# LBS in NYC



## kman6234 (Jun 21, 2008)

Can anyone recommend a good LBS in NYC where the employee's know their stuff and would be able to properly fit me with a bike? In high school I road my father's panisonic 10 miles a day in our basement on these rollers he had. I ended up dropping 50 lbs in the process... still kept the weigh off to this day. But I gave up riding when I left for college. Now that I've graduated I'd like to get into the sport but I need a bike. I'm just afraid of spending money on a bike that doesn't fit me properly.


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## Dumbod (Dec 31, 2004)

*Lots*

Lets see, just off the top of my head.

Toga
Sids
R&A
Bay Ridge Bicycle World
Cadence
Signature
Roys Sheepshead Cycle
The Trek Store
Conrad's
Bicycle Habitat 

Although I like some of these more than others, they're all reputable and they're all capable of doing a fitting.

How much do you want to spend and how far do you want to travel?


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## kman6234 (Jun 21, 2008)

Thanks Dumbod, I'll have to check some of these out. Price-wise I'm pretty flexible. I'd like a quality bike that will last me a long time. I don't need anything top of the line for now but I def don't want to buy too little bike and end up regretting it in a few months. I'm looking in the price range of $1,000 to $1,500. I don't mind traveling for a good deal and/or good service.


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## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

Do you want to pay for a professional bike fit at a studio? Or do you want to walk into a shop and have them fit you to what they have in stock? In NYC, there's a difference. A professional bike fitter will put you on a "size bike" and tell you the optimal bike geometry you need. Then you'll go shopping for a bike that fits your geometry. A person at a shop will likely take a look at you, grab an off-the-rack bike that looks like it might fit you, put you on a turbo trainer and size you up. You will want to ask up front if they will swap out parts like stem, seatpost and even bars to get your fit just right.

The former will probably cost you a couple hundred bucks at least. The latter might not cost you anything if you buy a bike from that shop. For the latter, try Sid's on East 34th St. Most of the staff is certified in bike fit. I would avoid any Metro Bikes store and Bicycle Habitat. Good luck.


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## Uprwstsdr (Jul 17, 2002)

Cadence and Signature are out of your price range. Try Sid's, Toga, or maybe NYC Velo.


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## kman6234 (Jun 21, 2008)

team_sheepshead said:


> Do you want to pay for a professional bike fit at a studio? Or do you want to walk into a shop and have them fit you to what they have in stock? In NYC, there's a difference. A professional bike fitter will put you on a "size bike" and tell you the optimal bike geometry you need. Then you'll go shopping for a bike that fits your geometry. A person at a shop will likely take a look at you, grab an off-the-rack bike that looks like it might fit you, put you on a turbo trainer and size you up. You will want to ask up front if they will swap out parts like stem, seatpost and even bars to get your fit just right.
> 
> The former will probably cost you a couple hundred bucks at least. The latter might not cost you anything if you buy a bike from that shop. For the latter, try Sid's on East 34th St. Most of the staff is certified in bike fit. I would avoid any Metro Bikes store and Bicycle Habitat. Good luck.



I'd most likely be willing to spend the extra money for a professional fit. I want to be sure the bike fits well and will last me a while. Thanks for the tips, I'm going to check out a couple shops and look around.


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## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

If you're looking for a fitter, also try Mike Sherry: http://www.performancelabshc.com/pages.php?id=55


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## Dumbod (Dec 31, 2004)

kman6234 said:


> I'd most likely be willing to spend the extra money for a professional fit. I want to be sure the bike fits well and will last me a while. Thanks for the tips, I'm going to check out a couple shops and look around.


Fit is critical but not that critical. Assuming that you want to spend $1,000, a professional fitting would increase the cost of your bike by at least 20%. That's just not cost-effective.

I've had a fitting at Signature that was expensive ($375) and worth every penny but it was about fine-tuning my position and my set up more than buying the right-sized bike. And it increased the cost of my bikes, in total, by something less than 3% (I have several bikes.)

Any good LBS will get a "good enough" fit so that you will enjoy the bike. Start with that and spend the extra $200 on things like clothing, helmet, pump, etc.


