# Any WNY riders out there??



## PLAYONIT (Aug 25, 2009)

New to the area and was wondering what are the good shops and mechanics in the area??? Decent club rides??

Thanks


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## DS1239622 (Mar 21, 2007)

What part of western NY? Al Merson at RVE Bike and Sport in Canadaigua NY is top notch.


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## Topher (Jun 5, 2005)

I'm in Western NY - Rochester to be exact, but my favorite shop is in the Buffalo Area - Tom's Pro Bike (http://www.tomsprobike.com/ ). I haven't found a Rochester shop that is as good, but Pedallers comes close.


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## velociped jones (Mar 21, 2005)

i'm in bflo so i haven't actually had to deal with them but, andy and the folks at parkave bike seem to be pretty skilled. full moon vista is seen at the races which would also seem to lend them a little bit of credibility as well.


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## jeepinmike (May 23, 2007)

Amherst (n of buffalo). I use Northstar. Chris is a good guy, I usually don't need much when I am in there (fix/maintain my own stuff), he always takes care of me regardless.

I have gone to Bert's, they have a bad rep, though some say they are better, my experience was not great.

I have also stopped into Shifting Gears once, and they went out of their way and helped me out in a pinch.


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## jpdigital (Dec 1, 2006)

When I was living in Buffalo, only shop I really went to was Handlebars in Kenmore, but mainly because they were the closest to me. Really can't speak of how they are now, or how they compare to others in the area, but I stopped in a few months back when I went back home to visit, they had some decent stuff in their. 

As far as rides, Grand Island is a pretty decent ride--albeit flat as a pancake, but it's pretty open riding.


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## koyaanisqatsi (Aug 5, 2009)

*I'm down along the Southern Tier Near Jamestown*

I used Tom's Pro Bike (http://www.tomsprobike.com/ ) in Lancaster and think they are very good. It's a fairly long drive for me...76 miles one way. The local bike shops in Jamestown don't seem to meet my needs wrt to bikes. They mainly carry Specialized or Trek, and those bikes just weren't what I was looking for.

Going out on a limb, there is Shickluna Bike Shop. I bought my probably all-time favorite bike, a Takara, from them in the very late 1970s. They were on Niagara St. back then. Now they are at 1835 Hertel Avenue Buffalo, NY 14216, email at http://www.shicklunabikes.com/
They were a good shop back then; they may still be.

If anyone thinking of club rides during this time of the year?


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## jpdigital (Dec 1, 2006)

koyaanisqatsi said:


> Going out on a limb, there is Shickluna Bike Shop. I bought my probably all-time favorite bike, a Takara, from them in the very late 1970s. They were on Niagara St. back then. Now they are at 1835 Hertel Avenue Buffalo, NY 14216, email at http://www.shicklunabikes.com/
> They were a good shop back then; they may still be.


_Wow!!!_ Shickluna's. Now that's not a name I've heard in a while. I haven't lived in Buffalo for 8 years, but I remember going there. Can't speak for how they are now (obviously), but I remember going there a few times...

I'm sure they can't be any worse than Burt's.


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## koyaanisqatsi (Aug 5, 2009)

*It was an accident!*



jpdigital said:


> _Wow!!!_ Shickluna's. Now that's not a name I've heard in a while. I haven't lived in Buffalo for 8 years, but I remember going there. Can't speak for how they are now (obviously), but I remember going there a few times...
> 
> I'm sure they can't be any worse than Burt's.


I'm not sure how I ended up at Shickluna's. It a grungy little shop in a grungy part of Buffalo. I think it was summer of 1978. I may have bought the Takara because I felt sorry for the owner ;-) ! But it was a great bike @ $190. I moved to Northern VA outside Washington in 1984 with the bike, traded it in (I regret that) on a Trek. The weather was conducive to biking during much of the year in that area. I returned to my home town 60 mi. south of Buffalo in 2004. It's like living in a third world country here. I'm pretty much stuck here though. I lived in Buffalo for roughly 13 years...it's not a bad place really. Pleasant summers. You can adapt to the winters. There are some things to do there, unlike the Souther Tier.

