Worksman Cycles

I LOVE my Worksman Eagle Lite Trike don’t get me wrong. I’ve had it since 2007. I use it constantly but the infrastructure there is a problem. They CROSSED OFF a crucial item on a recent order for no reason. So the parts I got were useless. And Its taken me 5 phone calls with 5 different people there to get the right part shipped. It’s still not here. They are clearly really nice, good people but They need to get their act together. And I hope the do because as I said I LOVE my Worksman Trike and the concept of ‘all American made’.

To define my active life interests on a meter would pin the needle to Highly Active. Such interests include but not limited to surfing, swimming (getting in trouble with life guards for going too far out-​love that one) jogging, bike riding and the list goes on.
Over the years I’ve had two really enjoyable bicycles I’ve taken long city rides on as well as hitting the trails. My city bicycle was a Kestrel who’s model currently evades me and a Specialized A1Fs for the trails.
So when I was ready for my third bicycle, I began my research. Sitting down, pen in hand, I wrote down all of the possible needs I would encounter in an effort to determine my specific needs. These needs have certainly changed from testosterone induced speeds and daring downhills to a classy cruzer to bop around town in. Something with personality and was top quality. The internet has a wealth of information, but I was not getting the answers I was looking for. Testimonies by owners that took their non motorized two wheeler’s seriously, so I began asking friends, acquaintances, colleagues and whom ever I thought could provide quality recommendations.
To say I was enthusiastic is understated when I learned of a company that not only built bicycles still in the United States, but in NYC specifically in Ozone Park, Queens!
Off I dashed to my PC to do a little pursuing of Worksman Cycles options. With a comprehensive and robust website, I was looking forward to the next step of reaching out to Worksman via email to dig a little deeper into some questions I had. All questions were answered promptly, accurately, professionally and thoroughly.
Although Worksman does the bulk of their sales through online ordering, I was thrilled when I was asked if I would like a tour of the facility as I’m located a stones throw from their factory. I happily took them up on their offer and a few days later I took a ride on over to see the operation in full swing.
The receptionist’s name was Heidi and she greeted me warmly, quick with her wit and humor we chatted a while. Turns out Heidi owns a Worksman PAV tricycle, I would imagine it is a great selling item based on her description. At that point I was greeted by Al who took me around the innards of this 100,00 square foot facility. Every conceivable part of a bicycle is produced at Worksman, from the spokes within the rim to the final painting in the spray booth. The tour was so informative and frankly uplifting, as the Proudly Made in the USA mantra could be felt in every portion of the bustling factory. Al showed me all of the options of cruisers that I was deciding between.
The end result? A customer that will return on any and all future purchases, who will not waver for a moment in recommending Worksman as the most professional and personal employees and business I have had the opportunity to get to know.

The last bicycle company left in America and made with the old fashioned quality this country used to be famous for. They have a place in American history as the original maker of the old Good Humor trikes and some of the earliest hot dog wagons, which they still make. The frame is all steel and has a thick baked on enamel finish. I own a three speed trike made by them and it’s a real workhorse. I had it customized into an electric trike to give me a boost on steep hills. At 83 I’m too old to drive safely any more and this is the perfect rig for shopping.
I pump it most of the time for the exercise and use just a little throttle on the motor to give me a boost up steep hills. You can pump and use the motor at the same time which extends the range of your batteries. Range was much better than advertised and you can go farther on 25 cents worth of electricity than most cars can on $ 10 worth of gas. At the present price of gas it will pay for itself in only a year or so.
The Ebike kits are also made by an American company, Electric Bike Technologies based in Pennsylvania. Both companies treat you like family when you call in for advice or help.
The best part is that the price is comparable to Chinese made bikes and trikes, which was a pleasant surprise.
My only complaint is that delivery was a bit slow but it was worth waiting for.

