High Gear Cyclery

High Gear Cyclery — what did I do wrong?
I don’t know enough to know enough if feedback from others (not me) using the term incompetent is justified. However, the lack of interest and reply from High Gear Cyclery perhaps speaks for itself. Of course with this I will leave it to individual interpretation.
The sum of my experience is I have been back and forth to their Millburn store (close to 20 miles each way for me) dropping off and picking up the bike 4 times because of issues with the rear wheel. With the 1^st ride after picking it up this last time, there is still an obvious problem … and I am off the bike again.
Was it not for this frustrating experience and now the lack of response from them, I might be quick to have affirmed the positive reputation as referred by fellow members in the cycling club. The trips to their repair department have been met with kind, informative, patient, seemingly knowledgeable, and seemingly considerate service and efforts.
I had ongoing problems with the dérailleur and related spoke damage last year and since the shop locally was not a Trek dealer and I also had an issue that required a Trek specific part, between seasons from last year to this year I wanted to have the bike brought into fit condition ready for a fresh start of this season.
Why did I go to High Gear?
… others had spoken kindly and positively of them
… it is a Trek authorized dealer
… I sometimes find myself having cause to be in that area
In addition to having the Trek part replaced and general servicing at High Gear, I gave in and had the rear dérailleur and wheel replaced with supposedly similar or identical model components.
Within only a few hundred miles, I had a spoke head break on the new wheel. I went to High Gear to get it repaired and trued.
Within perhaps only 40 – 60 miles after that, a second spoke head on the new wheel broke. I took it to a more local shop.
Within perhaps another 30 – 40 miles, a third spoke head on the new wheel broke … back to High Gear. Without charge, they replaced the spoke and assured me they supposedly inspected the wheel and spoke tensions.
Again within the few miles something did not seem right and I found that at least one of the spokes on the new wheel was loose enough for the nipple to be freely turned with my fingers. … Offering to totally rebuild the wheel with all new spokes also at no charge, again back to High Gear. .
After I got the bike back with the new wheel now supposedly having been rebuilt, during my first 20 miles, I was noticing sounds coming from around the wheel while riding. I thought I was just being overly sensitive. Turns out again one of the spokes is very loose and a couple others don’t sound evenly tensioned.
So here I sit. I don’t understand what I am doing wrong. My last call to High Gear resulted with feedback something to the effect of spokes loosening does happen after a rebuild. My reaction — within only a few miles? … and, loosen to the point of being able to freely turn the nipple?
On my first rear wheel (the Bontrager that came with the bike) I had upwards of 7,500 miles over 4.5 seasons before having spoke issues and then only because of a dérailleur that presumably damaged the wheel.
I started this season with a new Bontrager wheel installed by High Gear and I haven’t gotten past 700 miles this year … no where near the mileage of the past seasons because of frustrations and a lack of confidence with the bike.
Is the problem High Gear? … Is the problem the bike? … Is the problem me?
I also made High Gear aware of my post about my saga in a popular cycling forum (
) so they could see the feedback and comments it received both about my lament (and additional details) and other’s perspectives of High Gear’s competency and or customer service. High Gear has not responded or even acknowledged my emails over the last 2 weeks.
Conclusions? What type of review does High Gear in Milburn, N.J. deserve?.
(I e-​mailed High Gear this morning before their posted opening time with my intention of uploading the preceding in the event they felt something was inaccurate or unjustified … as of close of their posted hours tonight, no reply, no acknowledgement of receipt)

I have been to all of the bike shops in this area and hands down nick and the boys are the most knowledgable and the most helpful. Some shops treat you like you are doing them a favor by spending thousands of dollars at there shop. You get just the opposite vibe at high gear. Pay a few bucks more and buy your bike and wheels here and when you want quick service so you can ride you’ll be glad you did.

Just had a fitting done with Nick last week on my new Pina Dogma. With so many bike shops in the area, i chose Nick and High Gear due to the many positive reviews I’ve read. And I was not disappointed. Great knowledge and service. I brought in my current road bike thinking I wanted the fit duplicated, but Nick made adjustments to both and what a difference. Didn’t think it was possible, but I’m even more comfortable now on both. I highly recommend Nick and High Gear for not their fit services, but anything bike related.

Bought 2 cannondale synapse bikes from high gear in Stirling this summer one for me and the other for my wife. Stirling is good, but my experience with Nick, (or Vick hope I got his name right) the lead mechanic the day I went in for service was outstanding. Best experience with a bike mechanic in 30 years+ riding. He was knowledgable and meticulous in sawing off the stem, adjusting the spacers, and tightening the shifter cables. Very patient with me deciding on certain options that he proposed regarding the stem. Took pride in his work and treated the repair like it was his own bike. Very rare even in the good bike shops. While I was there another mechanic made some minor adjustments on a kid’s department store bike for free. Both high gear stores are good and even though I live closer to Stirling, I would go out of my way to get outstanding service with Nick in Millburn. Never met the guy before today.

