Swim Bike Run NYC

Bad shop. Horrible customer service. Never gave you a straight answer after the sale has been made. Bought a bike there and they threw on a Shimano groupset there when I paid for SRAM. Then I had to wait 2 months before they figured were able to swap the groupset out. Then the owner called me personally and berated me because I kept calling the shop for an update every few days. Nice try. Next time try to have a shop please its customers and not the other way around.

They said to be here at 7:30 to take the NYC pass tour… 7:45, and still no one.

Worst triathlon /​bike shop EVER ! And i gave them so many chances to make up for previously disastrous experiences that i feel obliged to write this review. As a background i am a competitive triathlete (10 ironman finishes) and own two $ 5000+ bikes so know a little about triathlon and bikes.
1. First, most of the staff don’t care about clients, just want the sale done and don’t care about giving advice. Maybe because they don’t know anything about triathlon. Or because they are rude. If you don’t know what you want, don’t go. And some accessories are either overpriced, or they only carry the most expensive model. Whichever, you will pay a lot of $$$ usually.
2. Their mechanics /​customer service is horrible. Bike tuning (esp shifting) is not their strength — two friends bought expensive tribike that were poorly tuned /​making weird noises. The worst they did to me was when i brought a zipp wheel for a spoke replacement: they kept the wheel for two weeks, then called me to explain they couldn’t do it because the shop was not a «approved zipp repair center». Took them two weeks to figure this out while they actually do sell zipp wheels. Joke.
3. I «test drove» a bike once. It took 20mn for the senior sales person to switch wheels (model had carbon wheels for display only) and pedals (mounted backwards first). Pathetic. That’s after they brought the wrong frame size. That being said, they allow you to ride their bike in the park, which is helpful in making a decision. And bike pricing is pretty competitive.
4. They are rude. Like really rude. I was about to buy a road bike for my wife, an entry level 1350usd bike. Seemed like it was a waste of time to them. It was on sale, we discussed the number with the salesperson, put an option on it, came back the next day to buy… but actually the price had changed by 100 usd. No way. We left.
5. Go to Toga Bikes on the west side for bikes, and Jake Rabbit on w 72^nd street for running stuff.

I came into SBR looking to find new swim goggles and bike accessories for my first NYC Triathlon 2012. The store was smaller than I thought, but I think half the store was under construction or its dedicated to rentals. In any case, I came in and was greeted warmly. I looked around, found 2 items and asked questions about them to the salesperson. Perhaps it was not a busy day, but I didn’t have any issues in terms of service.
One of the perks if you want to do your first triathlon is that you get to try on a wetsuit and use it in their interior pool. Its pretty cool, but I never got a chance to test it out.
Overall the store has some of the same items that you’d find at places like Paragon or Jack Rabbit Sports, but a smaller selection. One perk is that you can rent bikes there and head north a block or two and ride in central park. The product pricing is pretty $$, so I would generally shop around, but I was in need of new goggles asap.

SBR, we think your attitude sucks. We really do.

I wish I had read the reviews here before going out of my way to find this store. Quite honestly the experience was as expected I guess, a few young people with no interest in being in the store after 7pm on a Wednesday evening but doing their thing. By 7:30 it became clear they wanted to close the store. It started when entering the store, when nobody greets you when entering the store you know it probably is better to turn around and leave. They have a very limited selection for a store that is supposed to cater to Triathletes who are picky and like to be able to choose. I was looking for shoes and was open to suggestions. As they happened to have my brand (asics) and the size, I zeroed in on that brand pretty quickly, and I guess made the sale extremely easy for the on hand sales person. Not that he didn’t had any knowledge but he certainly was less interested in discussing other options or even have a look at my stride, feet etc. After deciding on the shoe I looked around for some attire, and asked for some suggestions which were answered by a snobby girl at the counter. I guess being interested in customers or fellow triathletes is not a requirement for this job, or gasp perhaps she has completed a few races and feels above the rest. At time of paying, I was shocked about the sticker price which was not inline with my expectations. the only reactions I got was «do you want them or not». Really, that is what I expect from a New York Street vendor, but still need to find one, absolutely not from a Tri-​store clerk. Long story short, I got what I want but would have likely had a higher pleasure buying it online and will never visit this store again