Anyway, Shickluna has a Team Shickluna and one of their riders apparently won the NY State Time Trial Championship in 2007. Not bad. Shickluna seems to handle mainly Giant bikes right now, from what's shown at their Web site. The Takara hasn't been distributed in the U.S. since the early 1980s I think. Too bad.


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## PLAYONIT (Aug 25, 2009)

koyaanisqatsi said:


> I'm not sure how I ended up at Shickluna's. It a grungy little shop in a grungy part of Buffalo. I think it was summer of 1978. I may have bought the Takara because I felt sorry for the owner ;-) ! But it was a great bike @ $190. I moved to Northern VA outside Washington in 1984 with the bike, traded it in (I regret that) on a Trek. The weather was conducive to biking during much of the year in that area. I returned to my home town 60 mi. south of Buffalo in 2004. It's like living in a third world country here. I'm pretty much stuck here though. I lived in Buffalo for roughly 13 years...it's not a bad place really. Pleasant summers. You can adapt to the winters. There are some things to do there, unlike the Souther Tier.
> 
> Anyway, Shickluna has a Team Shickluna and one of their riders apparently won the NY State Time Trial Championship in 2007. Not bad. Shickluna seems to handle mainly Giant bikes right now, from what's shown at their Web site. The Takara hasn't been distributed in the U.S. since the early 1980s I think. Too bad.


I moved to the Buffalo Area (Hamburg) from San Diego a few years Back.... Yeah I know... I really like it here... Just getting back to riding after a 20 year layoff... (marriage and kids) I stopped in Tom's and really liked it.. so I found a shop.. I finished my bike to late to hit the road before winter set in and have been on a trainer... did not realalize how out of shape I'm in.. it's going to be a long road...(no pun)...


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## koyaanisqatsi (Aug 5, 2009)

*WNY is in terrible shape*



PLAYONIT said:


> I moved to the Buffalo Area (Hamburg) from San Diego a few years Back.... Yeah I know... I really like it here... Just getting back to riding after a 20 year layoff... (marriage and kids) I stopped in Tom's and really liked it.. so I found a shop.. I finished my bike to late to hit the road before winter set in and have been on a trainer... did not realalize how out of shape I'm in.. it's going to be a long road...(no pun)...


More people are leaving WNY than coming to WNY. I move back here and many of my classmates pick up and leave. Even more people talk about leaving. I'm medically retired. Kids who go away to college often don't come back due to the lack of jobs. Buffalo and WNY is not a "great place to live", but it's not that bad, it doesn't live down to its reputation wrt snow and cold, and I've found you can be unhappy anywhere. 

Tom's Pro Bikes is a good shop and Tom knows what he is doing IMO. It's a long drive up there for me. I hear you about being out of shape. At Tom's, I was on a trainer for 5 or 10 minutes and stopped at least a couple times. I couldn't carry on a conversation while casually pedaling. Well, I shovel my own snow and use a push mower to mow my lawn...that's just not enough. I need to do more.


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## rocklax (Feb 7, 2004)

In Fredonia, there isn't much more WNY left after us...


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## koyaanisqatsi (Aug 5, 2009)

*WNY is like a 3rd world country*



rocklax said:


> In Fredonia, there isn't much more WNY left after us...


All due respect to 3rd world countries. But the U.S. has and has had even b4 the current recession large areas that are backward, isolated, and with lots of poverty. The southern tier of WNY is the northern tip of Appalachia, though we've not quite experienced the legendary poverty of more southern Appalachia. The industry we had when I was young is mostly gone, as are most of the farms. This is the 2nd "winter from he11" in a row. I don't even ski. Worst of all is that the biking season is all too short here. I don't miss Northern VA, but I mess the climate there.