Awful! I wish I could give this place 0 stars. Just bought a bike there for my daughter 30 minutes ago. She rode less than 100 yards and it’s falling apart. I don’t think one screw or nut has been tightened on this thing. I’m amazed that they would let a bike roll out the door in this condition. Brakes, handlebars, training wheels all loose. This is ridiculous. My kid could have been seriously hurt.

After living in Maplewood for over 30 years, we are now enjoying life on the waterfront in Jersey City ! However, in the past we purchased our kids bikes there and I’ve purchased great spinning shoes too ! Yesterday I went back and ordered an Electra Townie cruiser bike in sunflower yellow to ride in Liberty State Park and along the waterfront !! High Gear continues to provide great service, very patient, respectful and friendly ! Very much worth the quick trip via 78 to Milburn !

Friendliest possible staff, knowledgeable, fair pricing on their wide selection. Great to get a bike fitted, tuned or a repair, too.
Everything one expects from a bike store and a little bit more!

Just got back from a bike fitting at High Gear Cyclery. I cannot tell you how impressed I was with not only the knowledge, but also the client service and undivided attention I received. It was incredibly thorough and very comfortable. Nick is a great guy and took considerable time with me to ensure that my bike was setup correctly and afterwards walked me through proper posture on uphills, downhills, and the safest way to get on and off my bike. There was no upselling on anything and it was all about me and my comfort and safety. I’ve been to bike shops before and this is by far the place that provides the best service. I highly recommend High Gear Cyclery if you are in the Livingston, Millburn, Short Hills area.

High Gear really impressed me with their knowledgable and friendly staff (Hi Nick!).
They have a great selection across style and price points. I would most definitely recommend this shop to experts and beginners alike!

I had a great experience today. I was with my two kids and sometime it can be hard to shop with two kids, but the staff at High Gear were amazing. The sales person helped me find a bike for my son and helped me find new cycle shoes. Great service, great products and good prices. I have a cycle shop close to me but I will drive to High Gear for their excellent service.

Nick and the guys at High Gear run a great little shop. They recently helped me setup a custom Surly Cross-​Check commuter. Throughout selecting all of the parts and doing a number of consults on sizing, style, and various component combo setup options Nick helped me decide on a SRAM 2×10 crankset with rock-​ring, Velocity Fusion wheel-​set with Griffo Challenge tires, Avid Shorty 4 cantilevers, Thomson Elite seat post and stem, Brooks B17 Special saddle, Surly 1×1 Torsion bar, and Surly rear rack. It came out awesome, and they were professional, patient, and quite accommodating. I do my main cycling shopping at Marty’s in Morristown (as i live there) but I can now recommend High Gear as well for all you Essex county residents. High Gear mainly has high end road bikes in stock, only a few Trek MTB models, very few Specialized MTBs, but obviously can special-​order as needed for you.

I have been riding and hanging around bike shops for over 20 years and can completely assure you that these guys run a GREAT shop. I had a problem with my Trek Madone 6.9 SSL that another shop in the area hadn’t been able to remedy for over a year. Granted bikes today are much more complex machines than they were in the past which is why a top shop like High Gear stands above the rest. The technical expertise in their shop is astounding. They’ve seen EVERYTHING that could happen to a bike and know of several ways to fix it. Plus I found them all so nice friendly, relaxed and very very fair. They did solve the problem with some investigation and ingenuity. I am a customer of theirs for sure!!!
Thanks Guys!

Whether beginner, novice, or expert cyclist High Gear Cyclery is the place to go in the Essex County NJ area for your cycling needs! They offer diverse quality products and the knowledge to ensure the right choice for your investment.
Their Services team takes pride in the work they do and the place I’d recommend to go for your annual tune-​up. Happy Cycling!

This store has been my one stop for bike stuff for as long as I’ve lived in the area. I’ve bought several bikes from them, and even when it comes to the one I bought elsewhere, High Gear is the only place I’ll trust to do my annual tune-​up and any other maintenance.
Prices are reasonable. If I want something that doesn’t have to be fitted (like a mirror, or a box of tubes) then I might order online, but not before consulting with the guys at High Gear. They’re very knowledgeable and will explain to you why one product may be better than another, even if this means keeping what you have and NOT buying something from them.

The best! I’m never going anywhere else for a bike. Today I brought in 4 bikes to get serviced before our family vacation. On a busy summer Saturday, they did all 4 while I waited. 4 bike mechanics were working, and every one of them was nice, friendly, and extraordinarily capable. Even though they had bikes that were probably $ 3,000 next to mine, my cheapy bikes got attention with no attitude. Everyone was helpful, courteous, and just overall great. The salespeople were just as good. This was definitely one of the ten best shopping experiences I’ve had in memory. And if you see my review elsewhere, it’s because I liked it so much I came home and posted this and two other reviews. These guys are tops.