Bicycle Johns

This place is great. Needed help with a flat tire and they hooked it up.

John and John Q. are great guys, despite a few bad reviews I’ve seen here. I’ve been solely going here for the past 7 years — I got my 2 road bikes, 2 drivetrains, and 2 pairs of wheels through them, and haven’t ever had any problems — certainly not with the fellas. They’re some of the best people I know. I’m sure there are «Ego Weiners» that come in all pissy because their wives hate them, then go and take their Fat-​Aggressions out through negative Unilocal reviews in order to feel better, but I haven’t EVER experienced a problem.
They’ve worked on my road bike (s), and mountain bike alike — and are very good mechanics. If there’s some mechanical mystery problem (as there often is), they’re immediately on the phone with the manufacturers figuring it out.
If I have a problem, they fix it. If I’m not happy with something, they do whatever it takes until I’m satisfied. The shop also carries pretty much everything you need whether you’re a newbie, or a professional cyclist and if they don’t something you want — they can get it.
I highly recommend this place.

Extremely rude service on multiple occasions. I’ve gone to this shop for years even though I’ve gotten very condescending talk from the main guy there. The others are nice enough but the owner is extremely rude.
I went in today to buy a set of tires and took my son with me. As we were talking, my son was looking around, he knows better than to mess with things at stores. The guy very rudely yelled at him to «not mess with anything» I didn’t appreciate his tone so I told my son we were leaving. I informed him he had lost my business and he laughed and said «Good, I don’t need it.»
This isn’t the first rude encounter with this guy but I’ve always wanted to support my LBS and have bought many items here at a higher price than I could have received on-​line. Today I realized this place doesn’t want my business so I’ll be shopping elsewhere.

I love going to this shop. John has worked on all three of my bikes. I trust him with my old 1969 Raleigh to my Diamondback mountain bike. Always fast, courteous and fairly priced. I can depend on being welcomed with a friendly smile. Bicycle Johns has that old neighborhood feel like your in a friends garage that has all the best tools. My Doberman is always welcome too!

I was very nervous buying my first bike. John Q helped me, and he is unbelievable. Spent an incredible amount of time with me, answering all my questions. I have gone back several times for additional accessories and advice, and he has always made himself available. I wouldn’t go anywhere else!

This bobo place. I’m a three star minimum kind of guy, because I’m pretty easy to please, but this place can have my discontentment, and I’m confident they can keep it too.
I paid a fair price for an old Raleigh road bike, because my regular commuter had just been stollen, and I need a very big frame to suit my tall self. They had this one, ready to go, and I was working in the area.
The guy replaced the tires, spun the spokes and installed a rack for me, but once I test rode it, I noticed the brakes had little to no effect, and mentioned it to him. This fraudulent dog actually said the following: «oh those old brakes are designed to slow you down». It was such a convoluted sack of crap statement that I actually accepted it out of sheer confusion.
For the next couple months, I damn near wrapped myself around every erratic vehicle in my daily commute (which in L.A. is all of them), cursing that cork sucker every damn time. BRAKES ARE MEANT FOR STOPPING, END OF STORY, YOU NITWIT.
Whatever, I made due until one day the back wheel started feeling kind of jangly and tough (the thing never really rode too smooth – heavy and stiff as it is – the best things about it are the tires and the kick stand). I kept adjusting the rear wheel and tightening it as needed, until one particular climb did the frame in, severed it clean where the axle sits. It took me a while to figure out what was going on, and when I finally did, I walked the damn thing home.
I made arrangements to bring the bike to them, hoping to get on the right track, and the same guy promised he’d have his acquaintance weld shut the gap, even though I actually felt pretty done with the whole transaction.
Now I understand completely that things happen, but that was a month ago, and I don’t do well without a bike in L.A., it drives me mad. Luckily I brought a little hand me down to a local bike shop (Ryky’s) and got it all tuned up and running like a reliable champ for half the price of what I paid for the Raleigh. It’s small though, and hurts my back, but it’s better than nothing.
I had to call this cork sucker myself to find out that nothing had been done yet. Bad business. I hope someone takes the time to read this long-​winded sob story and elects an L.A. shop where they’ll have you riding, not dumbfounded. I recommend Raffi’s Bicycles in Highland Park, or Ryky’s Bike Shop in Lincoln Heights otherwise. Maybe this place is good for the dawdling show boaters who ride up to nowhere on weekends.