I’ve dealt with Worksman on a few occasions and every time I do, the experience gets worse. First off, the lady who answers the phone is quite a character. I ordered and e-​kit for a trike for my special needs uncle. She informed me the e-​kit would take a «few weeks» to arrive. Six weeks later, still no e-​kit. I call back and she informs me they are still «constructing» it. I don’t know who they have working for them putting these kits together, but they obviously have 2 speeds, slow and stop.
I also informed them the trike had no basket to carry the battery so I would need a basket to carry it, with the brackets to hold the basket. When the e-​kit and basket finally arrived, it was just a basket with no fittings to attach it to the trike.
I called back and she tried to tell me there is no way to attach a basket to this particular trike. I tell her I am on the Worksman website and it shows the trike I have with a basket on it. She gets belligerent and says that may be an old picture and the basket will not mount. I ask to speak to someone else and she quickly places me on hold.
She finally comes back on the phone and says they will send out the bracket that is pictured. I ask if I will have to p[ay freight again and she says yes because it is not their fault they did not send all the parts. Well whose fault is it then? Yesterday the bracket arrives and there is no bolts to attach it to the trike. I guess I have to now go to the hardware store to find some bolts that will work.
All in all, this experience has been the worst. I think Worksman knows they are pretty much the only company who makes industrial bikes and trikes, so customer service is not high on their priority list. They should fire the lady who answers the phone and hire someone who actually cares even a little bit about customer service.

Having lived in Brooklyn the past few years, I have come to appreciate the gritty, no-​nonsense mentality of the every day New Yorker. This isn’t a town for the faint of heart. Keep your head on a swivel when you cross the street, and your eyes on the POTHOLES when riding your bike! Driving a car around here is a bit of a chore. As such, I knew I needed a BIKE that was both responsive enough to handle the overly aggressive cabbies, and strong enough to manage the uneven pavement. Not be overlooked, I needed something… well, cool and unique. And of course slightly «retro». This is Brooklyn after all! Sometime last year I came upon a clipping in the Wall Street Journal that featured a piece on a local bicycle company. Oddly, the name rang a bell, but I couldn’t quite place it. Sure enough the very next day it hit me… juuuussssst as a pizza delivery bike rolled on by. OF COURSE! I had been seeing Worksmans all over the city! Often secured haphazardly to street signs, left outside of pizza joints, looking well… used. Not just bikes, but trikes as well. Clearly these bikes were designed to do work. Alright. Pretty cool product.
Not long after that I discovered the Worksman website, which sells bikes directly online. I navigated my way to the pre-​configured Dutchie Brooklyn Cruiser. From what I understand it is simply a lightweight Worksman frame decked-​out in all black (fenders, handlebars, chainguard, etc.) puncuated by brown leather grips and seat. This looked like a no-​nonsense vehicle that could handle pretty much annything. Simple, cool, and named after my borough! The price was right too at just $ 650. I had to have it. Well, I bought the bike, and haven’t looked back. The bike performs flawlessly around my neighborhood. I wouldn’t dream of riding my Worksman for sport (either the bike is not that lightweight, or I’m not that strong), but for my purposes it is great. It does exactly what it supposed to, and frankly, I appreciate the minimalist style. Looks very «Brooklyn» to me. I would not hesitate to recommend this company to my friends.

Ah, yes. Worksman Cycles. Growing up on the east coast, I remember quite vividly the old steel framed 3-​speed folding bike that my father kept in the garage. For some strange reason, I distinctly remember the «flying w» head badge logo. At that age, I guess anything with wings is pretty cool. Actually, I believe the bike came with that house! The thing must have been born in the 70’s and looked like it had been through the ringer, but throughout the 90’s a little chain lube was enough to have the old Worksman running like new again. Once I was big enough, I rode it too, mainly for short errands and the occasional spin around the block with the neighborhood kids. It was definitely old, but nobody else seemed to own a bike quite like it. A bicycle that folded in half! That’s pretty cool. Heh.
Fast forward to 2008. I had made the move to California, and needed a bike to get around town. I am a competitive triathlete, so I own all the lightest, most technologically advanced equipment on the market. However, getting around town requires a different animal entirely. I needed something simple and something durable. I thought, well… How ’bout a Worksman!
A quick online search yielded a utilitarian website, chock full of the same utilitarian, errr «workman-​like», bikes (and trikes) that I remembered from my childhood. The website alone was a trip down memory lane. Right away it became clear that Worksman makes no bones about its old-​fashioned approach and embraces its (very) long history. I reached out to Wayne, who could not have been nicer. He helped me set up the perfect «commuter» bike and went over all of the available options and upgrades one by one. Wayne was also happy to look at pictures of our old 70’s clunker (and I mean that endearingly) and even shared my photos on the company’s Facebook page, of which I am now a devoted fan.
Anyways, I placed the order online, and a couple of weeks later, my custom made bike arrived! Assembly was much easier than expected and went very smoothly. Now five years later, I have logged well over 1000 miles on my Urban Commuter Cruiser and the bike shows no discernible signs of wear. I love this thing! I will probably keep it in my own garage for decades to come, but I don’t plan on giving it away with the house!
Lastly, I should mention that I have formed a continuing relationship with Wayne, who has been very supportive of the various cycling advocacy efforts I have been part of here on the west coast. Very proud to have a Worksman in my fleet!

