Ski Market

These folks gave me some very poor advice on both skis and boots a few years ago. Despite much discussion of my skiing abilities (and lack thereof) the choices were not at all well suited to my needs. Furthermore, the boots ended up not fitting well. There was some alleged guarantee that they would make any necessary changes to improve the fit, but even so they didn’t care much to help out when I came back to complain and I was charged for replacement insoles.
I was not the slightest bit upset to see them go out of business.

Bummer, this is a part of history for me. I worked here while I was in college back in the 80s. It was super convenient because I was @ BU SFA, and they had great employee perks. I was able to demo skis for free, took advantage of a great employee discount, worked with some really fun people (including Xmas parties at the Harvard Club), and scored some great direct rep discounts, like a $ 150 pair of Vuarnets for $ 25.00. I know they eventually went down hill, but I really enjoyed my time there. RIP!

Took my skis in for binding mounts and because the bindings were purchased at the Ski Expo from a Ski Market vendor… they gave me a $ 20.00 discount. I paid $ 30.00 for the mount and paid up front. Four days later, the skis were ready and even though I’d lost the receipt that proved I had paid for them already… they went ahead and released my skis to me no problem.
More recently, I found myself in need of snowpants and the hunt began. Now… it bothers me that snowpants actually cost more than what I paid for my brand new skis online… however…being in a pinch, I had to go ahead and swallow the cost. I found a pair that fit perfectly… and lo and behold… there was a pair on the 20% off rack for $ 72.99 instead of $ 90.00. Still effin ridiculously, but what can you do? Good selection of stuff… just super pricey. I maintain that online shopping is the way to go…

I leased skis for my 2 daughters about $ 99 each. They made me charge the full price for new skis (about $ 500). Said when I return it in the spring they’d credit me the difference. Got a letter today they DECLARED CHAPTER 11. Called the store, I will NOT get any refund and any product purchsed they can’t give a refund. Great– now I’ve got 2 used kids ski’s I could have bought at thier NEW LIST price.
Don’t buy anything from this place. Legal– Caveat emptor!!!

Big Mistake. My fault– didn’t listen to brain. Heard that Ski Market was going chapter 11. THIS was the warning that brain heard but didn’t process. Maybe I’m nostalgic or something. They have been around forever, and I worked there when I was 20 building bikes one Summer (braintree). Here is the deal — I went in with my skis and my wife’s skis to get them tuned up. No imminent sign of their demise so, «okay» I think to myself. They tell me 48 hours after 5pm on Wednesday. $ 35 for the tune each plus $ 10 apiece rust removal from the edges. Total is $ 90. Again, «okay». Never heard of rust removal from the edges. Isn’t that what edging does? Get the skis, leave. An hour later we are up in Wenham at a place called «Sport Stop» — Since 1924 y’all. Looking at boots as Ski Market had nothing to choose from. We bring the skis in for the boot fitter Matt to have a look at. He is appalled at the work. He describes them as having been hit with a belt sander. Nice. We buy boots there, very happy with the fit and he surfaces and tunes the skis over for us for free while we wait. Awesome experience. Long and short of it — stay away from Ski Market while it is in chapter 11 and maybe longer. I called to let them know about the sub standard workmanship and she told me she could not give me any sort of refund because of the Chapter 11 situation. So, beware!

Update: Really? Seriously?
I managed to buy myself a second new pair of skis this season (maybe I should be in that movie with Isla Fischer??) that were pretty cheap. Again due to convenience and location, I brought them here to have the bindings mounted. It was not until I had them home that I realized the bindings were mounted in two different places. Now, I understand this is a high volume place, but REALLY? The skis were fixed promptly while I waited, I was refunded, and given a voucher for 5 free tunes. But honestly, after that second notsogreat experience, I’m wary of even having tunes done here, especially on my pricier pair of skis. I suppose I’ll give them 1 last try on tuning my cheaper skis, but they’ve got one strike till they’re out in my book.

Service is hit or miss, depending on how busy it is and how much time the staff can devote to answering your questions. Product selection is pretty good… they have major discounts at the end of the winter. I bought my snowboard bindings, snowboard bag and my ski boots here… all at bargain prices. I got my snowboard bindings mounted here too, though I leave the tune-​ups to the Ski Market in Woburn (less crowded, park right in front of the entrance). Pro– check out Underground Snowboard as well. Con– it’s always annoying looking for a place to park on the street.

I used to like this place, but now I’m left on Friday night with no skis and weekend plans that included skiing. I dropped them off last Friday, thinking I could have them to ski Monday, but they were «swamped» so they told me they’d be ready by 5PM Monday. At 4PM Monday I had a message from the guy telling me they were odd bindings so it was going to take some extra time. Fine I thought because I wasn’t going to come before the next Friday after work. I get there tonight — and he told me he couldn’t mount them. I just wish that he’d told me THAT on Monday so I could have taken them to an authorized Atomic dealer. I’m beyond bummed and even more bummed that I will now take all of my business elsewhere — I even bought boots there last month!

I was really impressed with the customer service I received here. I went in looking to buy new ski boots, explained that I don’t need top-​of-​the-​line equipment since I only ski a few times a year, but that my old boots needed to retire. The guy who helped me completely listened to what I said and didn’t try to up-​sell me. He made suggestions without being pushy, and explained everything along the way. I wound up buying boots, poles and padded socks, all at a reasonable price.
I returned later that afternoon with my skis and my new boots so that I could get my bindings adjusted. I expected to leave everything behind and pick it up in a couple of days, but was pleasantly surprised when they agreed to make my adjustments while I waited! I was in and out in 20 minutes!
Become a member and get all sorts of coupns emailed to you– I saved 20% on my gear!

