JIM'S BICYCLES

On a rainy Thursday afternoon, I wanted to drop my mountain bike off for service. It was 6:15PM and the only place nearby that was open was Jim's. I brought in the bike and within 30 seconds someone was interacting with me, asking how they could help with my bike. I mentioned that I wanted a tune-up (adjustment of derailleurs, lubrication, brakes, tighten up the head bracket / bottom bracket if required, etc) and that my back wheel was wobbly. The service technician spun the back wheel once and said it was probably a broken spoke; then he quickly found it. Nice! He quoted me $49 for the tune-up and with it, the spoke would be $2. Turnaround time was quoted as 2 days. Saturday afternoon, we got the call that my bike was ready for pickup. (They are open until 6PM on Saturday) When I picked it up, I inspected the bike starting with the head bracket. The technician that worked on my bike remembered the work done, and immediately said that yes, the head bracket was loose and that he tightened it. I asked if they had adjusted the indexed shifters, they said yes and mentioned some other things that were also adjusted. Both the rims looked perfect, with no wobbly spots... good as new, better than they've been in years! Satisfied with their attention to detail and professionalism, I went to pay but they wanted me to take it for a spin first, to make sure I was 100% satisfied with their work. The front brakes did need to be tightened, they quickly tightened them (a hand adjustment) and said that was a matter of preference and that they usually leave them a little looser to allow for minor wobbles out on the trails. They put caps on my handlebar ends (the old ones were long gone on some singletrack somewhere). Total price with tax was $55.11 Before leaving, I asked about another bike in the $500 price range. They said for that price range I can get a decent mountain bike with front suspension (hardtail). (Almost all the bikes in the shop don't have price tags on them, or at least none that I could see.) According to the owner, the bikes they sell are all functional and cost-effective (that's my style). At least one of the well-known brands that starts with a "C" was not represented in their shop. There were a couple of used bikes we looked at, both with full suspension. We discussed the components on each, what was good and bad, and the relative shape each bike was in. They let me test drive (outside) the bike I was most interested in. I mentioned the front suspension seemed spongy, they said that can be adjusted and it probably needed some air. We didn't end up looking at any new bikes because I had somewhere to be. Overall a great experience. Will definitely be back for service and when I'm ready to buy another bike I'll start my search there. The people working there (and the owner) have the right attitude. They are genuinely interested in making their customers happy and they're competent. Combined with reasonable prices and extended hours compared to the other guys makes this bike shop an easy recommendation.

The owner of the store described the attributes of my choice, encouraged me to try the bike outside, which I did. I purchased the bicycle. The important thing is the quality of service. They got the bike ready for me promptly, made sure it was a good fit, explained the shifting and braking system etc. They also installed the accessories I purchased. Everyone in the shop has a great attitude. The buying experience was enjoyable and I really love the bicycle.