Cycle Butik — Attraction in Toronto

Been here several times over the past 2 years, reading the reviews (positive and negative) and they’re pretty relevant to my experience. Lengthy review provided, but have a ‘Too Long Didn’t Read’ summary just below:

TLDR: They’re great at repairs, customer service isn’t amazing, and I recommend doing your own research on pricing prior to committing as they can be pricier. There’s a couple bike shops 3/4km west that are better.

— FULL REVIEW BELOW —

Repair: repair service is great, the guys who work on the bikes are really kind and knowledgeable, they go above and beyond to solve your bike issues and help you fix what is needed.

Pricing: this shop is a bit pricy. Due to their proximity to a major bike route as well as the bevy of novice bikers who pass by, they are in a perfect position to charge what they want. I recommend doing your research on the costs of items, go to a few stores and search online. Generally you can purchase a number of replacement items cheaper online or at other shops and get it installed here if that’s what you desire. Also, if you see a bike here that you love, write down the model number and research it online, you may likely find better pricing (definitely worth it when you plan on spending $700+).

Customer Service/Owner: in my experience, the owner is a D-bag, but no more than your friendly neighbourhood one. In situations like these, I feel like it’s his store (and he’s obviously been in business for a long time) so he can be the bicycle version of the ‘soup-n*zi’ if he wants to. If you don’t like it, go somewhere else, if your in a bind then it’s up to you.

My experience: I’ve had average to positive experiences here. Been overcharged a few times but I love my bike and didn’t do more research at the time, so that was on me.

Overall: they can fix your bike, and they can fix it well. If you love your bike and have money to spare, it’s worth it. If you know your bike, how it works and what it needs as well as pricing of parts, it’s worth it. But if you love your wallet and want to give your money to a local store that cares; I recommend visiting Oxygen Bike Co or Beaver Bikes a few minutes west.

PS — if you’re questioning visiting this shop, just read all the reviews, notice the common trends/complaints, and look at the ratio of positive to negative reviews (quite a large spread). Also, if you would like to get an insight into customer service, look at the responses in the...

[Reply to the ower below]

Price gouging - Cycle Butik (Etobicoke) is setting prices over MSRP and Devinci company is ok with that.

My fiancé and I went to the store twice, 1st time just to look for options and the 2nd time to buy the Milano Disc Altus 8S. Price on the Devinci's website and other dealers is $799 got it for $999, which is 25% overpriced.

My fiancé felt cheated, he emailed Thomas Olsen (the owner) and got the explanation of "shipping cost has risen from $4600US a container to over $16,000US per container...…." which I did not know that Devinci charges him shipping fee from Quebec in $US. AND I do not think that the customer should be responsible for that. I found a 2 weeks old review here, the same situation with extra charging of $200.

My fiancé emailed and I called Devinci, CP24 and BlogTo. More people need to know about this situation and understand that Cycle Butik cannot take your money like that. If you are a new customer, please just stay away from this store.

Reply to the owner:

Thank you for mentioning that. It is also weird when you only increased the price for the Milano Disc Altus 8S, not the Milano Disc Alivio 27S. For the 1st time we came to the store, I saw you sell the Milano Disc Alivio 27S at the same price, that was the reason why we did not do the research on the Milano Disc Altus 8S because WE TRUSTED YOU and DEVINCI since you are THEIR AUTHORIZED DEALER.

Lesson learned, right now I just want to make sure that my friends or ANYBODY won't ever step...

Unfortunately, don't think they can't be trusted. My young son took his bike there to get his bent rim fixed. When he got it back, one of the rear brake pads was gone and the brake cable has been cut short. They pointed it out to him and said they could fix it for $25. He said no and brought it home. I looked at the rim and brake just before he brought it there, and both pads where on and the cable wasn't cut. Coincidence? Hard to believe but maybey. Son also said they seemed sketchy when they pointed it out when he picked up the bike and made no mention of it when he initially brought it to them and they look at the rim. Coincidence? Nope, don't think so. Trying to take advantage of a 12 year old? Yep, maybe. Picked up a pad for $5 and regigged the cable it fit with my son. I like to support honest local businesses, but we won't be back.

Update- as for the comments from the owner, i was being kind by saying "maybe". Truth be told. He had a bent rim, that's all that was wrong with the bike. I know because I inspected it personally 5 minutes before he walked it to your shop with his younger sister. Walked it, and it was 5 minutes, cause we live a block away. the brake and pad was not broken when he brought it, not broken when your shop inspected it and quoted him the price for the bent rim, but i was broke whe he picked it up and you tried to get him to pay for the damage you caused. Shame on you. I'd come over to speak to you in-person but am afraid it would make me upset...