I often wander in to browse the ski goods if I’m nearby and I’m usually disappointed. There’s not much here unless you’re interested in the über-​trendy boarder threads or pretty-​but-​non-​finctional-​and-​overpriced gear. Still, I decided to give them a chance today while on my first search for alpine touring gear. I had done some research before and so I kinda knew what to expect but also that I had a lot to learn. However, after waiting for 15min (this was a Sat afternoon) to get to talk to a sales rep, the only thing I learned was that he knew less than I did. No way I was going to let him do my boot fitting. Major points off. During my wait, I browsed the ski selection and mostly saw skis that were rated highly by the top magazines… which is good, but I usually expect the store to do some of their own screening too. Minor points off. And the prices — eh. I can do better.
Point: Should probably change their name to Bike Market
If you still want to buy from them, their biggest sale happens at the Boston Ski and Snowboard Expo in mid/​late November. Come early, leave happy.

This is a review only for the Bike Shop section of the store.
Surprisingly the majority of Hybrid bike’s that you’ll find in Allston are Trek’s. There are some other miscellaneous brands, but for the most part it’s all Trek’s.
I wasn’t really expecting anything different when I walked into Ski Market. But lo and behold, instead of the ubiquitous Trek they had some quite nice Marin’s.
The personnel was also very modest and helpful. They didn’t hover but let me and a friend wander around before trying to give us the sales pitch. The bike toy invenotry wasn’t that unique or diverse but just the fact that they had a couple of different brands from the norm bumped them up to four stars.
If your shopping for a bike, stop by here just see some more selection, they might have what you’re looking for.

24 hour bike rentals for $ 25, includes bike, helmet and U-​Lock.
Open earlier and has cheaper rates than Landry’s Bicycles.
Great customer service too.

Alright, so this place is a ski market, but I’m reviewing their bike shop. I came here because I was looking for a place in reasonable walking distance to my house since my bikes were out of commission and when I’m a pedestrian I have a pretty small travel radius. I saw the «BIKE SHOP» sign out front, and wandered inside.
I’ve only had my bikes serviced here and didn’t come to purchase anything, but I’ve got two things to say:
1. Bike servicing:
I think the mechanics here are fine. Their work seems thorough and I haven’t caught anything weird since using them. I feel like ever since biking has become a fashion passion instead of just a personal passion, more and more cyclists and cycle shops are sporting attitude. Not here. I felt comfortable asking questions and got useful answers. Prices are pretty good, especially compared to Landry’s next door — you can check services and prices on the whiteboard when you enter. I had my bike reassembled for $ 35 (hourly labor rate is $ 35) and they didn’t charge me an extra fee for receiving a shipment like Landry’s would have.
2. Bike shop:
Like I said, I didn’t come here to shop for bike equipment, but I probably wouldn’t. I feel like when the name of your store is «Ski Market,» being a bike shop is sort of an add-​on — and their selection reflects that. The stuff I browsed (rear racks) matched going prices I’d seen elsewhere, but if you like options or want to be sure they’ll have the accessory you want, I’d check a shop that’s focussed on being a bike shop.
Summary:
Bike servicing — 2 – 3 stars
Bike shopping — 2 – 3 stars
EDIT 5÷24÷2009
Alright, after bringing my bike back here a few times to try to fix a persistent rubbing brake, I’m not planning on coming back again. The staff here are always very friendly and aim to be helpful, but like I said, it took three visits to get the problem fixed, and I didn’t realize until I was on the street that it was left uneven and far too loose. I stuck with the shop for the prices, but this time I really didn’t get what I paid for.

We went here for the bike swap. There was none. The guy said there was a ‘lack of response’. They should have called it off at least but whatever, we looked at their regular bikes. The prices seem pretty standard, their selection pretty meh. The service is where it all went to hell.
At this time I hadn’t been on a bike in 10+ years so what the hell do I know about them? My price range was «too low» which was basically the last thing I heard from them. (Again, what the hell do I know, the last time I bought a bike was never since my parents bought it) So glad I suffered a trip on the B line to head out there.

Oddly enough, I bought my bike from here last summer. That seems weird considering there’s a bigger store close by but I found exactly what I was looking for here. Their 6 months free tune up service was very helpful. Each tune up usually costs $ 50 so thats $ 100 saved right there. One star taken away for this — I went in to buy a floor bike pump a while back and they were out of them. Out of any bike pump — thats weird for a bike store.

Yeah when I see a sign that says Ski Market I know that is the place that I want to buy my bike from. I actually kept getting it confused with landry’s and I thought that it was strange that it seemed as if they had more bikes when you walked by outside then when you actually went in. They don’t have an amasing variety but they do offer some good models. Service can vary as one time I went in and wandered around and felt ignored and another time I was approached by multiple people in a friendly manner. Prices aren’t great but they do have some good sales from time to time.
The straight-​bikes and gear and sports equipment
What’s good-​good sales
The slap-​service that varies, no real bargains.

My wife rented skis from them last season and while it was cheaper and more convenient than renting at the ski slope, the boots weren’t the greatest and pinched her. The best part about this place is that they offer day trips to area ski resorts that include bus ride and lift ticket. You can go with them to Killington for $ 60…that’s cheaper than just a lift ticket.