Handlebars Cycle Company

I’ve been in the market for a new hybrid bike for a while now. At the end of last summer I ventured to Handlebars and unfortunately they were closed. In a pinch, my friend and I went to Bert’s instead. BOO! The staff was so unhelpful… I asked the differences between two bikes, and the young hipster worker literally said «Hmm I don’t know»… So that was a bust.
Now that the weather is finally breaking, I headed back to Handlebars. I was in the market for a Giant, and was disappointed when entering to hear that they no longer carry Giant– but only their sister brand Trek. The worker was EXTREMELY informative however, even gave my friend and I a hands-​on demo of how to remove the tire on her bike and re attach it. When he went to get a sample model of the Trek I was most interested in, he came back with great news. They had ONE Giant left in the basement from their inventory… and would knock the price down for me as it was the last one and they wanted to get rid of it. It was a model higher than what I really needed, but he was quick to explain the different features to me and it turned out to be a great deal for the price he offered me.
I couldn’t get enough of the good feels while in Handlebars. The staff REALLY know their stuff and I can’t wait to pick up my new wheels on Friday!

No nonsense shopping. You can get the best advice, the best price in town and the best service on your bike. I have purchased 2 bikes for myself. One for my husband and one for my 10 year old son. Every time both myself and my family was taken care of.
No upsell. I was asked questions about what kind of riding I do and what might suit me well. I was given choices and options and able to make a decision on my time. Handlebars was responsive to my emails, phone calls and questions. I have visited every shop in town and Handlebars is the place for me.

The owner was very rude, I walked in with cash to buy a nice bike. After the owner belittled me I left and went to another store and bought the bike.

I’ve gone in here a few times, and I am feeling pretty mixed about this place.
On the one hand, they have one of the best locations for actually trying a bicycle out, and I was able to test ride the bike I was interested in for a good test. They allow you to go around the neighborhood and not just inside the store or their parking lot.
On the other hand, I’d best describe their customer service as indifferent. I’m totally cool with low pressure environments, but all of the times I’ve come in to ask questions, I just got the impression that I was a little burdensome to the staff. I suspect they do a lot of business with their higher-​end brand customers, and perhaps are less interested in the low-​end commuter types like me.
Their overall selection of accessories is pretty okay, consisting mainly of manufacturer accessories. I have no current experience with their repair shop.

I brought my bike in twice for the same flat tire. They fixed it the second time for free, but it went flat again. I’ve only been riding for a year so I trusted the «experts» in a highly rated bike shop to know how to properly fix the problem. They didn’t. Or didn’t care to. 3 flat tires on a row is incredibly frustrating. They were never too friendly either.

Wow… talk about poor customer service. I stopped in because I was looking for a specific brand, which they carried. I could see right away they had the brand, but not the bike I was specifically looking for. When someone finally got around to helping me… (I was the only customer in the store) The girl could barely answer my questions before trying to walk away. I asked about the model I researched on line and she said they don’t have that one… started to walk away… um… could you order it if I wanted it? Well I don’t know if they owners want to get into a bike like that… What the hell does that mean??? I go in to a business to drop easily $ 2000 and I get rude service. Well know what… this short, fat chick took her money elsewhere…

Great shop with excellent service, fair pricing, friendly and responsive staff. I was able to obtain pricing via email, required no haggle. They had what I wanted, gave me the best price in town and treated me with respect. Prior to my visit at Handlebars I stopped at another shop, however they were not competitive with pricing.
The selection of bikes is surprisingly good for a small shop. They asked me the type of riding that I do, since I knew what I wanted, they did not try to give me a sales pitch and upsell. Handlebars was responsive.
Update: I recommended Handlebars to friends and they were not impressed with the customer services. I also returned back recently with my bike for a tune-​up. Came home and noticed some minor issues. Things that should not have happened after a tune-​up.

They are a good shop, but I’ve always felt they’re too busy and I’ve never experienced the type of attention or good prices other reviewers speak of. I get around via bike and I use it everyday so it is disappointing that they can never get to even minor repairs for a week or so. Where I go is not a specialty shop but I don’t have the 7 – 10 days to wait for Handlebars. I’ve called and asked nicely if a minor adjustment could be done to get me on the road that day and no deal. I will give the owner credit for replying to an email about the call but by then the work was done by someone else.
Recently I had an accident and their wait time was four days for an estimate. I went to Tom’s and they had lots of people in there but still did it in less than an hour. By the way, despite what this profile says, Handlebars does not rent bikes.

This is a great shop. They always have what I need and don’t treat me rudely like some shops in the area. Plenty of times I went to campus or ricks knowing exactly what I needed and they acted like I was an idiot. Go to handlebars!

This is the best bike shop in Buffalo. I have had nothing but great service and advice from the staff and continue to buy bikes from them. If you want a bike from a honest, hard working, and knowledgeable bike shop… look no further. If you want to pay to much, be treated like dirt, and get bad advice… go to Bert s Bikes or Tom s Pro Bikes. Handlebars maintain a European community bike shop feel, with a very nice selection of bikes. You will not be disappointed.

Great neighberhood bike shop. Very helpful staff, Peter has been excellent both with helping choose the right bike and with the servicing I have had since. Incredible how much better an experience than with a big chain store, very knowledgeable and helpful and have been terrific with service for several years now.

Honest, friendly service. Staff is very knowledgeable and always gives money off when you buy various items all together.
Have a great selection of medium to high priced bikes. When purchasing parts, they allow you to return parts for different sizes if its not what you need. Always enthusiastic about giving advice and recommendations. Lots of high end merch that you wouldnt expect to find on a random street in Kenmore.
They are true cycling enthusiasts at handlebars, and are not just looking to get commissions (like at Bert’s). They aren’t looking to sell you anything that isn’t best or safe for you.