Wow! Have never been so rudely treated by tri snobs before! As my husband is an accomplished 70.3 dude, training for a 140.6 and I am headed to the ITU world championships in London we were looking for some gear while in NY for the day. My husband touched the floor model of the new P5 Cervelo and a store rep came up and slapped a Do Not Touch sticker on the frame. Little did they know we were bike shopping for me! LOL! Headed to our local guys for that purchase! They really should be decent to people regardless of their attire. We don’t wear our tri suits when we aren’t competing!

I’m new to the sport and found this store using google. I unfortunately came to the store at a time where they were renovating so I wasn’t able to get a feel for it when I went. But I was greeted by friendly staff and they were very attentive in helping me shoes the right size cycling shoes.
Their selection was limited but I want to say this was mostly do to their renovations. I wasn’t incredibly impressed by their bike selections and that’s the only reason I can’t give them 5 starts.
Overall, the store seems pretty great and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a store that has the necessary equipment for all disciplines in one comfortable place.

Planning for my first tri, I walked in hoping to gain a resource and go-​to store for what will surely be a lot of money spent over time. I’m a cyclist and have my own bike store, but wanted to find a place focused on triathlons.
I checked out everything in the store for a few minutes without being approached by staff, then walked up to the counter…
Me: Hi, I’m doing my first tri and wanted to get to know the store and get some help as I plan my training
Counter guy: Okay, why don’t you talk to that guy back there.
Me: Hi, I’m doing my first tri. You guys offer training programs, right?
Guy Back There: No, not for triathlons.
Me: …Um…I thought I saw on your site that you did…
Guy Back There: We have classes in running, biking and swimming, but not triathlons.
Me: Okay… do you teach total immersion swimming?
Guy Back There: You want to talk to our swimming instructor. She’s out of the country now, but here’s her card. You can set everything up directly with her.
Me: …Okay…thanks…have a good day…
Maybe I’m being too hard on them, but I could have easily been talked into buying a new pair of goggles and a swimsuit that I was in the market for. Instead, I just went to Amazon for those and will probably get in with JackRabbit.
Guess this isn’t the tri store I was hoping to form a relationship with.

I’m a triathlete racing for almost 20 years and I would never shop here.
In short, go to Paragon Sports Union Square or Jack Rabbit on 14^th St. it’s just not worth your time to go here.
Better yet, go to both Paragon and Jack Rabbit then make a choice between the two.
Here’s why:
1. The current staff do not understand the unique needs of triathletes because only 1 of 5 of them on the floor (I checked one day) even participate in the sport!
2. You pay the «suggested retail» price (full market price) at this store and don’t get very knowledgable staff. Even worse, you sometimes get snotty or disinterested staff!
When you get the same gear online for much less or get better service at Paragon Sports, and Jack Rabbit, who actually have more staff that race and know what they are talking about, then what’s the point of going here again, exactly?
3. Location is good for summer months when it’s close to the park and you need something quickly like a water bottle or Powerbar (and don’t mind paying a premium for it), but if you don’t normally travel on the Never or Rarely subway line, it’s kind of a pain to get there. Union Square is a better subway interchange point.
Bottom line:
Go to Paragon or Jack Rabbit who have Triathlete specific staff on hand, on any given day. You pay a little less and get far better service. You can try the Bike and Swim department at Paragon and the front desk and ask for a triathlete staff at Jack Rabbit. They cater to first-​timer and seasoned triathletes and Paragon will order anything that you want that they don’t have. Both those stores will also be offering training sessions and clinics when it gets warmer.