I was first introduced to Worksman bicycles as a graduate student at NYU. Worksman provides all the bikes for the university’s bike share program. Once or twice a week, I would pedal a purple Worksman around the village. The bikes always felt comfortable and sturdy enough to handle the rigors of New York City! I guess it should be no surprise that the bikes are in fact made right here (Queens, to be precise) by people who know these city streets.
I have since moved to Long Beach, where the beach cruiser reigns supreme. I needed a new bike, so decided to give Worksman a look. Seeing as I work in Queens, I decided to call the company and ask if I could come down for a visit. I spoke to a representative named Al, who told me to stop by as they had some discounted floor models to show me. So, I ventured over to Ozone Park (got a wee bit lost along the way) to find an actual three story BIKE FACTORY tucked away in the heart of the city. What a seriously cool place! It looked gritty and no nonsense. A bit rough around the edges, just like the bikes that they make. Nothing too glitzy, but more purpose-​built, the old-​fashioned way. I was greeted by Al, who handed me off to Bruce, who told me the bikes are «built to withstand anything you can reasonably throw at it». Who was I to argue? These guys have been in business pretty much forever.
After test riding a few bikes (and even one low-​rider trike) in the parking lot, I settled on an Industrial Newsgirl model. 3 speed, coaster brake, front and rear baskets, in lavender. Yes. This was perfect. I couldn’t wait to bring it home and join the cruiser crowd.
My first summer in Long Beach was awesome, and much of it was made possible by my cool new bike. Thus far, I have had no complaints other than a small tear in one of the handgrips. Worksman replaced the grip promptly, and free of charge. Really good, honest people in my estimation. I would have no problem recommending Worksman to anyone. Remember, these are NOT sporting bikes. They are, however, a throwback to the way bikes USED TO look and feel. Make a statement, a support local American mom and pop businesses like Worksman! I am already trying to convince my boyfriend to buy a Worksman Tandem so we can cruise around town together. ;)

It began simply enough on the Worksman Cycle website, build your own cruiser page. This was the bike I have been waiting to order for two years, I was very excited. I choose my frame, size, custom colors, wheels, the works. It was the perfect bike for me. Soon after sending my order I received an automatic reply from Worksman, it verified everything that I ordered and was correct. A day or so later I received another a personal response from Worksman giving me a final price including shipping along with a six week production time. This email didn’t contain a break down of everything I ordered, but since I already received a break down confirmation from them, I wasn’t concerned
When the bike finally arrived I went to work examining it and putting it together. Everything seemed to be in place except for one thing. I ordered a custom color chain guard, a ten dollar upgrade, I wanted it to match my frame. Instead, I received a black plastic chain guard, ugh. No problem I figured, mistakes happen I’ll just give them a call.
The bike was partially assembled, the cranks and chain were installed along with the rear wheel. The tires were on. The only thing I had to install was the front wheel, stem, handlebars, grips, seat post, seat and pedals. I chose not to install the included reflectors. It went together fine.
I called Worksman the next day and explained that I received the wrong item. I was surprised to enter into a debate of «no you didn’t order that» «yes I did order it».
I asked to speak to a manager. She placed me on hold then came back on line saying she would send me the chain guard out at no charge. Wow thanks! Even though I have already paid for it…
She indicated this would take a week to do and another week to ship. This conversation went on for twenty minutes, jeez.
Fast forward four weeks and my chain guard still isn’t here. I have been riding my bike in the mean time and have found the wheels to be poorly made, neither the front or the rear hub is centered in their wheel providing for a bump in each cycle of the rotation. Now, this isn’t horrible, I can still ride the bike, but it’s not good for a brand new wheel set, I’ll need to pay to have them trued properly at my LBS.
The grease in all the bearings is minimal and there is excessive noise from both wheels and the crank. I repack everything myself, and it’s much better now. I assume you know how to do this already, because you will need to do this if you order a bike from them.
I call Worksman again to find out about the status of my chain guard, in fact I have to call them several times over the next few weeks before I actually get it.
Finally, after seven additional weeks, my painted chain guard arrives, but I can’t use it. They didn’t let the paint dry and it stuck to the packaging. It is ruined. Plus, the paint isn’t close to matching my frame.
If you do choose to order a bike from Worksman Cycle, here are a few things to expect from the experience.
1) when you order from the Worksman Cycle website, the orders are manually entered once they receive them in their office, if they make a mistake entering your order, it’s your fault, not theirs. «human error, what are you gonna do» (their words, not mine).
2) Just because the bike is on sale, doesn’t mean you’ll get the sale price (see above about how they handle their mistakes)
3) If you order a custom bike, you will be expected by them to take what ever is in the box. Any errors are human, what are you gonna do? Is there a theme here?
4)If for some reason you do not receive what you ordered, you will need to call and argue with them for awhile, say twenty minutes. At this point, you can expect them to become condescending and say they will send out what ever is missing or incorrect free of charge.
5)After several weeks and multiple follow up phone calls on your part to see where your item is you will indeed receive a package from Worksman Cycle, The item in the package will be the part requested, but will be in such bad shape it might as well be a turd in the box, because no one in their right mind would send anything like this to a customer. Ever. At this point you may choose to give up the good fight, instead focusing your energies constructively by writing a review in the same fashion I have. Hopefully someone, somewhere will be spared the grief I have endured with Worksman Cycle and just get a beautiful bike from one of the many fine bike builders that still are in the USA today.
This is not the first bike I have bought, far from being my last, but it is my last Worksman Cycle I will ever buy from them.

