Bicycle Chain — Attraction in Roseville

Wouldn't recommend for high-performance bike care or premium bike purchases.

I came in to test ride a high-end race bike, and the experience from the beginning should’ve been a red flag. The first test bike was completely dead—uncharged and not tuned. The second had soft brakes, which the staff acknowledged but said were “passable for a quick ride.”

Despite the rocky start, I moved forward with the purchase. The bike was pulled directly off the shop floor and rolled to the counter—no tune-up, no bolt check, no seat adjustment. I had to ask for the charging cable, which wasn’t included at checkout, and there was no walkthrough of the bike’s features or care. I specifically said I’d never owned a bike with electronic shifting or an integrated battery and didn’t know how to charge it. Only then did they offer a brief explanation.

I also asked for help removing the rear wheel to set it up on a trainer. I was told it would be too difficult with the chain, so they showed me the front wheel instead. They didn’t mention disc brake blocks or how critical they are for protecting the brakes during wheel removal. The shop wasn’t busy, so there was no reason they couldn’t have offered more complete help.

Several days later, I removed the rear wheel for the first time—with help from another local shop—and we immediately noticed deep scratches on the chainstay of my brand-new frame. The bike hadn’t been ridden once. When I brought this to Bicycle Chain’s attention, they claimed it was from improper trainer setup—which I hadn’t even done yet. Their solution was to apply touch-up paint in-house, while admitting it wouldn’t look new.

Multiple reputable shops told me not to accept the touch-up, as it should only be handled by a professional painter familiar with bike or motorcycle frames. They don’t even offer in-house repairs because of how easy it is to damage the finish and reduce the bike’s value.

For a premium-level bike, this experience fell far short of expectations. If you're buying a performance bike, I’d recommend looking elsewhere—somewhere that takes bike prep, customer education, and post-purchase support...

I wanted to give this shop every opportunity to be my family's LBS. I learned from neighbors the owner resides in our neighborhood and went out of my way to buy from and support local business. After ordering and purchasing a new fat bike the bearings wore out after a dozen rides, which I acknowledge has more to do with Specialized than BC, but when I brought the bike back to the shop 3 mths. after purchase, I expected the shop hand 1. Remember that I purchased it from him 2. Offer some sort of an apology on behalf of Specialized for using cheap bearings 3. Not ask me how often am I really going to ride the bike off-road (uh, well, I didn't buy a gravel grinder or road bike...EVERYTIME!) 4. Offer some discount/incentive to keep me coming back. For a matter of fact, not only was I charged full price and then some for the repair, they even charged to put on a new pair of pedals that I purchased from them at the time of repair. I expect this kind of treatment from a CBS, but at least I would not pay $5-20 extra for every item/service in the store. I elected not to order the shoes I needed for my pedals and went to Eriks and saved $10 and then some as they threw in extra cleats. I will purchase my wife's and daughter's new bikes from a LBS that appreciates and works hard to earn new loyal and...

I brought my bike in to have the hydraulic disc brakes looked at. Another bike shop had recently "serviced" my brakes, but the braking power didn't feel right after a couple visits for "adjustments" to the brakes, so I brought the bike into Bicycle Chain for a second opinion. I talked to Matt, who explained to me what the problems might be and that he would take a look at it. He seemed extremely knowledgeable and helpful, so I left the bike with him to troubleshoot the issue. He emailed me later that day to let me know that the bike was ready to go. I thought that was amazing given that my "regular" shop usually took a few days to fix something, and that was after I had made an appointment days in advance. When I came by the shop to pick up my bike, Matt explained to me what he did to fix the issue. I tested the brakes and was very happy and amazed by the results. The brakes felt better than they did when I bought the bike 3 years ago!! I VERY HIGHLY recommend the Bicycle Chain for service. Matt and the rest of the staff are extremely knowledgeable and VERY helpful. Bicycle Chain will definitely be my "go-to" shop in the future. I don't care that it's twice as far away. Thanks again, Matt and the Bicycle Chain staff, for an incredible bike...