ARB Cyclery

I don’t have many Unilocal reviews, in fact, I just went on a small review binge so that this one hopefully gains some more credibility.
What can I say about my experience with ARB? Not enough really. Customer/​Client service in any industry goes such a long way, and ARB excels at this.
Imagine if you had a good friend that started up a business, any business. Say a new restaurant, golf course, a brewery, car dealer, guitar store? Now, say this good friend of yours is or became an expert in cycling and opened up a bike shop, but not just any shop, specialty boutique shop that offered top of the line products and inside knowledge.
This is ARB Cyclery, and if you come here, you can truly say you have a friend in the cycling industry.
I’ve only had one «hiccup» with them, which was easily remedied. Basically, I was coming in to pick up my bike after a refit, and expected it to be ready (because I was told it was going to be). It wasn’t, so I was disappointed because I was going to go ride, so they dropped what they were doing and did my adjustments right then and there.
Again, I could go on and make a long winded review here about how great this shop really is, but I’ll try to make this readable. I moved to Orange County last summer, with only high school mountain biking as my experience. That was 20 years ago. I’m more of a runner. Although ARB’s specialty outwardly screams road bike, they know a lot about mountain as well. Anyway, I knew nothing about road bikes. I did a TON of research on my own to find a good shop and bike for when I moved into OC. I found ARB and never looked back. The shop guided my every step and did not pounce on my novice experience. There was no pressure to sell/​buy. They really let me integrate cycling into my life at my pace/​discretion/​interest. Let’s just say I really took the momentum and ran with it.err.rode with it. 10 months later, I’m doing Belgian Waffle Ride, the full one. I can’t do this without ARB’s help.
I’m going to be moving soon, and leaving ARB’s vicinity is one of the huge drawbacks. I plan on keeping them as my home bike shop, and will seek them out whether I visit or move back to OC.
You MUST check out ARB Cyclery. Whether you plan on being a simple recreational rider or have delusions of pain and grandeur, ARB will get you there. The network of riders you encounter will add to this. I’m a lifelong cyclist now and have no doubt ARB played a huge role in it.

My rental experience was awesome from start to finish. I rented a Bianchi Intenso for Memorial weekend and it was incredibly fun. The bike’s shifting was buttery smooth, it was in perfect operating condition and was a super comfortable ride. Jason helped me take care of the paperwork upon arrival quickly, and offered me ride routes and maps to get me started. An older gentleman (I can’t recall his name) got me set up with the specs I had emailed for my fit so it was ready to go upon arrival. I picked up the bike late on a Thursday and was able to get solo rides in that evening and Friday. On Saturday, I met at the shop for the group ride that starts at ARB and Tony took care of me by lubing the chain, airing up the tires, and making sure everything was in good order prior to taking off. As for the group riders, I could not have been luckier to find such a fun bunch of guys to ride with. The coffee, donuts and conversation following the ride at the shop put a bow on the end of a perfect ride. I got one more ride in Sunday and when I dropped off the bike in the afternoon, I was met with smiles, more coffee and cookies. Definitely a shop with a business plan after my own heart. I could not recommend this shop more highly, especially having rental experiences in other states that felt more ho-​hum than memorable.

This is the best place to purchase a bike. I have been visiting different bike shops for quite a while. Many of the other shops were professional, but the personnel lacked sincerity. Tony the manager who sold me my mountain bike is knowledgable, professional and a truly caring individual. Bruce the head mechanic explained the workings of my bike with patience. He talked to me, not down to me. Now I know why they have terrific Unilocal reviews. In the future when I purchase a new road bike, I will be sure to contact Tony.

When I was a freshman in high school (about 4 years ago) I came into this shop during a ride with my dad soon after I started cycling. I was riding a very old steel Trek and was looking to buy my first road bike. I walked into the store and bought a tube or something and was asking Tony for advice on the bikes I had researched and after talking for a while he gave my his business card so I could ask him anymore questions I could come up with later. Note that I had absolutely no intention of buying one of the expensive bikes from the shop and he knew this and still was very helpful.
I emailed Tony later and had a long exchange about which bikes I would be interested in (again, he never pressured me to try to buy a more expensive bike from the shop). After a while, I eventually asked if I could be an apprentice at the shop (I know, this isn’t 1200AD, I was young). He declined (politely, and looking back that did sound a little weird), and offered to give me a bunch of his old bike clothes he presumably didn’t wear anymore. So Tony ended up giving this person who came in to buy a bike tube and didn’t have a decent bike or bike clothes tons of advice and ~$ 300-​$ 400 of his personal used clothes (2 bib shorts, 3 jerseys, and a windbreaker). I was looking at the email chain again, today, 4 years later, and told him that he was the most generous person I had ever known. Honestly, after all of these years, I think he might actually be the most generous person I’ve known. Seriously. I really think one of the reasons that I got into cycling was because of his gift of clothes (try riding 100 miles in shorts), and I can never repay that.
Whenever I need a part or gels or something and am in the area I always go by ARB and they are always helpful. I am seriously indebted to how amazing their staff has been and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay that.
NOTE: If you’re wondering why I’m posting this now I was on a ride today and realized that I am still riding in Tony’s old clothes to this day :)