Went on our third bike tour via Swim Bike Run NYC.
First Central Park Bike ride was in 2008 with Richard as our tour guide and we loved him. Second in 2009 was a bike tour of the city (beware: 12 miles and your life flashing before your eyes!). Third was July 6 with our new bride/​groom friends in a party of 6. The cost is a reasonable $ 48 per person for a 5 mile ride in the park. James was our guide this year and he was GREAT. We loved him. Very fun very knowledgable and made it a good tour which is always very key.
Your tour guide will stop plenty of times for water and picture taking. Please do them a favor and TIP THEM after your ride. This is standard practice and you’re learning things about NYC you most likely would not uncover on your own. Best part of the tour (for me)? The «Imagine» exhibit across from the Dakota Building where John Lennon lost his life in 1980. I’m still in shock over that.
Do the 5 mile Central Park Bike Tour ride and ask for James. You’ll have a great time!

I see a lot of negative reviews here for the pricing in this store, but this is NOT a discount bike shop. If you come into it looking for that, it’s to be expected that you would be disappointed. Unfortunately, triathlon is an expensive sport and SBR is one of the few places in NY that carries the high end gear. I call it bike porn, and it makes me drool to stare at the super-​light carbon frames and disk wheels. I can’t afford It, but it’s great to window shop.
That being said, they do have sales from time to time. For the price savvy, I suggest coming by between seasons. I got a ton of top end winter bike gear at 40% off in April.
The service has never been anything but friendly and helpful for me, but I happen to like when a sales rep lays back and waits for me to ask for help instead of jumping on me as soon as I come in the door. When you are dealing with gear that can be expensive, you don’t (or at least I don’t) like to feel the least bit of pressure.
Also, it should be noted that this is the ONLY place in NYC with a flume pool and its absolutely the best training tool if you can’t get into open water during the NYC winter months. At $ 35 for an hour, its not the cheapest pool option for regular training, but I like to get in it for an hour at least twice a season before I can get to the beach.

I have to say I’m surprised at the negative reviews SBR has received on here. That said, I haven’t actually used the store to purchase equipment, so perhaps that’s what’s bringing them down?
Thanks to the convenient location en route home every day, and my usual last minute remembering that I’m out of energy gels, SBR has been able to accommodate me each time! The gels are slightly less expensive than at Paragon and they always have the new formula chocolate clif shots. Trust me when I say that the new formula is key.
I haven’t had any issues with the staff here; in fact they’ve been nothing but friendly and helpful.
There is an endless swimming pool here (small, room for one at a time). I have no idea if this is something you can reserve, or if it’s something to test out equipment and whatnot, but having been a swimmer for a long time, the smell of chlorine when walking into the store brings back pleasant memories!

SBR is a store I sooooo want to love on a 5-​star level (like a bike-​store version of Megan Fox), but I just can’t get there (like a Megan-​Fox version of a restraining order). All kidding aside, it is probably the only true high-​end bike store in NYC, and the only store that primarily caters to triathletes. Some of the intangibles, however, are just too hard to ignore… namely, price.
SBR has great products, but I have never felt like I was getting a bargain. It’s a constant battle for wanting quality and wanting to support the store, but knowing I can find it cheaper (in some cases, much cheaper) elsewhere.
I also think it’s extremely important to say that, contrary to most of the reviewers, I’ve always had very good customer service experiences at SBR. Let me elaborate… I ride a pretty expensive Cervelo, but one that I purchased in NJ. Soon after getting the bike (less than 500 miles on it), I noticed some cracking around the bottom bracket. Nervously, I brought it into SBR to have it inspected. My worst fears were realized and the frame had cracked. Although I didn’t purchase the bike with SBR, they had Cervelo replace the frame and had the bike rebuilt back up for me within 3 days — all at absolutely no cost to me. It changed my perception of the store and I do try to shop there more often because of the service I received. So, maybe SBR has taken some of the critiques to heart and stepped up their game?

is the worse online retail shop I have ever dealt with. This is my first Unilocal ever just because I cant stand their customer service. They take a week to reply to emails and the person that replies apparently never read my reply because its the same thing over and over again ‘Unfortunately we don’t have what you ordered anymore’ ‘The item is not in stock and we can offer you something else comparable’ I needed these items weeks ago for competition.
So i ask for a list of in stock items because the online retail store is unreliable. They list me 1 item. I was better off ordering from
. Atleast they have it in stock and they reply within a reasonable time frame.
id give this place a zero if I could.