Great service, quick and cheap. That’s all you can ask for. I don’t know people are complaining about the guys are friendly and help you get what you need and out.

The owner, John and the other employees are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. They refitted my road bike for my first triathlon and talked me down from buying excessive gear, making sure I got the most out of spending the least. They were an absolute pleasure to learn from. I will definitely be coming here for ALL of my future bike needs!

I like going to Bicycle John’s. You can hang for a minute and chat. These guys are here because they love bikes. Probably not a joint for hipster kids, but middle age guys who like riding will have a good time here. I’ve bought two high end bikes here, took my friends here, and just picked my bike up, tuned and squeaky clean. John Q handed me a couple of gels on the wAy out the door…

Very bad business… The man at the counter is condescending and unhelpful
I asked the man if they sold bags and hats and gave me a look like I asked him a stupid question. Bike stores should carry bags specific to biking!
Also I bought the crank bros gem long hand pump maybe a month back. I got it for the just in case. I’m very good with not getting flats I have gator skins and heavy duty tubes. But ya never know! Never fly to close to the sun they say haha. Well… I over payed for it of course. Ugh AND when I was going to use it on my friends wheel when we went on a ride few days ago the dam thing had an internal rubber piece missing. Honestly the worst bike store. Today I looked at the crank brothers website to maybe see if I’m just not using the pump correctly and I notice in the plan-​a-​gram that you need to have a rubber piece in your pump.
I don’t know what to do I’d like to have my product replaced or something but if anything please do not come here. These people are condescending and very unhelpful.

Horrible customer service. Hell, the one time I walked should have kept me from trying another day. Go to H&S. At least they have a good attitude.

I don’t know why this place gets bad reviews. I guess my need was fairly simple? Walked in asked for spin shoes and the man behind the counter smiled and told me, «there’s no such thing» he said I needed «cycling» shoes. Spin classes with clip in pedals require the same gear as an avid cyclist. Now I understand. so he fitted me with a nice girly pair that would accommodate both LOOK & SPD clips. He kindly screwed the clips in and off I went. I am more than happy with my experience.

1 star based on staff’s attitude and lack of customer service. Our bikes were being shipped out from this store for a triathlon in Hawaii– I fund-​raised for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through TNT and this was my 2^nd year.
I live in Thousand Oaks– which is about 45minutes away on a good day, but we had to drop off our bikes by wednesday at 5pm. Traffic was horrible, so getting there already put me in a bad mood.
I walk into the store– I see two men loading bikes into their shop– from what I assume are from the drop off as well. I’m standing there for almost 5 minutes, playing with their store dog, waiting to get greeted and finally I said it– «I’m here to drop off my bike». One guy looks at me and my bike and says– you need to take off your pedals. I asked him kindly if he can help since I didn’t have the tools to remove them.
He grabs my bike, starts removing the pedals in disdain since apparently it was difficult (he made all these grunty noises). Hands me my pedals and says I owe him $ 8. Seriously, if you had told me it was $ 8, I would just have asked to borrow a tool and do it myself.
He asks me to sign my tags. Hands me my receipt and I’m on my way…
Going forward about 2 weeks– a day after my race– my Coach gets a call that Bicycle Johns doesn’t want take our bikes back. I was so relieved that I would never have to step foot in that store again. Luckily, bikes were shipped back to a closer area and to one of my favorite bike shops in Ventura– Performance Bicycle– who have set the standard for being a knowledgeable, helpful, direct, but also a friendly store. I would also recommend Helen’s Cycles too!