I've been to Dunkirk/Fredonia once since I returned to this area in Sep. 2004...to see the movie "No Country For Old Men" on a New Years Eve. Doesn't seem to to be much up there either. Then there's Buffalo, not doing so well except for all the state and Federal grants they apply for and get. That's what my home town lives on...that and very high local taxes.

Do you have a good bike shop up there? Buffalo has Tom's Pro Bike...a pretty good shop.

k.


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## rocklax (Feb 7, 2004)

koyaanisqatsi said:


> Do you have a good bike shop up there? Buffalo has Tom's Pro Bike...a pretty good shop.
> 
> k.



No...Not even close. I've been to Hollyloft in Jamestown, eh. Bert's, I'll leave that alone. I've also been to Lake Country Bike in North East, PA (35 mins away), they are really nice and helpful but I wasn't 100% happy with wrenching they've done for me. There is also fairly new Fredonia Bicycle. The guy running it used to be a mechanic for Giant's factory MTB team who grew up in the area. He has been trying to start a shop here but it is slow going. I've been really impressed with his wrenching and turn around times. However he doesn't have really anything in stock, ie tires or tubes or gear (since he has access to limited vendors he even has trouble ordering some things, ie my cleats). The last time I was in there he also didn't have any new bikes on the floor.

So long story short I'm stuck on an island...


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## koyaanisqatsi (Aug 5, 2009)

Time to get your road bikes out and start riding. If we get a good rain Monday, that should wash a lot of the crap off the roads. Hollyloft has group rides for different riding levels. Sure, we have a lot of terrible roads in WNY, but there are many worth riding if the farmers aren't mucking them up with crap from their fields.

If Wrench Science doesn't deliver my Dogma by April 1, 2010, I'm going to have to give them a 'F'. I ordered that bike back in early Dec. 2009...never dreamed they could (would?) take this long to deliver.


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## koyaanisqatsi (Aug 5, 2009)

*WNY is an island!*



rocklax said:


> No...Not even close. I've been to Hollyloft in Jamestown, eh. Bert's, I'll leave that alone. I've also been to Lake Country Bike in North East, PA (35 mins away), they are really nice and helpful but I wasn't 100% happy with wrenching they've done for me. There is also fairly new Fredonia Bicycle. The guy running it used to be a mechanic for Giant's factory MTB team who grew up in the area. He has been trying to start a shop here but it is slow going. I've been really impressed with his wrenching and turn around times. However he doesn't have really anything in stock, ie tires or tubes or gear (since he has access to limited vendors he even has trouble ordering some things, ie my cleats). The last time I was in there he also didn't have any new bikes on the floor.
> 
> So long story short I'm stuck on an island...


I hope Fredonia Bicycle makes it. It's very hard to start a new business....well, easy to start, hard to make it successful. Shickluna's in Buffalo is worth a try. I made my all-time best bike purchase through them in the late 1970s...a Takara. I just liked the shop, and later came to love the bike.

k.


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## iyeoh (Jan 6, 2005)

koyaanisqatsi said:


> If Wrench Science doesn't deliver my Dogma by April 1, 2010, I'm going to have to give them a 'F'. I ordered that bike back in early Dec. 2009...never dreamed they could (would?) take this long to deliver.


Dude,

I'm so sorry to hear that. I was wondering why you haven't posted pics yet. Have you reminded WS that its just unacceptable? How can they take your money when they don't have the particular frame in stock? There are laws protecting you the consumer, you know. I do know that you are far more patient and calm than I would be.


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## koyaanisqatsi (Aug 5, 2009)

*A real Bummer*



iyeoh said:


> Dude,
> 
> I'm so sorry to hear that. I was wondering why you haven't posted pics yet. Have you reminded WS that its just unacceptable? How can they take your money when they don't have the particular frame in stock? There are laws protecting you the consumer, you know. I do know that you are far more patient and calm than I would be.