I moved away from OC a year ago, but ARB Cyclery is one of the business I miss being local to. They’ve formed an amazing community for cyclists and their store is a great place to call home base. I was new to cycling when I first visited ARB, but their staff and inventory covers everything from the needs of someone just getting into cycling to a seasoned professional.

I haven’t purchased a bicycle from ARB, but I’ve had awesome experiences with Bruce, one of the bike mechanics there. He’s a straight shooting guy that genuinely loves bikes with a ton of knowledge. ARB recently helped me build a bike for my fiancée. The frame was a BMC Pure PR0 and we built it out with a 105 groupset and bunch of other goodies. ARB transformed it from a pile of parts to a precise machine in 1.5 days; couldn’t believe it. Not only that, but I was missing a rare seat clamp piece on the bike, and Bruce was able to find that one part to make it work. Love this shop!

great service and support, especially as i have had trouble with my bike. they were diligent about going to bat for me regarding a warranty repair. shout out to tony, les and steve for their excellent support.

New to the area, needed air in my tires the morning of a group bike ride. Even as a drop in to the shop, they offered to help me get my bike out of the car, reviewed how to release my front wheel and after noticing my chain was dry, oiled without charge. Friendly, knowledgable, great service !!! Thank you …

To be honest, I don’t usually write positive reviews. Usually it’s poor customer service or ridiculous prices that motivate me to wrath in spaces like this.
I spent about 2 months in late 2015 looking for a quality road bike to replace the inexpensive one I’ve been riding for two years (8,000 miles). Determining how I felt about a ton of widely subjective and objective options led me to visit a half-​dozen stores, most in San Diego, for an education.
Of the sales folk I met, the ones at ARB4U in Irvine impressed me the most with their product knowledge, attention to detail and genuine interest in helping me choose a bike.
During my first visit on a Sunday, Jesus and Karlie patiently described their brands’ features and let me ride one I was leaning toward.
During the next two weeks, Tony responded by email to my myriad questions on components, shoes, pedals, warranties, prices and related items. He always responded right away, including the night before I was to pick up my bike when in the evening I sent a last-​minute question that, it turned out, he had already answered.
Basically he allayed my worries on a host of topics, giving me the confidence to buy.
I remember after making the big deposit how anxious I was about bike delivery.
Tony sent me the tracking number and then, when the bike arrived and his team set it up, he emailed me a photo of the bike.
Even though Tony warned me the bike probably would not be ready for pickup for two weeks, I actually received it one week after making the deposit.
And when I picked up the bike, he personally gave me some important pointers on replacing tubes that I had never heard, and he helped me get used to clipping in and out of the new pedals.
Why would a San Diego resident travel 100 miles to buy a bicycle in another city? The team at ARB4U, that’s why.

After 15 yrs of not riding, I walked into the shop with my first love, a Serrota Atlanta. I expected to get looks for bringing in a steel bike. I was greeted instead with enthusiasm and a desire to get me back on my bike. Four months and a bike fit later, I left the shop a very pleased owner of a BMC SLR02. Now eight months later I participate in as many shop events that I am able. Bottom line is that ARB4U staff are professional, knowledgeable, patient, welcoming and a hell of a lot of fun. I’ll support any brick and mortar shop over an internet site when I can get the kind of service and support that I’ve found at ARB4U.

I came here for a bike fit and left a very happy customer. I had been having many comfort issues and toe numbness during longer rides and decided it was time. Barrett helped me tune my bike for a perfect fit as well as make sure my shoes/​cleats were properly placed.
The attention to detail and level service was bar none.
Highly recommend the service and the shop itself is clean, organized, and stocked with good stuff. I’ll be coming back for sure!

First time in this bike shop. Great, very attentive customer service, and just a really cool vibe. I thought the shop may only cater to road bikes but there is a large variety of bikes, and they fixed and tuned up my 5-year-old’s small bicycle.

