Halter’s Cycles

My husband were in the market for either hybrid or mountain bikes, and were told that we should include Halter’s Cycle in the bike shops we were visiting, and to ask for Jay by name. We were told that he was very knowledgeable, and the store carried many good brands.
Wow. (and not in a good way.) We went up to the counter and said that we were in the market for some bikes, and a young woman offered to help us. She took us to the front of the store, asked us we wanted to spend, and we said that we had already looked at a pair of Specialized hybirds which we liked a lot, but we were willing to be convinced that maybe one of the brands they carry might be a better choice for us. In other words, we are expecting a sales pitch, and that’s fine! We’re here to buy but we don’t know exactly what we want, and we need help finding just the right bikes for us. In fact, that’s pretty much what I said to this very pleasant young woman. she shrugged her shoulders and said «well, it’s really just a matter of preference.» Seeing that this wasn’t going anywhere, I said that we had actually been told to ask for Jay; would it be possible to speak with him? Sure! she said. I think she was just as happy not to have to try to explain the differences among the bikes.
A few minutes later Jay walks up, and my husband introduces himself, shakes his hand, and says «_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​and _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​said we should ask for you.» (two of our friends; whose names are being withheld for their privacy.) Now… get ready… these are his actual words:
«Those two guys?! they’re the biggest a*holes I have ever met» (only he used the actual word, right in front of me.) Now I’m no prude, but is that how you greet your customers?
We proceeded to explain that we had seen some Specialized bikes at Knapps Cycle in Lawrenceville (very nice people, by the way — and very helpful) and that we were here to see some other brands.
He showed us a few bikes, and one mountain bike was on sale. My husband took it into the parking lot to test ride it, and Jay and I continued to speak in the store. He said it was originally $ 2,800, and it was now $ 1,000 off. I said «Okay, so that’s $ 1,800 each, or $ 3,600 for two bikes. We can do that.» He quickly replied «No! it’s $ 2,000!» I replied «…but you just said that the bike was originally twenty eight hundred dollars and it’s now a thousand off — that would make it eighteen hundred dollars…» He replied very emphatically «I’m not giving away the store here! So if that’s the game you want to play, I’m not playing it.» he paused for a second, then said «you know what? Go back to Knapps!!!» I was dumbstruck. What did I do?
Just about now my husband came back in from the parking lot, and Jay walked right up to him and said «I’m not getting along with your wife, and she said she wants to go back to Knapps.»
The funny thing is, he liked the bike, and we probably would have bought those two bikes if Jay had been even MINIMALLY polite. Instead, we went to Jay’s Cycle in Princeton and bought two Treks — and had a very pleasant experience from beginning to end.
You know… all he had to say was something like «I’m sorry, I know I just told you that they were a thousand dollars off, but I misspoke — they are $ 800 off. Unfortunately I really can’t discount them any further.» Instead, he left us with a clear understanding of who the real a*hole was.
PS — the response to my review from the owner proves my points entirely. Instead of a gracious apology, I get a snarky response. Caveat emptor.

Jay and Allen-​fantastic guys, fantastic shop. Everything you need and decently priced. Clothes, gear, etc. Can’t be beat for customizing your bike to fit you perfectly.

I Have purchased 6 bike for me and my wife at Halters and have sent many friends and co-​workers there to buy as well. Jay and his entire team will make sure you get the right bike, have it properly fitted and keep you Rolling along with great service.
I know that sounds like a cheezy ad, but they really are a great bike shop.

I love Halter’s. My husband and I deal with them exclusively. They have always gone above and beyond for us and we really appreciate that. As a matter of fact, a few weeks ago we were shopping for gear for the Five Boro Bike Tour. There was rain predicted so we were trying to be prepared. Even though they have all of their summer things out, they went in the back and took out boxes of winter gloves for us to look through since that’s what we needed. They gave us tons of advice about staying warm and dry in the rain. Thanks to them we had a great time. I won’t shop at another bike store.

