# Campbell CA - Wheel Away?



## snapdragen (Jan 28, 2004)

Any opinions on Wheel Away Cycle Center?


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## smw (Mar 7, 2006)

snapdragen said:


> Any opinions on Wheel Away Cycle Center?



They are right down the street from me, only been in there once. Guess I was rubbed the wrong way cause I have'nt been back. The shop I am really liking now is Sun Bike Shop in Milpitas at Landess and 680, Its a bit more of a drive for me but they have been very helpful.:thumbsup:


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## travis200 (Oct 29, 2002)

They are decent I have been in there a couple times for misc. things. They carry a good selection of bikes and if they don't have something they will order it for you at least they offered it when I was looking at a particular bike. I have not had any work done there so not sure on that aspect but seems like a decent shop.


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## dlbcx (Aug 28, 2002)

Been in there a couple of times, looking for stuff for my cross bike. If they didn't have it, they were willing to order it or directed me to another shop. In fact, they called another shop to see if they had the 46t ring so they were very helpful.


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

*Bought a bottom bracket there...*

It was more than twice the mail order price, but I was desperate. I've never been back. What about Performance?


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## snapdragen (Jan 28, 2004)

Performance is fine for shopping, although I really hate that store on Hamilton/Bascom for some totally illogical reason. I'm thinking of Wheel Away as someplace to go when I need some work done. My wrench expertise extends to changing tires, cleaning, and lubing the chain.


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## rfrancisco (Feb 2, 2004)

Wheel Away has been there for ages, they are a decent shop. I do most of my wrenching
myself. Gary at BICI Bike in San Jose is very good, he is an one-man shop and can help
you with most repairs or servicing your bike. BICI Bike is locate in south SJ near the old
IBM site. Goodluck


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## rensho (Aug 5, 2003)

They're decent folk for sure. Rick has owned that shop for 30+ years. They warranteed a Spec tire that I didn't buy there. They tapped/chased a BB for me as a walk in. Prices are within reason.


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## dougn (Jun 9, 2004)

i like em too


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## Dinosaur (Jan 29, 2004)

This is going back a couple of years..........Wheel Away used to be located a little further north on Hamilton Ave and on the opposite side of the street (maybe that was 30 years ago). The original owner was the the father of Rick and his brother (don't know if he works there anymore). Back then (mid-late 70's early 80's) he used to wear a fedora, was a pilot and very in tune with keeping his customers happy. I'm sure he is long-gone by now, he was in his 70's back then. As I remember Rick sort of had a chip on his shoulder. I almost bought a Schwinn Paramount there, on sale for $800.00. It was too small for me. I always remember that. I lived off Foxworthy and Meridian and frequented the Foxworthy Bike Shop, who also relocated. They were a small mom and pop bike shop and offered 24 hour service. You could drop off your bike and they would have it ready the next day. I befriend the owners son, he is the current owner. He drove a tow truck at night. Mom (Felicia) died years ago, don't know if the dad is still around. It's more of a family bike shop now, but I do remember them being super honest, the mom was a sweet heart. This sure brings back memories.

One good thing about the San Jose area is that you have a lot of shops to choose from and varied places to ride. I remember when I moved up to the Auburn area in 1990, I thought that 3 days was a long time to wait for a repair, now they are up to 8 or 9. Learned how to do most of my own work.

One thing I don't miss about the bay area is the traffic or the climate.


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## stumpy_steve (Nov 5, 2006)

smw said:


> The shop I am really liking now is Sun Bike Shop in Milpitas at Landess and 680, Its a bit more of a drive for me but they have been very helpful.:thumbsup:


SMW (btw, nice to see another mtbr':thumbsup: ), have you always had good service at Sun, or what? Everytime I've been in there, I've basically been ignored (I guess its understandable, im 18) or looked over for people with deeper pockets. It's cool cause it's mostly high end, but their prices are high end, too. I dunno, I've just never had good help there. Wondering what your experiences are with them...


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## smw (Mar 7, 2006)

stumpy_steve said:


> SMW (btw, nice to see another mtbr':thumbsup: ), have you always had good service at Sun, or what? Everytime I've been in there, I've basically been ignored (I guess its understandable, im 18) or looked over for people with deeper pockets. It's cool cause it's mostly high end, but their prices are high end, too. I dunno, I've just never had good help there. Wondering what your experiences are with them...



