Clare's Cycle & Sports Ltd — Local services in Pelham

The good and the bad. I haven't been in to the physical store in some time but recently got a nail in my tire so I needed to buy a replacement tube for it. So I called to see if they had one of the size necessary or if they'd have to order one.

Buckle in this is a long review. Sorry. Let me preface, I hate cold calling stores it makes me extremely anxious to deal with people I don't know on the phone.

So I get up the courage it takes to call the store and get a prompt answer. I think his name was Matt. He was awesome. I tripped over my words and awkwardly stumbled out the words about the part. I had the numbers written down and he looked them up no problem. Ok great. They have a couple of them. I said awesome I needed to let the guy know who was grabbing it that they did have them, because well I don't have wheels atm so I'm not actually able to go buy it. He said alright as I'm stumbling over the thanks you's, trying to get to the goodbye portion so I can hang up, and would I like him to just put one aside for me? Ok great. So I get out the information he needs name, number and that's it great he'll put it aside. It cost under $15 btw.

I hang up and let the one buying it know yes they've got one and were willing to put it aside. And get told they already called this morning and had one put aside. Uh oh.

So I stare at my phone and decide to call the shop back. I get a different guy. Oh dear. So sorry about the confusion I just called in about a tire tube and had one put aside just letting you know the call this morning was from family for the same part. The one put aside just now you can put back on the shelf so sorry. Thats all.

I think I've done my good deed if anyone else needs the same part in the next day it'll be available on the shelf. But wait. Instead of letting me go he says oh btw is this paid for yet? Well I haven't paid (I'm paying back the one picking it up for me) and I didn't make the morning call so I don't know? Oh well to put this aside I need it paid for. Excuse me? Yes, I need payment for it to put it aside. I can take your credit card payment over the phone for it. (This is a part under 15$ and you already let me know you have multiples available if someone else comes in -- basically they don't lose a sale if someone comes in and one is held back.)

I don't have a credit card and I'm extremely flustered now explaining I'm not the one buying it I just needed to know if they had it so someone else could go there. After that he backtracks and says the manger is allowing it so I guess it's ok. If the manager is allowing it (which they obviously knew) why were you asking for my credit card information???

I understand the business behind it but asking for payment when you're putting aside a part is one thing. Asking for payment when you get told sorry for the confusion the call I just made was a mistake you can cancel the request I just made??? That's not right.

I basically got asked to pay for the part the other caller asked for this morning. Even though I'm paying that person back parts and labour I didn't make the morning call so saying it needs to be paid for //in order to be put aside// half a day after it's already /been/ put aside is just... not right.

Overall. A three. If I'd been done after the first call it'd be five for polite customer service having the part and finding it quickly and offering to put one aside without prompting, but after the second call its lucky it didn't drop the rating...

Clare's owner is nothing more than a charlatan that gives hard-working, honest cycle shops a bad name. Here's why:

We used to be loyal customers of Clare's, until they tried to rip us off. My husband took his street bike there to do a trade-in for a new one. Was told its worth was close to $3K by Darren. We actually rode the bike on the highway the day before and there was NOTHING wrong with it. We then get a call back from the owner saying there's a problem with the fuel pump and that it has no power and won't rev passed a certain RPM.

We were furious! My husband built that bike from the ground up and knew the fuel pump was fine. And, like I said, we had it on the highway the day before and the RPM was fine. Had no issues with the bike, until Clare's touched it. On top of that, their mechanic tried to tell us it's likely the cold weather - even though it's a fuel injected bike, which adjusts to the temperature (vs. carburetor). How did this guy even get a job as a mechanic? That's basic knowledge.

At that point, we didn't even bother having further conversation with anyone there. Instead, we took the bike home to inspect it. Found that Clare's had kinked the fuel line so there wasn't enough gas getting to the bike, which is why the RPM's were low. We changed the fuel line, which we took off of an extra throttle body we had and it was fixed in 5 minutes. We then sold it to another shop who said this bike was in mint condition and gave us what Clare's originally had told us the bike was worth.

To tell us the fuel pump was gone (which is a $300 part + labour costs) just so Clare's could deduct the amount they were going to pay us for it, is downright thievery. It gives honest cycle shops a bad name.

WILL NEVER SHOP/BUY HERE AGAIN.

BUYERS/SELLERS BEWARE.

If I could give them a negative star score, I would.

To "the owner" - no. My husband built this bike over a year ago so we would have noticed the issue with the RPMs when we rode it. Can you tell me why your mechanic said it was the temperature outside when it's a fuel injected bike? The fact is, the fuel line wasn't kinked before we brought it to you, and we'll never be shopping at your...

My first time going to Clares, I called ahead of time to ask if I could sit on a few bikes to see what style I liked and felt comfortable on, being that I'm a new rider. They agreed to it which was nice, some shops I've called don't allow it so I'm thankful for that! When I walked in, I was met by Mike Rissi who is knowledgeable and friendly, he encouraged me to finish my M2 licensing as we talked about some of the bikes on the showroom floor. My second time there, I was met at the door by the front desk staff who was really nice! They offered to assist me with riding gear. They allowed me to try on a couple things for sizing reference and I bought a jacket and some pants, the pricing is relative to what you can buy online so its reasonable. My third time there, I called ahead of time about a bike I was interested in looking at and they invited me over. I was met on the showroom floor by Cameron Willms, also a knowledgeable and friendly staff member. He went over everything about the bike, details, specs, maintenance, costs, pricing and sold me on my first bike! He did all of the paperwork as well and made sure everything was good, and to boot he washed my bike for me before I picked it up a few days later! The whole process was flawless and simple, I'm greatful for such a positive experience! When I went to Clares to get the bike, it was brought out to me. It runs smooth, no issues what so ever and looks fantastic - even to this day! The staff at Clares is unmatched, you guys are awesome! Overall I had a great experience! Ive already recommended them to a few people who brought their bikes in for service, they've had no problems with the service and their bikes are running...