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## dumbestkidingiftedclass (Jun 24, 2008)

i had an excellent experience in a new purchase of two bikes at NYC/VELO


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## jhamlin38 (Oct 29, 2005)

third nature in teaneck, nj without a doubt the very best fit shop possible. nothing else comes close.


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## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

I'd like to know more about why you think so. Is it price, quality, expertise, equipment? Not calling you out, but I personally know and have been seen by four fitters in NYC and they are all fantastic. Paul Levine at Signature Cycles gets knocked for charging $375, but he literally spends up to 3 hours with a client and measures power output in real-time as he fits a client. Mike Sherry at Upton Performance has fit pros from Rabobank, etc., was ass't DS for Navigators and Lipton, and now runs a P/1/2 team. How does 3rd Nature stack up?



jhamlin38 said:


> third nature in teaneck, nj without a doubt the very best fit shop possible. nothing else comes close.


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## treehugger (Jul 10, 2007)

*Toga*

the guys at Toga throw in a free extensive fitting with bike purchase. as far as I know if you purchase a bike there they will put you on a trainer for a bout 30 mins, take measurements, make sure you have the correct stem / handlebar setup, pedal / saddle alinement... it sounds pretty basic but thorough. I'd ask them about it.


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## Snakebitten (Jun 26, 2008)

Total noob here and I bought a bike without knowing about fittings etc. Im 6'6" and bought a 62" frame bike. Is it possible to raise seat and headset stems to alleviate the 2" deficit, as I was told I needed a 64" frame? Im trying to avoid having to upgrade my frame so soon. Bikes not even a month old. If I really need a fitter to answer this is there one locally [Brooklyn/Manhatten] thats reasonable that wont mind if I already have a bike? Ive gotten a little bit of an attitude from a few bike shops Ive been to already. Not sure if its the Motobecane/BD thing or that I didnt buy from them. Any help would be appreciated.


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## Dumbod (Dec 31, 2004)

A newbie who bought the wrong-sized bike from BikesDirect. What are the odds???

Sorry, I know it doesn't help you but I couldn't resist.

First of all, the measurements are in centimeters not inches. And two cm is a big deal.

But the real answer to your question is that nobody can really tell you without seeing you on your bike. The advertised size of most bikes is a height-related measurement (seat tube, sort of) and that can be corrected fairly easily with seat post but the critical measurement is length (top tube) and that is harder to correct. It depends on your bike's geometry (different 62cm bikes will have different length top tubes) and your geometry (long legs vs long torso), your riding position, your age, your condition, etc.

Unfortunately for you, there are only two times that most people get a fitting - when they are about to buy a bike (free or very cheap) or if they are very serious about dialing in the fit of their bike (usually pretty expensive). I doubt that any bike shop is going to give you a cheap or free fitting. Why should they? They'd do it if you were going to buy a bike, figuring to make money on the sale. You're not going to buy a bike. That leaves you with the expensive fitting.

Your best bet may be to go back to BD and see if they'll do a trade in on a larger size.


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## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

Have to agree with Dumbod here. I suggest you also post over on the Bikes Direct forum here. I read many raves about their customer service over there. Maybe BD will help you out. But your situation is the nightmare scenario of buying a bike online just because it looks like a killer deal. 

Most shops in NYC have some kind of attitude. It's not justified, but it's reality. This being NYC, I'm sure they deal all day with people who have more dollars than sense, so unfortunately many of the bike shop employees here are a bit surly. But money usually talks, so call them up.



Dumbod said:


> A newbie who bought the wrong-sized bike from BikesDirect. What are the odds???
> 
> Sorry, I know it doesn't help you but I couldn't resist.
> 
> ...


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## Snakebitten (Jun 26, 2008)

Thanks for the reply TS and Dumbod. lol I got thick skin Dumbod so no problem. Sounds like Im screwed because I bought the bike equivalent of reject sneakers. Sucks as I really like the bike but cant even find a shop that will tune up my bike seriously. Last one didnt even adjust my brakes which I found out the hard way by going down hill right after I picked up and the shifting sucked. I think Ill just take it to my friend and let him mess with it. 

