Cross Country Sports — Local services in Calumet Township

I typically don’t like to leave negative reviews for small businesses. However I called today for a simple adjustment on my rear derailer and left feeling rather taken advantage of.

I was told it’s $10 for an adjustment.

Within moments of walking in, they tell me that my front derailer also needs adjustment (it’s never once missed a shift in years and was my first sign I’d be getting more than I bargained for) and that they need to replace my rear derailer cable, my derailer housing and another derailer part.

I ask them specifically if they can lubricate the cable/housing if “it’s tight” and they tell me no. I have done this on my motorcycles for tight cables and it always worked so I was a bit skeptical when they told me the only solution was replacement.

I did get fast service, and they were genuinely pretty kind otherwise . So I’ll leave three stars because I do feel bad leaving less for a small business.

But… I brought my receipt to another shop and asked how common it is to need a new cable and housing. They told me unless it’s torn apart and/or rusty that all you need is a little grease, which confirmed my suspicion, yet this shop flat out told me no and that I need to replace everything.

All in all, I left with a 6x bigger bill than anticipated of $62 and parts I didn’t actually need.

My bike is in great condition overall, and I was rather upset that I was sold goods that weren’t needed, when all I needed was a little grease.

I am always looking to build long lasting relationships with my mechanics/repair workers. And that begins with trust in the service. This experience left me with neither. Honestly I won’t be back, because when I asked a few local friends I learned they’ve done similar not needed...

There are so many positive reviews here. It is hard to add more. But I've had many great experiences at this shop and I want to get in on the action. I have nothing but praise for Ryan and Dave. Very knowledgeable and good communicators about biking and skiing. They have always given me great advice on choosing equipment and their service is top notch. Today I just needed a new chain on my mountain bike, but the experience was exceptional. Dave quickly changed the chain but then went above and beyond by carefully inspecting the derailleur, and the trueness of the wheel. In less than half an hour I was back to the trailhead and riding. Hard to beat...

Last winter my husband was shopping for XC skis. After poor service at another retailer he came here. He was given excellent service and a mini-lesson on the sales floor since he had never XC skied before. A month or so later I decided I wanted a bike, and after searching other shops, we eventually found ourselves here again. I didn't know what bike I wanted, but I knew what I wanted to do with it and what terrain I would likely be on. I received excellent service again and the perfect bike. This winter we plan to come here again to get XC skis for myself! The sales team...