The Bike Rack

My favorite bike store in DC. Fantastic employees. Super helpful. Bought my first road bike here about a month ago. I’ve been in a couple times since, to get my brakes readjusted and a flat tire fixed.

I have been to this shop several times and the customer service and work has been extremely great that I decided to write a rate them. I have no complains about this place, great customer service, they go above and beyond for customer satisfaction and safety. Every Time I go there, I leave with more knowledge about my bike and things I could do on my own to keep it riding well. I go there for minimal things like changing a tube, getting he bike Lubed up or for more intense work like changing the entire crank. I haven’t had any issues with the repairs, so glad to have a shop like this in the neighborhood.

Despite being super busy and the long wait for the mechanic, they were really nice and not pretentious like the older store up the hill.

I have been going to the bike rack for a long time now — purchased a commuter bike there and also take my road bike for service. But the pizza man receives a better welcome than I do. The staff is peremptory and dismissive sometimes. Today the guy at the register would not make eye contact and demanded «$ 45 bucks» when my service was complete, no please or thanks. Service on the bikes is good as is ongoing servicing for bikes that you purchase there. Maybe I should bring a pizza next time.

Have an Issue with this place twice, they charged a fee but didn’t fix the problem, they misdiagnose the problem, had to take my bike somewhere else, they act as if they know everything but results are not good, just lip service, unfriendly staff.

Came in to get a bike lock and have my front wheel tightened after having just moved to the area. Staff was very friendly and recommended a solid reasonable U-​Lock, but then the mechanic installed its bracket on my frame, tightened my bolts, refilled my tires, and gave my bike a brief once-​over for no added cost for labor.
Overall left feeling very impressed and will almost certainly be back.

Great staff, quick service, reasonable prices. They avoid the snotty condescension of other area bike shops, and will help you figure out what’s wrong with your bike even if you’re a relative neophyte (like me). The staff is super great about even the smallest of repairs, and they do really nice work. Go to the Bike Rack!

I came here with my girlfriend at about 5:30 on a Monday so she could buy a bike. I was considering getting myself one as well but we focused on her first. It wasn’t the best time to buy a bike and get the full attention of the staff since it was busy and they close at 7, but there aren’t many other times for us to do this. Anyways, I ended up getting one too. I really like the bike– entry range hybrid bike that has been awesome so far.
It was difficult to get the staff’s attention and it seemed like every request or question was a burden. Overall though, they were helpful and got us set up relatively quickly. I rate that experience 3 stars.
BUT WAIT! I went back that Thursday to get some other accessories and that experience was a 5 star. It was also around 6 or so but wasn’t as busy this time. The dude that helped me was super helpful. I felt like the U lock I purchased the first time was too small. He was like nah you’re just using it wrong. He showed me how to properly use it along with some other aspects of the bike. They set up all the accessories I bought quickly. It was weird– apparently they never loaded my information into the computer system the first time with all the details of the sale and my bike. They logged everything in the second time and now I’m set.
Overall, you can buy bikes and accessories cheaper online. If you know exactly what you want and are handy with bike maintenance, you can do most of the stuff yourself but I want to support a shop that I can ride to after work to help me.

Def my bike shop– friendly and attentive staff that asks a ton of questions and just gets it. Walker in Service is a savant and a great guy.

I bought a bike at ‘The Bike Rack’ thought if I purchased it by a local store I would have the ability to count on them for question or issues instead of making the purchase online.
I had my bike stolen and the cop was like if you bought it from a local store go and get the serial number this will help us with our investigation. On the same day it was stolen I trekked to the store to get these details and was confronted by a wall of indifference. They could not find my information in the system at all — even though I had been there just a month ago for a tune up. Apparently, they do not enter customer services in the system and had no record of me purchasing the bike from their store. They even denied that I had purchased the bike there, asking if I had used another name. At the end of the day, there was no assistance, not even a confirmation that I had ever been a customer there. I felt confused and bewildered, even more so that my bike had been stolen only an hour before.
I went back home to find the exact date of purchase and credit card that I used, called them to see if this could help and they could not locate this information in the system, even though I specified the make and model of the bike. The staff there was indifferent although I was the only person there, and they made no effort to reach out to me on a traumatic Sunday afternoon. To make matters worse when they put me on the phone with Chuck, the owner, he said that a system upgrade had erased all of their old information — so how would they honor their own warranties? I would advise people not to shop at the Bike Rack.