Worksman does not make thirty gram racing bikes. They make bicycles (and tricycles) out of real steel that are built to withstand abuse. Pizza delivery bicycles in New York City? Made by Worksman. Ice-​cream trikes? Worksman. Those big ol’ cruisers that you ride downhill from the top of Mt. Haleakala on Maui? Worksman.
My Worksman bike is a Team Dual Trike that used to belong to the father of a classmate of mine. It’s a side-​by-​side tandem, which was known as a «Sociable» a century ago, because the two riders can easily have a conversation. Unlike most tandems you see out there, each rider has their own gear shift and can choose their own pace when pedaling — or to not pedal at all. It’s built like a tank and will no doubt outlast me, rust (from having been stored outside) and all. I have a lot of fun when I ride this with my friends, and people along the street invariably shout out «Cool bike!»

Stay away! I ordered a tricycle for my son who has special needs and received it about 3 weeks later. The front end of the trike was made wrong and it could not be assembled. After lots of back and forth with Customer Service, we still have not received a replacement part like they promised. It’s been over 2 months now and my son is still waiting to be able to ride his trike. I am so outraged over this because A) it was an expensive trike and B) I am a parent of a special needs child and don’t have the time to mess around with stuff like this! Please do yourself a HUGE favor and avoid this company like the plague.

I purchased a Worksman trike for the college I work at. These are extremely expensive so you would expect high quality. The trike arrived missing accesories and had a problem with the gears and a bent wheel. I contacted Worksman who had it sent to a «scooter» repair shop (?). When it came back it still had gear problems. Since I had to still use it for work I kept riding it untill it finally broke completly. I contacted Worksman again and I had to deal with a very rude «manager» who was insulted that I was asking to have them consider warranty work because it was two years old. He would let me talk to any superior person or give me a corporat contact. I understand it would not really fall under the typical warranty period but it was a problem from the start and I only wanted to discuss a solution. You would think a company would want to provide good customer service for their product especially when we potentially would buy more trikes. We are the largest community college district in the U.S. What is happening to U.S. made products and customer service?

Uggh. I am all for American Made. I am an avid and passionate cyclist. So my son decided to surprise me with a Worksman Low Gravity bicycle for my birthday. What an abortion. It has been over 80 days now and still no bike. They shipped my son’s bike incomplete, missing the front wheel, and some other customers bike, they lost mine in shipping. Customer service was less than useless. Finally got a response from the company president Wayne Sosin, who promised to take care of our problems personally. Still nothing. Several more emails and phone calls later by my son, and the bike has finally been picked up by UPS. What a horrible company. Buyers beware.