It remains a mystery to me as to why a road bike 4u has consistently been voted as one of the best bicycle shops in America. (I read about this in a bicycle magazine and got curious enough to come back here)
My three visits here cannot be anymore contradictory to other Unilocal Reviews. Maybe I just consistently visited this shop during the «bad» hours?
Every single time I dropped in, there were always people hanging out and eating on the right side. No one from that side has ever greeted me or offered assistance. When I turned to the left, the one person manning the counter was either on the phone or going to the services area. The fit room is always busy. The service guys doing their things and would never be bothered. The bikes on display weren’t that many to choose from. Their selection seemed to cater to people with big budget (high ends) and a few low-​end roads. I counted as most 15 bikes on display on average. The part selection was also limited and they don’t carry enthusiastic brands like thomson.
This shop seems to me like a place that welcomes people who’re looking for bike «blings» and who could afford it. It is the exact opposite of the welcoming and friendly environments I have experienced from other bike stores in Orange County.

Went in to repair my bike tire, the gentleman that helped me was friendly and the service was fast! My friend and I were able to wait in the waiting area with comfy chairs and coffee bar. The cost for the repair was very reasonable and he even gave me a new cap for my tire. Will be back, thanks for the great experience.

Had these guys package my bike for me into a Air Caddy to bring on to the airplane. Nicely packaged, the seat height was marked. They even gave me the front wheel quick release skewer which i didn’t bring over when I left my bike. Highly recommended if you are packaging your bike.

Every single time I come to this place, I feel so WELCOMED.
I used their online bike finder tool to search for a new road bike. Tony emailed me back the same day and recommended a couple bikes. I ended up buying a Cervelo R2. Very happy with my purchase. Tony and Margaret helped me with the purchase. Tony measured me in a few areas and we both let out a few chuckles. He paused for a few moments to thinking about sizing then brought out the bikes. He allowed me to test ride the bike. It was my first time trying out a road bike and I had always wondered how people ride with such high seats. Tony told me «no pressure», gave me a few pointers then I took off. I took my time riding around the parking lot and was never pressured to buy anything. I fell in love with the bike and decided to make the purchase. Margaret rang me up. She went through a mental checklist of everything she thought I might need. Good thing she did! I would have forgotten almost half those things. They made sure the jersey and bib shorts fit correctly. I didn’t care about the colors of my gloves, but Margaret did! She went to the back to see if she could find ones that matched my bike. I’m glad she cares more than I do.
I came in a week after my bike purchase because my bib shorts were falling apart due to bad sewing. I know Castelli makes good products so I’m sure this was just a bad batch. Karlie
was so friendly and immediately filled out a warranty form to order a new one for me. I got a call from her the next day saying that new ones just came in from a re-​stock order. I went in and she gave it to me. Quick and completely painless.
I came back a week after that because there was some strange sound coming from my BB. Tony was very honest and direct about my issue. He took it in and told me it would be finished in a couple days, which it was. When I came to pick it up, I also got some new pedals and cycling shoes. Tony measured my shoe size and showed me how to work them. They installed my new pedals and brought me out to the parking lot to teach me how to use them. They gave me invaluable advice from their experiences. Both Tony and Karlie stayed after hours to make sure I knew how to operate the pedals CORRECTLY and was SAFE.
Every one I have ever dealt with there remembers me. I always feel so engaged with their staff. They always take my opinions into consideration. And they are all so very understanding.
What a great place.
I’m going to schedule my free bike fitting soon. Will post a review for that. :)

We stopped in with a new-​to-​us bike that needed some slight adjustments. Bruce, the knowledgeable mechanic, gave us a quick tutorial of the bike and made sure it was road safe as well as doing some quick fixes that it needed. We are totally new to cycling so his willingness to show us what he was doing was almost more valuable than the little repairs. This shop is top notch. They are friendly, even to rookies. And they were quick to offer the help we needed, as well coffee and donuts. :)

Amazing services… I bought a Giant DEFY advanced and I’m very satisfied with it ! I’ll recommend for anyone who wants to start a new career or for who wants to go forward in this amazing sport …

Great bike shop! My new favorite place to visit during my lunchtime… Tony and all the guys n’ gals are top notch. They have serviced my bike many times and have superior product to make riding of all types fun and easy.
Group rides offered and they welcome all types of riders… True «hands on» customer service.
Cruise on in and see for yourself! :)
Thanks again for making the experiences very enjoyable… keep up the good work.

Absolutely love this shop. They’re convenient to my office and have always been the friendliest, most welcoming shop ever.
I came in today with a repair I had made worse myself, Steve dropped what he was doing, fixed it on the spot, and took the time to explain to me what I did wrong and how to do it right.
This is a bike shop for people who love bikes, run by people who understand people who love bikes.

My husband bought a bike there and they are the friendliest group of people. It’s one of those places where they call you by name. Tony is very helpful and knowledgeable of the products. I love it!