Oh,
, how I wanted to love you.
I’ve been part of the triathlon scene in NYC for more than a decade. I was a customer at their original store all those years ago, on the second floor off Times Square. I know the owner and his sweet dog Leo, and a few members of their team personally. I’ve stopped in occasionally to buy last-​minute items or attend their group runs or in-​shop seminars.
I’ve even been bike fitted there, and even forgave them when my aero bars slipped and I broke my scapula. (It was a few months after the fitting, and I probably should have done better maintenance.)
I like their 58^th store and can’t say I won’t ever walk in there again. But I can say that I will NEVER AGAIN buy from their online store.
Much like others here, I got some abysmally poor service that cost me the use of equipment in a race. I was also using a coupon.
Before buying the coupon, I checked the retailer’s site to make sure it had what I wanted. I was also ordering a few items from outlets across the country. One week later, I’d received everything I ordered, from places as far away as San Diego — except for SBR.
I checked the web site, I noticed that my order was labeled «on hold.» I had to get in touch to find out why. It turns out one of the three items I ordered that they had on their web site was actually backordered. Their web site was wrong, and they should have told me my order was on hold.
I asked them if they knew how long it will take to get it in stock, was it possible to send the other parts of my order, and would it be quicker if I stopped by the store?
The rep who I would deal with all this time, Bryan, did not give me a straight answer on anything. He offered to replace it with another item from their website, but I noticed everything was overpriced — I could get it cheaper elsewhere. So I decided to wait.
A few weeks later, I still had not received it, and I asked them if they would expedite my order when it got in with overnight shipping, due to the wait. I received another evasive answer: «we’ll use the best available shipping method.»
I asked them again to clarify. Bryan said. «I believe it means that we will overnight it.»
A few days later, Bryan told me the item they backordered was discontinued. He offered to send me the new model. However, that new model needed an extra part. To their credit, they would include it for free.
A few days after that though, I asked them to switch another part of my order… I wanted a different flavor of nutrition that they already had in stock. Bryan confirmed that they will do it.
Subsequently, I wrote them again, asking where my order was. I asked them three times. They did not respond.
Finally, nearly a month later, I called and asked them to send the parts of my order that were not backordered. Bryan agreed. I confirmed that the switch I asked for earlier would be respected. Bryan confirmed that it would be.
A day later, I asked them for a confirmation number. They finally sent my order out that day. It was not overnighted.
I received my order — two parts of it, that is. They did not make the switch I asked for. When I complained, I got an excuse, not a proper resolution. Bryan said he attached a memo to the order, but he couldn’t do anything if the shipping department didn’t recognize it.
That’s it – you didn’t get what you wanted? You waited weeks for it? Oh, too bad.
What’s more, the item they said was backordered and subsequently discontinued, remains on their site.
More than a month later, moments before I was to tell my credit card company to dispute this claim, I got the replacement item for the backordered item I requested a month ago. It came in a UPS bag, turned-​inside-​out because they were shipping via USPS. That’s really classy. These guys must be in big financial trouble, acting like a fly-​by-​night operation.
Part of SBRshop’s logo is «We love you. No really, we do.» They put it on all their newsletters. I’ve always hated it – it sounded sarcastic and patronizing. Now I know that probably reflects reality.
Dear SBR — in all honesty, no sarcasm: You suck. No really, you do.