I emailed WS late on 3/19/2010 with a semi-nasty reminder. But I'd been in touch with WS on 2/19/2009 (the Est. ship date with a "it will probably be sooner") and was told it would "be soon". I'd ordered the bike back on 12/04/09. Sure, I couldn't ride the bike due to weather here except on my trainer until very recently. But you have a point. I paid over $5k to lock in the price in 12/2009. No way it should take so long to receive something I've paid so much on.

What are the laws? I don't know. I can contact my credit card company...maybe they can help. I'll call WS tomorrow and suggest they deliver the bike within a week or refund my payment. What then? The same bike from R&A or back to a Colnago EPS someone can deliver within a very soon? Anyway. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

Of course, I don't have a digital camera. But I can easily solve that.

k.


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## iyeoh (Jan 6, 2005)

k,

First things first. I'm glad you paid with a credit card.

Call your CC company tomorrow. They will be on your side. Explain to them that you are sick and tired, and they may offer to reverse your charges right away. Its up to you.

Then call WS and tell them and you expect the bike in one week or your CC company will reverse all the charges, and then they will hear from your lawyer and you will inform the Better Business Bureau. Better yet, tell them your CC company will launch a fraud investigation. That stuff will get any merchant toquake in their boots.

You want to wait for WS to refund your payment? Why torture yourself? The CC company will reverse the charges. They will take money and put it in your account, then forceably strip money out of WS account. You no longer trust WS, do you? Fuk them.

Don't take anymore crap from them. No more sweet talk and bullsh1t. All that polite sweettalk don't amount to a hill of beans. Give me a rude NYer anyday who's honest and shoots straight and cuts you a proper deal. Cheap prices win in my book. All that relationship bullsh1t don't mean nothing. These merchants would ship you their mamas for a buck in a heartbeat... and COD too. No better than wh0res. Except that you actually get what you pay for with wh0res upfront and don't have to wat for 5 months for your fulfillment.

Call R&A tomorrow. Ask them if they have your particular color and size in stock. They are NYCers and may be blunt. But at least they are honest and shoot straight. R&A should be able to get you your bike in 3 to 5 days, delivered to your doorstep. The extra state sales taxes you have to pay is worth it.

Your heart is set with a Pinarello. Follow your heart. I don't blame you for being pi$$ed off with Colnago America. I would be too. Whatever. Get the exact bike that you want and which will put a smile on your face. Fuk everyone else, especially the detractors in forums like this. That's my take.

No more Mr. Nice Guy.


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## sjt78 (Mar 30, 2004)

I agree with the others...Tom's Pro Bike is my #1. Racers go there, but you won't get a snotty attitude from Tom and his staff. I've been to Handlebars and it is hit or miss there. My wife wanted to buy a Cannondale back when when they carried that brand and they refused to let her take one for a test ride. We wanted to buy the bike that day, and I remember it was a Saturday so probably busy for them, but how do you turn away someone with cash in their hand? They wanted to schedule a fitting before selling the bike. I was able to do that for her so it was a non-issue. They lost the sale to another shop who is lower on my list (Red Door), but had the bike in stock and let us test ride.


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## HeluvaSkier (Sep 11, 2007)

sjt78 said:


> I've been to Handlebars and it is hit or miss there. My wife wanted to buy a Cannondale back when when they carried that brand and they refused to let her take one for a test ride.


That surprises me, Handlebars has been nothing but great to me over the years. They are my #1 with Tom's coming in a close second - mainly because Tom's is a longer drive from my house. IMO they are both great shops though.


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## ManicMan (Jan 13, 2009)

Tom's is the place. I've been to Handlebars and talked to some of the guys on their team and I was a bit turned off, were just off putting and a bit inconsiderate. Just got a whole new setup a Toms last week, haven't been out on it yet though.


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## koyaanisqatsi (Aug 5, 2009)

Toms is good. The people there are helpful. I'd take a look at Shicklunas as well. It's been a long time since I've been to that shop, but they were very good when I did business with them. I think they may carry only GIANT bikes now, but can't be sure.


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