Excellent bike shop, John is very helpful and knowledgeable! He spent a week helping me find the right bike, his patience is immeasurable. Unfortunately, the bike was to big and my budget was not enough for what I was looking to purchase. However, I will be back to purchase the bike that im looking for. Their prices are competitive and overall a quality shop. Ignore the people who are rating them below their true value and standard. This is a one stop shop; don’t go anywhere else.

Went to a nearby cycle shop first that had no inventory and was too crowded to take any time to even notice me, let alone help me. Then I went to John’s, and got exactly what I wanted. I was looking to get sized for a pure fix bike, and ended up walking out with the perfect bike, with some modifications done quickly and at minimal cost. Anything they didn’t have they ordered and made sure I got exactly what I wanted. No one tried to oversell me or pitch me things I didn’t need. Just great service and knowledgeable guys helping me get what I want. A great bike shop.

Great shop, excellent service. Thank you Bicycle John for helping me with my rear wheel, much appreciated.

One of the worst bike stores I have ever been too. The owner asked me to hurry up because I was fixing my bike in the store??? even though I bought a stem and tube. You have to pay for everything! $ 5 for the help??? And at the end he wouldn’t even give me a small sticker, Thanks douchebags!

Bicycle John’s provides excellent customer service. They explain every step, they don’t corner you into one specific company product. John Q is an excellent salesman. He talks with you as you’re his friend, no pressure and he’s very knowledgable with years of experience.

Having gone to a number of hi end professional bike stores, I can tell you all of them have a certain style. Bicycle John’s is no different. You won’t get a handshake and a hug here. What you will get is outstanding historical information, and mechanical aptitude for your bike.
There are only a limited number of shops that can make really delicate racing bikes run like a clock. There is some kind of intuition required to really get it right, Bicycle John’s is one of those shops. I can’t recommend them more highly!

So this review is for the course of a year. Yes it is true that this bike shop can be snobby when discussing details of a bike, however yes this bike shop is amazing. In 2013 I walked into the shop with my uncle to fix a broken spoke on my old univega for commuting to work and school. At first they didnt want to do it and said it would cost up to $ 100 to fix the bike and replace the components and cables. OK. They then said well why dont you browse around –the salesmen pitch– I said yes. And thats when I saw my bike, and fell in love. They made sure it was my size and one week later I paid for the bike 1700 cash after john and my brother negotiated. John dropped the price heavily because it was a retired model and he threw in two tubes, some chews, and a $ 120 abus lock he ordered for a catalog.
At first the people I there looked at me like some little kid who had a dream of biking to san fran. Before and after my ride to san fran they gave me a complete top to bottom tune up for free. AS WELL AS remove the big dent in my new rims after a driver ran me off the road into a storm drain in San Luis Obispo.
Enter my past couple experiences in the previous months… perfect. I came in for a longer brake nut for a different bike. Showed them my part, and nonchalantly handed me a new brake nut. I said how much? He said dont worry about it. Walked out happy.
And now to today. My rear rim began clicking, my dérailleur cable became frayed, shifting was getting sketchy, and my wheels needed to be true. I took it in expecting it to take at least two days and they would call me. Immediatly they said, lets get a stand up and fix you (since all stands were filled in the mechanic area). To his assistant he said, «you do the rims while I do the cable ans then we tune it up?» And he looked at me and said, «call us in thirty minutes.» I returned in thirty minutes and it was just being finished.
My cable was brand new (even matched the cable stop to the color of my bike which made me smirk), my gears were tuned perfectly, my rims were true, and he explained that the clicking was my cassette and 2^nd gear was sticky and if I rode comfortably on it and it didnt bother I was fine. If I didnt like it, we could think about replacing the cassette.
All in all I was shocked at the price. Thought it would be at least $ 60, if not $ 80. The final price of truing my rims, cable, and tuned gears was a wopping $ 20. They didnt charge me for truing as it wasnt a big deal for them to do it. $ 4 for the cable, $ 16 for the tuning of gears plus labor. I used to hate this shop because of their «pro cycling» attitude but once they know you love riding they relax and try to help you build your bike well.