A Road Bike 4U is my new local bike shop. It should be yours too.
I recently need brake adjustments done on my Linus Gaston 3 so I stopped into A Road Bike 4U and asked if they could fit me in. Bruce, their mechanic, was able to fit me in right then and there. He carefully placed my bike on his work rack and did both front and rear adjustments in 10 minutes flat. Then he proceeded to to tell me that thanks to their «$ 10 for 10 minutes with a Mechanic» promotion I only had to shell out ten duckets for the service. You cannot beat that!
Knowledgable and professional service with local small business ownership to boot? You can count me in as a loyal patron going forward A Road Bike 4U and a special shout out to Bruce for fitting me in on a moment notice!

I just bought a bike here from Barry. Probably the most pain free experience ever and Barry handled all of my novice questions like a champ. He explained everything there is to know about entry and mid level road, hybrid, and mountain bikes. Even gave me a refresher on how to change a tire and tube really fast.
This customer experience here was phenomenal and I got a fair price on an amazing bike. Just took it for a 4 mile ride and realized how excited I am to have a real road bike again.
Thanks to Barry and the team for getting me back into bikes! I recommend this place to anyone in OC or around.

I have taken two Wednesday Morning Rides with this store.
As a result I have had the opportunity to check out the retail section upon each visit.
It is pretty well organized and maintained.
They also do some veterans work regarding bike rides.
The 9AM rides are fantastic. Just enough difficulty to force you to work a little, and plenty of flat areas to recover. Half way in the ride we always take a pit stop.
After the ride coffee is available, made to order, plus they always seem to have some goodies to enjoy with the coffee. As you know I tend to check out all the facilities, and their customer rest room is spotless.

Sorry, boys. But had awful shop service and need to update so as not to mislead anyone since I previously raved about them. I took my front wheel in on a Monday (lunch time) to be trued. Was told it would be a couple of days and they would call me when it was ready. No call.
Went in on Friday to see if they were finished. Stood at the counter while 3 guys worked and walked around, each glancing at me. I didn’t recognize any of them, so I actually thought they were just workers who didn’t handle customers until one walked by and asked if I’d been helped. Yes, a guy in a suit that just walked in that you can’t miss because there’s only two other people in the store section, whom none of you have talked to, has already been helped at the shop counter. The other guy says, «Oh I thought you were waiting for (the third guy) to finish with the bike.»
I tell him I’m there to pick up my wheel and he looks for a work order in the work order rack and can’t find it. I finally tell him it’s my Roval wheel and he says, «oh, it’s right here. Someone should have called you 2 days ago. We can’t work on it because Roval uses a special tool for it’s spokes. You’ll have to take it to Rock n’ Road.»
So, let me get this straight. You’re a bike shop that wants bike shop business and you don’t carry a common brand’s tool for something as simple as true-​ing? Fine. «Someone was supposed to call?» The fact that it’s been hanging from the center bike working rack didn’t clue you in that nobody called?
I didn’t say anything to bitch this guy out because clearly it wasn’t going to lead anywhere. Then I found out that the awesome mechanic I previously raved about is gone. He was the best. Ran a perfect shop. I hope he retired and it wasn’t an issue of salary because I also heard that the shop is not good anymore.
I have a Performance Bike shop and a Rock n’ Road near my house. I chose ARB4U because it’s not far from my office and I wanted to support them. This experience just cost them my support. I didn’t actually mind that they don’t have the tool despite the stupidity in that. But I shouldn’t have had to come down 4 days later to be told they were supposed to call me two days prior.

One thing that I can tell you about this shop with certainty is that they have the best Saturday AM Santiago Canyon ride. It is a great road bike ride, and I recommend it to all. Most bike clubs will not attempt this ride even though it’s not that severe. I have ridden with many a bike group in my day and the many of the folks that showed for this ride were some of the nicest that I have met and I would ride with them again. It was a mix of men and women all ages, some who where using this ride to train for a Tri. They wait at a few points in the ride for everyone to re-​group, usually at gas stations so you can buy water/​restroom if needed.
The other thing I can tell you will certainty is while it is a smaller shop with select products, that they sell my favorite for years: Cliff Shot Block Black Cherry! and I picked up a few after the ride.
They also have the very cool looking Giro Helmet with the removable magnetic sun visor I am thinking of getting. Actually their helmet and shoe selection is quite extensive.
They do the Santiago Canyon ride once a month or so, I would come and try it if you are a regular road rider, and want something more challenging and intense than the usual Sat morning stop at every other traffic light around Irvine Club ride. The store lets you park in their lot for free during the Sat ride.