Alfred E Bike

Called and couldn’t have possibly been more specific as to what bike and setup I had and what it was I needed. Sales person told me this is what you need. As his recommendation made no sense to me, I question him. He basically said, I can’t really explain it over the phone, but trust me this is what you need. Received the items and guess what, not even close to what I needed. Figured out what I needed on my end myself and sourced it locally, which I should have done initially. Had to ship the worthless part of the order back for a refund. Of course they didn’t refund the amount it took to ship it back to them, even though it was 100% their fault that I ordered in the 1^st place. Sent a questioning email to them concerning why not a refund on shipping, but they never responded to it. Not impressed with their product knowledge or customer service and will not do business with them again.

Great service and knowledge of the products that they carry.

Strolled in here and really laid it out on what kind of bike I was looking for. I wanted a casual bike for a casual rider (me) that looks cool. Initially I was looking at a Felt bike but the folks there that were helping me had me look at a Bianchi and even took one out of the box to show me the Milano model. Between the Felt and the Bianchi, the Bianchi won. a week later, the correct size came in for me and they had it all built and ready to be picked up. They also put the bike on the trainer to make sure it fits me and the seat is adjusted. They also installed a rear bike rack for me that I had ordered online — free of charge.
Overall, I had great service from the shop and they did a great job helping me pick out a great comfortable bike. I really get the impression that the folks here really know everything there is to know about bikes.

I used
for an online purchase. I was happy with their selection of parts and prices. They shipped the product (a front suntour fork) very quickly and because I live in Chicago it showed up in two days. I would not hesitate to order more parts from
in the future.

I shopped around at many different bike shops before settling on Alfred E Bike. They are very helpful and knowledgable.

I had heard a lot of good things about this shop, but my experience was very poor.
full disclosure: i am not a bike nerd. I ride an old school crusier, and do not do any cross, trail, or racing. I ride my bike A LOT though, and soon after moving to Kalamazoo needed work done.
Immediately I got the impression that the clerk (mechanic?) though my bike was scrap metal and not worth fixing, and that I was an idiot for riding it. Though he remained somewhat polite, and had the part I thought i needed in stock, I decided to make an excuse and take my business elsewhere. I took it down the street and saved 15 bucks.
I gave a 2 — star instead of 1 mostly because the store seemed to have a really good selection, and they *did* have the somewhat weird part on hand. Probably a great place to go if you know bikes, but not for the casual rider.

Family owned +
Great Website +
Rich is a great head mechanic, and a beast on the cross course. Mike can fix any old bike with a hammer and his bare hands.
Main focus is on road bikers and triathletes. Not a shop where you can come in and chill unless you are buying a custom moots, or co-​motion. (that is the only reason I mark it down) I like a more laid back shop where you can hang out, and talk bikes. These guys get down to business, but the business they do is quality. Low rating is personal preference, not based on shop performance.

My wife and I were visiting relatives in Kalamazoo for a week this summer. We were also training for a series of century rides and needed to get some long rides in during our visit. We had a number of special requests and the staff at Alfred E. Bike went far beyond what was necessary to help us. Especially given the fact that we live in a different part of the country and would not likely be frequent repeat customers — although if we lived nearer we would definitely go out of our way to use this shop.
Every single staff member we encountered was friendly and helpful. This is what a bike shop should be like.

We had a great bike store when we lived in Sacramento. Alfred E. Bike is much better. We’ve gotten great service on our bikes that we brought from Cali, they’ve helped us find parts, and they’ve got the best selection of active sunglasses in the area. They’re my answer for any bike related question/​requirement.

i bought my bianchi milano in celeste here for my birthday when i found out that i would be back in school, but this time in ann arbor. so, i naturally thought that everyone rode bikes. i shipped my last bike to germany, rode it around a bit and then i sold it (all when i was 12).
they have decent service and seem to know what they are doing. they had a wide range of bikes and at varying price points. a free tune up comes with bike purchase. they even sell beach cruisers! reminds me of belize.
why the name, though? did the cover boy of Mad magazine ride tricycles or somfin?
i would go back if i lived there, but i think that my ship has sailed away from the zoo. i make occasional holiday pit stops there, but not with my bike!