Abysmal. Absolutely abysmal. I wish I could give it zero stars.
Bought an aero helmet online with
Schwaggle groupon-​like deal, and this follows…
— Helmet is wrong size
— Helmet is sold out of stock, thus cannot exchange
— Recommended fix by «Customer Service Rep» (liberal use) is a standard, cheap road helmet that he assured was comparable
— I tell him he must have sent me the wrong link, I bought an aero helmet
— So now, different brand aero helmet, to be shipped as soon as send back my small helmet
— Gives me a shipping label to use for my return —- $ 14 SHORT on postage when I got to the post office!!!
— TO THIS DAY I have not been refunded as promised
— They send out my new helmet — Days, days, days go by…
— I tell them I am not going to have this helmet for my race
— Oh sorry, we sent it to the WRONG ADDRESS
— They allegedly send a new one out — over a week and I do not have it – at risk of missing ANOTHER race this Saturday.
— Last 4 e-​mails have gone unanswered. Every time I’m «fortunate» enough to be able to get a hold of them, they say they’ll check on something and get back to me and they never do.
****1 Month later, and I do not have my helmet*****
So one of two things is happening here…
1. Either they are the most dysfunctional retailer I’ve ever dealt with — to levels previously thought unreachable.
–OR–
2. The combo of «Wrong Sizes» on expiring inventory, «Wrong Addresses,» «No sorry he’s stepped out for lunch»…at 5:00pm, etc. is nothing but shady business practices that they’ve done nothing to assure me of otherwise.
…neither of which you should spend your time on.
For the record, I am not an angry person, I’ve never raged on a
review. I was understanding even through my first missed race. One can only take so much ignorance, negligence and exploitation however. Gear costs too much and is too widely available to put up with this sh*t.
****Update**** Finally got a hold of the CS member’s manager. The helmet was just shipped yesterday (by the manager) when I was told by CS that it was shipped last week. I will miss my second race with this helmet. Props to the manager for being more communicative, apologetic and for refunding my money on ~$ 14 errant shipping label 2 weeks after CS said he would.

THE WORST!!!
I live a couple blocks from here, and I wanted to like this shop so much since it’s so convenient. Last fall, I bought a Cervelo R3 from them. The sticker price was about $ 5000. I negotiated for a few other things, including no tax if I had the bike shipped to Jersey. I wanted to walk out of the store with the bike, which they let me do, but told me they’d still have to put 17 pounds of weight into a box and ship said box to my friend’s address in New Jersey just in case they got audited, so I gave them my friend’s address. I noticed an extra $ 80 shipping charge on my invoice.
A few weeks later, my friend still hadn’t gotten the box, so I went into the store to speak to the manager who informed me that they didn’t actually send the empty box. So of course I asked for my $ 80 back. The manager refused and told me I should be glad I was getting such a good deal not having to pay sales tax.
He neglected to acknowledge that he had LIED to his customer and was not apologetic AT ALL to have been called out on the lie in person. Meanwhile my friend has been coming home from work early every day to wait for a box to arrive.
SBR needs to understand that you can’t stay in business by lying to customers and nickel and dime them after they’ve paid 5 grand for a bike. I will never shop here again. I’ve been taking all my business to Toga and am very happy there.

Rude

First off, the owner has good intentions. Props to him for the eco-​friendly store, and supporting the triathlon community. I want to like the store, but I can’t.
The few times I’ve been there, I always hope things have changed for the better, but no. As I walk in the door, the pretentiousness hits me like a blanket of humid air. If you’re not going through life crisis and looking to spend $ 5000 on a bike that might be more flashy and about 20 grams lighter than the one half the price, then don’t expect much service. Even for tri-​specific accessories (aerobars, behind the saddle water bottle setup) the selection is alright, but limited (those items mentioned, they didn’t have what I wanted so just ordered online).
The one bigger purchase I have made there was for a bike box (hard case, to take your bike on the plane). I had done my own research online for triall3 bike cases. Most cases have two wheels on the shorter edge so you roll it like a standard piece of luggage, although most of the triall3 cases have 4 wheels on the longer edge so you can simply roll it (SO much nicer since your bike feels about 50lbs heavier after an ironman than before). So I walked in the store to double check that the design that I wanted had the four wheels, understandably they don’t have it in the store, so had to special order it, the salesperson was «almost 100% sure» it did and was «going to make sure» before placing the order. The box came in and he was wrong. I didn’t put up a fight or make a hassle since I needed to use the box soon.
Overall, there are other bike stores (Sids, Toga, Larry’s) and running stores (Jackrabbit, Super Runners) that will be more helpful and less expensive, even for most «tri-​specific» stuff.
p. s. this was constructed after conversations with nearly all my tri friends… and they feel exactly the same way.