I went there three months ago to get a comute and casual ride bike. Poor service, poor advices, trying to sell as quick as they can. Did not like the vibe. My experience of the place is limited though, I prefered to pass my way.

Even the OWNER promises are WORTHLESS.
This is the kind of place that breaks your brakes, then calls you to convince you brakes are needed — without telling you that they broke your brakes. You decide to pick up your bike thinking they can order the parts and do it later.
You arrive to get your bike and only then find out your brakes are broken when they hand you your broken brakes in a bag and simply say we broke them your loss. The owner promises you they will fix your bike tomorrow or as soon as they get the parts.
You patiently check in 8 days later and they tell you they will get to your bike in a couple more days or a week or whenever they get to it.
PLEASE AVOID THEM!!!

The Bike Rack is my go to for both the accessories I need on the fly, and the attention I need on my bike. I race two bikes, so I am constantly in need of nutrition, accessories, and most importantly, maintenance.
The Bike Rack’s service department consistently returns my bikes running smoother than the day I got them. One of these bikes is 4 years old and has been heavily used, so this is no small feat.

This place is the absolute BEST!
I’m huge on customer service and experience, from food to accommodations, but I always leave The Bike Rack surprised at how awesome an experience at a specialty shop like this could be. The staff are patient, accommodating, and genuinely want to help in whatever way they can every time.
Went in today because my bike literally fell apart on me — chain first, then wheels, and so on. Thought I’d rack up some insane bill because the bike definitely needs some major tuning up, but for the time being I needed the cheapest quick fix which I explained. Major kudos to Simon for my intake, and for Brad for putting the bike right back together and even tuning up the breaks — FREE! Put the biggest smile on my face :)
Genuinely appreciate you all helping out when you could have easily thrown some intake or tune-​up charge at me– will be back for my fixes as soon as I can afford them!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

After a long rough winter, I dropped my bike here for maintenance. At no shock, it needed a bit of work. They provided me a price estimate, and a time estimate. I think I was more in shock with the time than the price. Guess everyone is taking their bikes to maintenance now that is nice to ride again. Nonetheless I gave green light, work got done and picked it up today. Bike rides better than new. Service was fantastic. Will be coming back here.

Owning and managing a bike shop is a tough job. I know, because I’ve worked in several and negotiated sponsorship deals on behalf of teams. So when I walk into a shop for the first time, I try to put my best foot forward. I ask polite questions; I spend a little money as a gesture, even if it’s just a brake cable or a pair of socks; I ask the mechanic what kind of beer he likes, because I’ll be bringing him a 6-​pack when I pick up my bike.
Whenever I move to a new city, one key question to answer is, what will be my go-​to bike shop? While my initial reaction to the Bike Rack was positive, I can now say for sure that this shop will not be receiving my business.
As of writing this review, the Bike Rack has now had my bike for a full month since I dropped it off for a basic tune-​up on March 22. I take some responsibility for the delay. I went out of town for 10 days. Still, the primary culprits are the Bike Rack’s inability to process their backlog of repair jobs in a timely manner and their poor supply chain management. Sure, the location is nice, the store is pretty and the employees are friendly enough. They offer yoga and group rides and filtered water. But they fail to fulfill the basic tenets of any bike shop: provide quality service at a fair price and quick turn-​around.
If you have such a high volume of business that you are expanding to a second location, you need to be placing more than one QBP order per week. Period. In the age of Amazon Prime, why would I wait 10+ days for you to order a simple component, when I could have one sent to me next day with free shipping? Furthermore, since disc brakes are increasingly prevalent (hint: you sell bikes with disc brakes), why don’t you have a standard part like a Deore disc brake rotor in stock at all times?
I already alluded to the Bike Rack’s plans to expand to a second location in Brookland. In theory, this will be a beneficial addition for their customer base. In reality, the opening of the new store is over 2 months behind schedule. And while the new location hasn’t even opened yet, the ownership has stopped offering bike fitting services at the existing store. I was planning to drop $ 200+ on a fit session with the Bike Rack. Apparently they don’t want my money.
**Update: Less than 24 hours after I posted this review, I received a phone call from Brooks, the mechanic at the Bike Rack, complaining that my Unilocal review was insensitive. I appreciate the responsiveness and desire to address my concerns. I don’t appreciate being guilt-​tripped by a mechanic because I’ve given his shop a tough but fair review.