Let me start this review with a bit of bias towards Jay and the Halter’s crew. They are not only friends of mine but are also arguably one of the best shops in the business. I have dealt with Jay and the Halter’s crew for many years and there is reason for that. They really take time to work with their customers and get them in the right bike for their needs…
I just left a fitting session with Don and I couldn’t be happier to the attention to detail and time he spent refitting and tweaking my bike fit and position. I purchased my road bike from Jason about 5 years ago or so and had an initial fitting done when I purchased the bike. At that time my fitness and overall flexibility was more suited for mountain biking as that was the discipline I was concentrating mostly on for many years. So over the next few years I have been spending quite a bit more time on my road bike and had done some minor tweaks here and there but never did a full refitting.
I spend the afternoon with Don today and all I can say is Perfecto… He took the time to analyze my pedaling style and positioning before starting anything and within 5mins he already knew where he needed to concentrate to make me more efficient as well as more comfortable. I was very happy with the initial fit and minor tweaks that I had done up till now and did’t think I needed much work but Don saw things that would improve my riding right away. That is the biggest benefit of an experienced fitters eye over a computer in my opinion. He took time to explain exactly what each change he was doing and why he was doing it, not just doing things just to do them and adding it to the bill.
I highly recommend not only purchasing any bikes you would ever need from the crew here, as the selection of both mountain and road bikes is phenomenal, but if you are an avid road cyclist setting up an appointment with Don or Jay for a professional fitting that will make you one with your bike that comes from years of experience that no computer program can match.

Just returned from picking up our new Cannondale bikes. We ordered them thru Jason and the helpful staff there. You just couldn’t have asked for better service than Jason and the crew at Halter’s provided. Jason came outside with my wife and I, made sure we selected the right bicycles, helped us with professional sizing, made some outstanding suggestions & tips, then even helped us re-​mount our bike rack properly and helped secure our new bikes. The entire experience was fantastic — Halter’s puts’ people first, then bikes second. If you’re in the market for a new bicycle, don’t hesitate to visit Halter’s.they are a first class operation.

They are just great** They make it a pleasure to conduct business with them!

I’ve always had a great customer experience at this LBS. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. They don’t try to up sell you at all. Typically you get a good turnaround on repairs. I’ve also done a couple of bike fits which I thought were very worthwhile. I highly recommend this shop to anyone in the area.

Very impressed w Halters, especially Jay, who jumped immediately on the many problem (s) I had w my kids bike. Helped adjust & make rideable within short order & the prices & service were great! Highly recommend Halters– they are so helpful.

Jay and his staff at Halters are nothing short of fantastic. They are incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. They are all cyclists so they know what works– and more importantly, what doesn’t. Jay is super-​dedicated to his customers and getting more people riding bikes. Apparently his mirror sales skills aren’t up to par, but considering all he has done in the community and at Six Mile I’m willing to give him a pass.

Very un-​happy ex-​customer. I bought a mirror for my wife, asked if I could return it if she didn’t like it. The answer was yes you can. Well she didn’t like it, and when I went to return it, un opened, I found I could only get store credit. And an attitude that I should have known. If I had know that I wouldn’t have made the purchase. The attitude was the same I felt the other times I went there. Never again, you lost a customer. And you can be sure I will tell anybody that asks about this shop to stay away.

I’ve been to a fair few bicycle shops in probably more countries than most people this here country have been to in states.
My own sister and bil owned one of the best bicycle shops in SW England, so I have a good idea what a good bicycle shop is. This is a great one.
Halter’s Cycles is one of the best bicycle shops on any planet. Everyone who works there is passionate about cycling no matter what level or discipline and for the most part they’re just delighted to see people on bikes, whether it’s to cruise around your retirement community, compete in the state championships, or ride across America.
Stock levels are consistently high, and if you can’t get the latest gizmo, it’s either because it isn’t out yet, or they’ve sold their allocation. But don’t worry, they’ll get it for you pdq.
Jason takes a great pride in selling customers just the right bike in the right size and adjusted expertly for you. In the case of a road bike this can take a good couple of hours, but is at no extra cost on a new bike and only requires your investment of time.
But if all you want is an inner tube and a chat everyone there’s happy for that too.
Lastly, the guys and gals in Halter’s workshop between them are experienced in any sort of bike from your Italian hand-​crafted jewel to vintage English racers. In fact, between them they own pretty much any type of bike going and have been known to cannibalize their own bike to get customers back on the road or trail.
So yes. I’m smitten.

