Wheel Thing Nordic

They broke the shifter for my front dérailleur and tried to charge me to replace it. After I refused, they begrudgingly agreed to replace it at their cost. However, the one they broke was a near top of the line (Shimano Deore) shifter, and the replacement was bottom of the line. When I explained that this did not seem right, they told me I had the «option» of paying for the more expensive replacement. The owner’s attitude during this discussion was extremely smug and frustrating as well. He kept saying he was «unclear» as to why this did not seem fair. Sad to say, he eventually wore me down. Last but not least, despite the $ 69 tune up they advertise, my final cost was $ 116. I feel so ripped off! You’ll see that I don’t post reviews too often, but I had to say something about this. Please learn from my experience and just stay clear of this place.
Updates based on the owner’s reply below:
1. I worked in a bike shop in MI for 2 years. Breaking the customers equipment was not «routine»…no matter what age their bikes were. If we did break something, we’d take care of replacing it at our cost without giving the customer a hard time. You can be sure that the Wheel Thing will attempt to make their negligence your problem.
2. If you are a glutton for punishment, take you bike in for a tune up. You’ll note the advertised price is $ 69 in store. I doubt that is the price you will actually pay. Somehow, my tune up wound up costing me almost twice the advertised price.
3. I did request a discount, but given that I’d previously purchased three bikes from the Wheel Thing, I felt… and still feel, they should not have tried to take advantage of the situation… especially since they are the ones that broke the shifter, not me.
4. None of Kevin’s comments explain why he felt the need to be so obtuse and smug while we were talking. There is a lack of professionalism and courtesy there that I don’t understand, but feel free to deal with them at your own risk.
5. He said that he couldn’t put a high quality shifter on because my front dérailleur has three rings. a.) There are high end shifters available that work with three ring derailleurs, he just didn’t want to pay for one. b.) Why not offer to install a used one that was the exact equivalent of the original (I bought one for $ 6.95 on ebay and installed it myself).
6. If you have to write a novella after the fact like the one Kevin contributed below to explain his actions, there’s a good chance your actions were just indefensible.

Let me preface my review by saying that I did not purchase my bicycle here but have been back numerous times for service and accessories and they have exceeded my expectations while charging next to nothing…

Starting to really like how they handle their customers. Every time I’ve brought my bike in, they’ve helped me — free of charge. The group rides on Friday add to the experience.

Jay did my bike tune-​up. Friendly, fast service. I will return.

I don’t think the bruce guy from the other posts is still there. I think the new owner is Kevin, who was very helpful when I bought my bike last week. He took the time to explain the different components of bikes and was patient while I tried different bikes, switching back and forth to get the best fit. There is a great selection of accessories for the bikes (racks, bags, etc) and Kevin helped put all that stuff together on the bike. I tried 4 other bike shops prior to coming here and while they all sell different brands of bikes the customer service here exceeded the other stores. I bought a great commuter bike for work here and I am happy with the bike and the process of buying it.

I have never dealt with the previous owners, and by the looks of these posts I’m glad I didn’t. Over the last several months I have had Kevin (new owner) work on my Specialized MTB Bike. I have been happy with the repairs and the upfront pricing he provided me. The bike was even turned around faster than he initially quoted. Last week I bought my first road bike from Kevin. I’m glad that I bought my bike from him. He provided excellent advice and explained every detail of the bike to me. Most important, I’m glad that there is someone in town who I trust to bring my bike to. I believe in supporting local business, which is all the more easier when you like the person/​company you are buying from. Keep up the good work!

So glad we have Unilocal now. In 1984 (this will help me let it go!) owner Bruce backed his van over my bicycle and broke my glasses at a riding event. He paid for the bike repair and completely ignored me and refused to pay for the glasses. I see some others have said that they are thieves at the Wheel Thing. Seems like a small thing — but I was really young and did not have the money to spare. I guess it hasn’t changed.