Gotta say this hate type attitude is getting to me now. Regardless of how I got the bike I would think a professional business would see the opportunity to educate a potential customer and turn them into a loyal customer. I had every intention of swapping frames when I bought the bike but I didnt think the 62" would have been such a large problem for the time being. I can ride the bike very well without my knees hitting my elbows so I think just a bit of fine tuning will get it where I need to get it for now. Anyway thanks for your imput guys. Live and learn


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## Snakebitten (Jun 26, 2008)

Well just an update for those that are interested. I wwent to Bike Station on Vanderbilt ave here in Brooklyn. Great experience. No hate just bike dudes. Even fitted me for the saddle and handle bars and adjusted accordingly. Im sure it wasnt the all out balls to the wall $375 type fitting but the bike feels much more natural to me. Good enough for me at this point. At any rate pretty good service. they are always crowded. Good sign. They came highly reccomended from an avid biker.


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## Dumbod (Dec 31, 2004)

Snakebitten said:


> Well just an update for those that are interested. I wwent to Bike Station on Vanderbilt ave here in Brooklyn. Great experience. No hate just bike dudes. Even fitted me for the saddle and handle bars and adjusted accordingly. Im sure it wasnt the all out balls to the wall $375 type fitting but the bike feels much more natural to me. Good enough for me at this point. At any rate pretty good service. they are always crowded. Good sign. They came highly reccomended from an avid biker.


This is the perfect example of why BD owners are such a pain. This guy makes an uninformed purchase and then claims to be the victim of "hate" from bike shops that refuse to give away what they're trying to sell. It's not hate, it's capitalism.


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## Snakebitten (Jun 26, 2008)

Dumbod said:


> This is the perfect example of why BD owners are such a pain. This guy makes an uninformed purchase and then claims to be the victim of "hate" from bike shops that refuse to give away what they're trying to sell. It's not hate, it's capitalism.


Claims? LOL. I paid $125 for a roadbike tuneup. It was originally $89 until they saw MOTOBECANE. Then when I picked the bike up and rode it down the hill the rear brakes didnt work. I took it back and they fixed it somewhat but it was still weak as hell. My pedals were exactly the way I brought it to them. Not even screwed in properly. Seems the bike I got back was exactly the way I give it to them. Yea but Im making this up because Im a BD customer and not an individual who wanted his moneys worth from a tune up. 

BTW I dropped around $400 there additionally on gear etc before I picked up the bike that day but still got the shaft. Yea that should teach me to buy from BD again. Stupid idiots. All they did was lose money from a potential good customer. And your nonsense about capitolism is brainless. To protect there bottomline its ok for an LBS to put a customers life in danger with bad brakes, not give them what they PAID for etc. BTW what BD is doing is also Capitolism. Thanks for the typical anti BD customer nonsense.

Remember your words next time someone screws you over on something you are new to. Just attach an ism to it and prance around with a smile on your face.


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## Dumbod (Dec 31, 2004)

Snakebitten said:


> Claims? LOL. I paid $125 for a roadbike tuneup. It was originally $89 until they saw MOTOBECANE. Then when I picked the bike up and rode it down the hill the rear brakes didnt work. I took it back and they fixed it somewhat but it was still weak as hell. My pedals were exactly the way I brought it to them. Not even screwed in properly. Seems the bike I got back was exactly the way I give it to them. Yea but Im making this up because Im a BD customer and not an individual who wanted his moneys worth from a tune up.
> 
> BTW I dropped around $400 there additionally on gear etc before I picked up the bike that day but still got the shaft. Yea that should teach me to buy from BD again. Stupid idiots. All they did was lose money from a potential good customer. And your nonsense about capitolism is brainless. To protect there bottomline its ok for an LBS to put a customers life in danger with bad brakes, not give them what they PAID for etc. BTW what BD is doing is also Capitolism. Thanks for the typical anti BD customer nonsense.
> 
> Remember your words next time someone screws you over on something you are new to. Just attach an ism to it and prance around with a smile on your face.


Question: Are paranoid people more likely to buy BD bikes or does buying a BD bike make you paranoid?


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## Snakebitten (Jun 26, 2008)

Dumbod said:


> Question: Are paranoid people more likely to buy BD bikes or does buying a BD bike make you paranoid?


You are a regular einstein aint ya lol. So my brakes didnt work, didnt get the tuneup I OVERPAID for, my pedals were not tightened etc but Im paranoid. That about sums up your nonsense? You are funny.


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