I’ve known Jason at Halter’s for a long time and have bought several bikes there, including my current fabulous Cannondale Hi-​Mod Evo Di2. I needed to replace my rear tire so I purchased a Vittoria Pave and started to put it on yesterday (Saturday) afternoon. I’ve replaced many tires but I just couldn’t get the last little bit over the rim. I ran over to Halter’s 30 minutes before they were closing. They had quite a few customers around but they took my wheel in the back (they couldn’t do the last bit with their fingers either) and got it on my wheel.
In the mean time, I decided to ask Jason about my Giro shoes, which fit me great in the winter time with thicker socks but are a bit loose now since I’ve used them several years and in the summer I use thinner socks. I asked if I should get another smaller pair of shoes or purchase an insert. He said wait a few minutes and grabbed some card board and proceeded to create a pair of card board inserts (covered in plastic tape to keep the moisture out) and put them in my shoes. He also noticed that my cleats where too warn so he went ahead and put new cleats on for me. I rode the next day with the shoes and the card board inserts, they worked perfectly. No more foot movement. For winter, I just take the card board out.
I have found their recommendations on all of the tiny details about biking right on target. Great store, great service, and great group behind the counter.

Update:
1) went into Halters for help mounting tubeless tires that were impossible to mount. Mechanic spent 40 min mounting them for me. Found out later that he wasn’t even working that day
2) waiting on a warranty repair and wanted to ride before it was done. Different mechanic pulled a part from his personal bike so I could get a ride in while waiting for replacement part
3) bought a new cross bike and owner spent 2 hours setting me up and tweaking every little detail resulting in the best fit I have ever had
Great shop I will never buy from another shop

i wanted to add to this that j both appologized and tried to fix the situation. i think miscommunication about what i wanted and what they do were a big part of this. j did offer to redo it. they did try to fix it for me and i did come during peak season. so i appologize as well to the guys of halters cycles and the are really to notch and handled this well thanks guys.

Best LBS in the Garden State. Give Jason and his crew your business!

If you are looking for a LBS that is honest; provides awesome service on great product lines then you have found the right place. The crew at Halter’s know their stuff from road, to MTB to TT these guys have their bases covered.
Honesty + Service + Price = Halter’s

Great service, great selection of bikes and accessories.
Bought a Giant bike for my daughter and the bike and the experience were perfect.
We used to go to Planet Bike, but this is our new store. They clearly do a lot more business, have an amazing inventory of everything and lots of people to help you.
When my son needs a new bike, we’ll gladly come here for it!

These guys are the best at what they do. I started going there around this time last year on the recommendation of a friend. I was about to leave on the Police Unity Tour and wanted to make sure my bike was ready… I spent two hours with Don getting refitted. He took great care in making sure I was as comfortable as can be on a three-​hundred mile ride. I was hooked on biking and Halter’s!
Well, a year later and a brand new bike later I’m leaving again but this time with a year of hanging out at Halter’s and learning from them all under my belt.
Jason, Alan, and everyone there loves what they do and they are more than ready to pass any knowledge on to their customers. The service is second to none too… Fast, affordable, and reliable!
If you’re looking to buy any type of bike for anyone in the family start there, you won’t be disappointed! They are a FULL SERVICE shop… And the relationship doesn’t end after the sale is made. I can’t say enough good things about them!!!

Awesome LBS. Jason and his team at Halter’s Cycles came through for me again. I noticed that my fork had started leaking oil and brought it in for service. I asked if they would have it ready for the weekend, as I only have 1 bike. I dropped it off on Wednesday morning, and they had it ready to go by Wednesday afternoon!
Also, while I was there, I asked about a new helmet. The guy assisting me was really knowledgeable and helped me find a great new helmet at a good price.
Jason and his staff are all bike fanatics — they ride, they race, they maintain local trails. Mountain, Road, Cyclocross. They do it all, and they make product recommendations based on actual use. That kind of knowledge and expertise is why I keep going back to Halter’s.