Kinda pricey on the merchandise but service is affordable and excellent. The technician went out of his way to help me add some accessories to my new bicycle, and adjust it to my height and comfort.
I plan to make this a regular spot to take my bicylces for service and maintenance. if I don’t feel like driving out to Dick’s Sporting Goods.
The staff is friendly, honest and eager to help you. They can be pretty busy and appearing short of staff but patience will pay off.

Terrible shop and ownership. We’re a cycling brand and shipped them an order which they never paid for. We’ve called them and called them and called them and the owner «is not in» every time we call… and his floor staff covers for him even though he’s certainly there. We’ve emailed him every time we call him. Not one of my calls or emails has been returned. The owner Bruce assumes he can steal I guess. Maybe this does not address the consumer experience, but I believe that the way one does anything is the way one does everything. Consumers beware.

Greeat shop! Not sure about the negative review above: either they are talking about a different shop or got in a day that was bad. All great exeperiences would not buy a bike or accessories anywhere else.

Probably the worst bike shop I’ve ever dealt with. When buying my bike back in March, I kind of narrowed it down to two models of Specialized they had in stock. First, they couldn’t answer questions worth a spit. In fact, the father and son actually had to argue with each other about which bike had better components — shouldn’t the bike shop owners know this like the backs of their hands?
Then it came time for my 30 day tune up. I called in advance on a Thursday to make sure they were available. Bear in mind, a 30 day tune up is a 30 – 60 minute affair. Simple matter of tightening the brake and shifter cables. I was told they had time. I drove out to La Grange (I live in the city) and dropped off my bike to be told they’d have it ready in six days. Six days. For 30 minutes worth of work. So, after complaining thoroughly I convinced them to do it by Sunday. I went in on Sunday to get my bike only to determine they’d done NOTHING to it. The brakes were still tight. The front wheel was untrue. They didn’t even put air in the tires.
These people are clueless, rude, and dishonest. They don’t care about you unless you’re buying the $ 4,000 bike in the window. Stay away and go to more reliable bike shops like Kozy’s in the city.

I’ve been in here about 4 times. My first two trips were fine. The third one was pretty irritating and I thought I was done with them. I gave them one more chance today, with good results and will likely give them another couple of tries, and with a little luck, another star or two.
One of my first visits was to get a bike computer. I was also interested in looking at some bikes soon, and the guy who was there (who I think was the owner) was very helpful. Sadly, when I went back to test ride a bike he was not there. They had an Orbea that had a great price on it and I wanted to try it out. The guys who were there took my bike and handed me the Orbea. It was clear that the seat was several inches too tall, but I had to ask them to adjust it. They really weren’t all that helpful, and as it turned out it wasn’t the bike for me, but they didn’t offer to show me anything else or find another bike in my size either. I was looking to buy a fairly expensive bike, but after that I didn’t feel the need to go back.
Out of sheer frustration with a cleat problem on my shoe, I headed over there today. The guys that were there helped me out and fixed the problem, and I purchased a new bike bag as well. I hope in the future my visits will be positive as well.

I can’t say enough great things about Bruce and Wheel Thing! I recently stopped in (after some thorough online research) to buy a new road bike, my first bike in 18 years; last and current is a Trek 8700, upgraded with XTR components. SPD’s and shock.
They were very busy, so I ended up waiting about 20 mins, which I didn’t mind as it gave me time to browse the wide range of bikes, equipment and accessories. When Bruce finished up he came over to ask if he could help me and I explained what I was looking for.
Cut to a week later, my new bike (Specialized Roubaix) had arrived and was ready for fitting. Bruce had asked me to come in early as we’d be spending an hour or two to get the fitting right. Two and a half hours later I’d been on/​off the bike multiple times, through various measures and adjustments, and had been taken through all the in’s and outs of the SRAM components/​Speedplay pedals.
To top it off Bruce told be about cable stretch and what to watch for, for my first (free!) tuneup. Two of which would be included in the first year. Other customers stopped in, who were clearly regulars and talked about the Friday night ride which Bruce had already invited me to.
I’m ready to ride in no small part and big thanks to Bruce and Wheel Thing.