabble in ultra high-end buying. The guy there was really nice. Had a teeny bit of an accent. I suppose this is the shop owner, but am not sure. The dogs roaming the store is a nice touch. And actually, the clothing and other items are competitive with the other shops. It was just that the bikes they carried were mostly ultra-high end carbon stuff. I've never seen any Guru bikes until today. Nice. Worth a look for the hardcore racer. :thumbsup: 

so far really impressed with most of the shops in Austin. Will give you some more when I get time.


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## RoyIII

That is one most excellent looking M Johnny jersey.


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## vanjr

i went to bicycle sports shop south near downtown this weekend. it must be nice to have that kind of selection in house. wow!


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## ASWood

Cool thread! I am a former Austinite (in DFW now, unfortunately) and have had similar experiences with BSS north vs. south.

My favorite shop in town is Ozone Bike Dept. Very cool staff, likely to discount stuff for no apparent reason when you check out, plus they sell Bianchi, so...


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## mikebeach

Just found this thread, being that I just moved to San Antonio. I was looking for some good shops to drive up and check out. Nice reviews! :thumbsup:


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## brentster

That jersey is AWESOME


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## txn

Music City Cycles on Parmer & McNeil is worth a visit also.

I like BSS North much better than the central store.


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## Loraura

Yesterday while taking a sick day from work, I decided I was going stir crazy in the house and went to check out some of the bike shops further from my house (I live north west).

I stopped at Austin Tri Cyclists and Jack and Adams (both on Barton Springs) and Bicycle Sport Shop on S Lamar. These are all three within a mile of each other.

I found some new gloves and one of those compartments that holds keys and phones in a water bottle cage at the Tri Cyclist place. I was mostly looking for jerseys. They had some nice stuff, but nothing in my size that caught my eye.

Next I went to Jack and Adams. Found one Jersey I liked (and bought) and the girl working the check out gave me a freebee tshirt from the triathalon they did in September. It's wicking material, yay free wicking tshirts! One of the guys there was nice enough to explain how the Garmin cadence sensor mounts/works. I didn't buy it this time, but it's on my Christmas list.

Last I stopped at Bicycle Sport Shop. HUGE place there. HUGE! There's a coffee shop inside it! I found another Jersey on sale there, so picked that up. I also picked up a compas to mount to handlebars. I know my Garmin will tell me what direction I'm going if I can find the right screen, but, I'm all for simple and easy! So now I can just glance and tell. I'm directionally challenged. I hope this helps!

All in all I had a good sick-day diversion to the downtown bike shops.


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