I just started going there recently. So far so good. I know the manager there is fairly new. Very knowledgable though. For my mt biking stuff I use TrailHead and Passion, I seem to have to shop around for roadie stuff, but yes Sun has been good to me and they have also given me discounts. I think as they get to know you the better they get.


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## *Dude* (Feb 26, 2004)

You have Sloughs off of race street.. The Trek store off of capital... Sunshine bike shop in Morgan Hill... What is that you need done?


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## snapdragen (Jan 28, 2004)

Just looking for a more local shop - I'm tired of slogging my bike up to Los Altos when it needs work. Wheel Away is close to me.


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## *Dude* (Feb 26, 2004)

You also have Willow Glen bike shop off of Willow St.. or Hylands off of Meridian Ave..Might I suggest you visit them without your bike and see how they all feel since they are in your general area... If you pm me I can tell you a few things about a few of the shops...


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## snapdragen (Jan 28, 2004)

Hylands is off the list - been there, not impressed. I won't go into details. I forgot about Willow Glen Cycles.


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## *Dude* (Feb 26, 2004)

Hylands, No details needed it fits a specific need and they can have it.... You also have two shops in Los Gatos.. Summit Cycles and Crossroads


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## Number9 (Nov 28, 2004)

I second the recommendations for Slough's which is not far off the Meridian (north) exit on 280. It's on Race St. near Eduardo's Taqueria and the Race St. Fish Market, so you can get a good lunch across the street too.

Also, Shaw's Lightweight Cycles does good work too. It's in the back of a strip mall just off the Bascom (north) exit on 880 just north of where 280 and 680 intersect.

Both of these shops really know their stuff and they both help support the local race scene as well.


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## snapdragen (Jan 28, 2004)

Been to Shaw's. They're great if you are a racer, not so much for the average recreational cyclist. Again, no details, but my fit there did more damage than good.


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

snapdragen said:


> Been to Shaw's. They're great if you are a racer, not so much for the average recreational cyclist. Again, no details, but my fit there did more damage than good.


I like Cupertino Bike shop, of all the shops in that area.


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## Number9 (Nov 28, 2004)

snapdragen said:


> Been to Shaw's. They're great if you are a racer, not so much for the average recreational cyclist. Again, no details, but my fit there did more damage than good.


Terry Shaw was a road and track racer himself (and still coaches the noob sessions at the velodrome), so I'm not surprised at his racer bias in fittings, but nonetheless, they do a great job with maintenance, wheel building, etc., so for that stuff, they should still be fine. I also like George over at Slough's. I do almost all my own wrenching, but when I have a tough problem that requires specialty tools, I almost always go to one of these two shops and have never been disappointed.


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## grrrah (Jul 22, 2005)

smw said:


> I just started going there recently. So far so good. I know the manager there is fairly new. Very knowledgable though. For my mt biking stuff I use TrailHead and Passion, I seem to have to shop around for roadie stuff, but yes Sun has been good to me and they have also given me discounts. I think as they get to know you the better they get.


hmm.. hey sean, The wrenching at sun is good. I don't really care fore the new manager. Sun used to be my LBS when Mike was still there, but he moved to (forgot the name) in Palo Alto now. Ive gone back to sun a couple times since, and have recieved similar treatment to Stumpy_Steve. Sun does have a bunch of small parts crammed in their inventory, so I go back when looking for specific parts, but the last time, I knew exactly what I wanted, and the new mgr was trying to tell me different. And yes, the more they know you, the better they treat you.. too bad I always dealt with Mike.

as for wheelaway, my experiences pretty much echo others here. only been there for parts, but seem like a good shop.


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## CrankyMonkey (Jul 8, 2007)

I'm not to crazy with Summit, every time I get my MTB back from them something is always screwed up. They are the main reason I ended up learning how to wrench on my own bikes. The best thing you could do is get a bike stand, some tools and a good maintenance book. Bikes are simple machines and really easy to work on.

I've heard good things about Willow Glen and Cupertino Bikes. I would also check out Calabasas in Cupertino, I just bought a threaded freewheel from them and they seemed really cool. What about Mike's Bikes? I've yet to visit them but I just saw a commercial on TDF.


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## CrankyMonkey (Jul 8, 2007)

I've had good experiences with the Bike Doctor too: www.thebikedoctor.net. His prices are extremely fair, his work is top notch and he turns around your bike the same day. You can also drop it off at one of his corporate repair days to avoid the house call fee.


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