Bike Attack — Local services in Los Angeles

I was really excited to shop at Bike Attack because I don't know much about bicycles and I felt intimidated by the amount of research and analysis paralysis I'd face shopping online.

At first, my experience was fantastic. I explained I wanted a simple street bike to ride around with my two year old son. To my surprise, the gentleman that helped me didn't try to upsell me on some $3K e-bike with fancy doodads attached. His advice was to go with something affordable and reliable: a Marin Fairfax 1 with a Thule child seat. He advised on getting a rear facing child seat since it's safer for the child. Great. I ordered online and the bike was on its way. ~$700 out the door. Less than I was expecting to spend.

When I came to pick up the bike and child's seat, I realized that I would need a rack to mount the seat to. This is where my experience quickly went south . They sold me a rack that worked with a child's seat but, when I got home, I realized it was branded for 29" wheels when my bike's wheels were 700c (~27.5"). After some research online, I realized the manufacturer of the rack (Topeak) made both a 700c version of that rack and a 29" wheel version. The 29" version was almost identical except that it was 2.5" taller.

Not wanting the extra height, I called the shop and spoke to Jose. I asked if they could order the 700c version. Jose tried to convince me to keep the 29" version saying that they're compatible with 700c and 29" wheels and that they use these racks for child seats with 700c bikes "all the time." I had to explain to him that while I am sure that is true, the extra 2.5" of height with a 35lb child on the back is going to make a noticeable difference in the center of gravity of the bike and I'd prefer to stick with the 700c version for better handling through turns. He seemed annoyed but agreed that I could come in and do an exchange (they don't do returns). At this point, I'm already a little annoyed because, as a bike shop, they should know how much a simple change to geometry can have a significant impact on the handling of the bike. It felt like he was more interested in just selling whatever inventory they had than helping me get the right thing to keep me and my kid safe and comfortable.

So I head back to the store, give them the the old rack and they order the 700c rack. It takes a week to come into the shop. I rush over once I get a call that it's in because I'm excited to try biking with my son. I pick up the new rack, head home and start to put it on the bike.

With a few minutes my wife notices that the rack says "not for use with a child seat". I looked at the tag and sure enough, this is not the Baby Seat II rack, its the Explorer rack, which is meant for bags. So now I have to drive back to the store a THIRD time and wait yet another week to get out on the bike. Frustrated, I just order the right rack on Amazon.

When I got to the store to tell them about the mishap, Jose immediately became defensive and borderline hostile, telling me that "we put child seats on these racks all the time." He refuses to return the item with out a 10% restocking fee, despite ordering me the wrong rack twice. I have to explain to him that I don't care if the rack will work with a child seat or not. Why on earth would I ignore the manufacturer's warning if there is even a remote risk it will put my 2 year old in danger. Instead of recognizing my priorities as a parent, I was treated rudely and gaslighted.

I would highly recommend taking your business elsewhere. At the very least, ask to work with someone...

Update: the manager approached me very quickly. In the next morning, the service center called me to apology and I got my bike fixed today. It was very quick. Thanks Kitty and Ed.

— Worst experience ever. Don’t waste your $120+ for tune up.

I requested a tune up at the end of June and no contact for a month. I was told that they would send email once tune up is done becuae they couldn’t guarantee a date. Found out tune up completed long ago but no notification. Well. Yes, it can happen.

Anyway I picked up the bike and was leaving. An employ stopped me and said I had to pay. I said already paid. His reaction was “Well, I don’t think so”. Shouldn’t have he asked me in a better way? I was not stealing anything from them. Was never pleasant to hear someone almost yelling at me “You have to pay” behind my back in public. Well, this guy apologied at least. I wouldn’t leave a review if it was all happened to me.

Worst thing is that I have two more problems that I did not have before tuning up, but their response was horrible.

1. my brompton did not fold/unfold properly. The folding part kept moving. 2) my light battery ran out, because the light was turn on for weeks. 1) is a safety issue but they did not checked carefully. Lucky me that I found it before riding. 2) They did not inform me that the light is out.

They said it was because they did not know how to turn off… which is understandable. However, their response was still not very professional.

The service guy was such a horrible person. (The other was good.) He was talking to telephon one side and was brilliant at annoying me. “I don’t know because we don’t sell Bromptons.” “The light don’t go out even you put them on for weeks”. What is the point? I simply told him “but that’s what happened.” He just walked away back to the office without answer, but kept talking to the phone. So rude.

They said I left the bike light turned on but I don’t honestly think so, because it was a day time. Anyway they could have called me or left a message… or at least they should have notified me about the light when I picked up.

Couldn’t believe that I wasted so much money for the...

Outstanding Experience at Bike Attack Playa Vista

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Bike Attack in Playa Vista to purchase a new e-bike, and I couldn't be more impressed with the exceptional expertise and obvious commitment to customer service.

The shop has a large inventory on the sales floor that caters to all levels of cyclists. From beginners to advanced riders, they have a store full of bicycles, accessories and gear to choose from. What sets them apart, however, is their fantastic in-store service. If you are used to shopping online, the user-friendly website makes it a breeze to browse, read the specs, and order exactly what you need from the comfort of your home.

I was especially impressed with the store manager, Victor. He not only took the time to genuinely listen to my cycling preferences and requirements, but he went above and beyond to offer valuable advice. He helped me make an informed decision and his passion for cycling and commitment to customer satisfaction validated my choice. Kitty handles the email inquiries with the utmost professionalism and friendliness. In my case, I encountered a minor issue, and Kitty resolved it quickly and professionally. Her responsiveness and efficiency speak volumes about the shop's commitment to customer care.

Jose, a sales associate helped with setting up my new ride and his advice is the kind you can only get from someone who rides, cares and is willing to share his knowledge.

With all the new technology and choices available, having a local bicycle shop like Bike Attack becomes indispensable. Their knowledgeable and friendly staff make the process seamless and enjoyable.

My experience at Bike Attack was nothing short of outstanding. Their large inventory, user-friendly online platform and personalized advice earn my highest...