Convenience factor, GREAT. I live 3 blocks away and it’s the perfect location.
I had been having trouble with my gears skipping on my road bike. I bring it in and the dude (I wish I could remember his name) fiddles around with it for 10 minutes and tells me he can’t find anything wrong. He then tells me «so how about $ 10 for the time?». FINE– I pay and leave. The next time I ride the bike the SAME problem AND the chain brakes.
I take it back and the SAME dude tells me, this entire system is messed up, the barrel, the gears, you have to replace everything.
I tell him that I brought the bike in last week, and was confused as to why he didn’t notice any of this the last time? He looks in the service log and has the nerve to tell me «I fixed your brakes last time».
He straight up incorrectly logged the service, so he could charge me $ 10 because in actuality, he did nothing.
I should have left and gone to a different bike shop then, but I pay him to take care of it and I was STILL experiencing problems. Absolutely terrible customer service. I want to be able to trust the folks taking care of my bike. I can’t trust the staff at the Bike Rack. Furthermore, expect them to be rude to those who aren’t experts on bikes.
In all honesty, the space is beautiful and they have great products. But I have now found an honest bike repair shop with a non pretentious staff that I will be taking my business to.

It was time to put my big girl pants on!
I recently purchased a hybrid liv alight from this store and had a great experience with Simon.
I’m an utter and complete noob when it comes to fancy bikes, all my bikes thus far have been hand me downs, or yard sale finds, so I was ready to get serious about a purchase!
All my questions were answered and I left with a nice bike to ride the mean streets of NOVA.
If you are considering getting a bike I would definitely work with Simon! He’s very knowledgeable, and will tell you straight up if the bike is good or not.
If you’re on a budget I would consider getting a used bike as hybrid and road bikes are pretty pricey :) or save your money until your ready to commit to a bike that you’ll ride often and use ’til your hearts content!
This store is conveniently located right across from LE DIPLOMATE!

I had a fantastic experience here. Russell helped me out on a Saturday afternoon, meaning he was juggling tons of other customers coming in for questions, requests, etc. He did this deftly and patiently (yours truly — caffeinated like whoa — would definitely have been overwhelmed).
I came looking for a bike, not knowing anything about bikes or really clearly able to articulate what I wanted. How he responded was just impressive — first off, he was patient and broke it down for me (the different types of parts, models, price points, etc.). The next thing he did was explain the process of buying a bike in a way that made sense to my bike-​illiterate self but didn’t make me feel like there was something wrong with bike-​illiterate. Really fantastic, and it like that can be hard to find in this world (correct me if I’m wrong, y’all!).
I handed over a credit card to test ride a few different bikes (for free of course; credit card was just so I wouldn’t ride off into the sunset never to be seen again) and getting a much, much clearer idea of what would work for me.
While I did end up getting a bike elsewhere — they had a the right model for me — my fantastic experience means I will come back here for gear, maintenance, rides, etc. They will make money off of me one day soon — think long-​term, folks!
Other things about the store — I like that they have cold water for the taking right as you walk into the store. On Saturday, it felt like EVERYONE was coming and going from here — people filling air in their tires, asking questions, looking for things… it seems like there’s a strong community around this store and that the staff know many of their «regulars».
I’m really grateful for the help I got (thanks, Russell — I hope that you show this to your manager and get a raise because I’m surely not the only one with this opinion!).
I’m so happy with my visit and can’t speak highly enough.

Update: I went back into the Bike Rack as Bikey had a flat tire and it’s still the closest place to my house. The guy was perfectly nice, gave me a couple of options in case I wanted to update my tires (they are like ten years old, to be fair) but said I didn’t have to do so just yet, which I appreciated. I would like to report that the sexism I faced last time had just been one bad bro, but this guy, too, also explained everything about my (clearly my, also a women’s) bike, to my boyfriend who happened to come with me.
Furthermore, in response to the owner’s comment on my first review that he was present for the first experience and that «the conversation was pleasant» –that’s actually how a lot of sexism takes place. It’s typically a really really nice guy talking down to a girl because her pwetty little head just can’t handle all those facts. And an apology wrapped in an insult is actually not an apology. I was going to upgrade to 2 stars but the business owner’s snarky comment about going to Vail… well that’s clearly how he thinks treating people with «respect and kindness» is done.
I’ll be making the trek to places further afield but able to recognize me as a person.