Dtla Bikes — Local services in Los Angeles

Seriously worst customer service from these guys and I’m pretty chill when it comes to stuff like this.

I (like many people) am somewhat new to owning a nice bike. So while something simple as pumping air can seem “easy” to some but for those of us who have never done this it can be challenging. I can appreciate the free air and the instructions listed near the air pump but sometimes, you just need a little extra help.

I’ve been to this shop twice and each time I struggled for 10 mins trying to understand the correct way to pump air without damaging my $1400 bike. Each time both gentlemen stood behind the counter and basically reread the instructions while I struggled to understand the correct way to pump air in a road bike. I’m a pretty smart guy and all I needed was them to step around the counter and just lend a hand to explain, a physical hand. That’s it. I’m not sure if because the air is free they do not want offer much help but I would rather pay for air and get the assistance of the shop guys.

Today after I again struggled to figure it out (again with minimum assistance from the shop guys) I gave up and decided to just buy a pump and teach myself just to avoid having to return. When I asked where the pumps were, again the bare minimum help - I received a finger point to the stairs. How about some explanation on what I’m looking at? If I can barely use the shops pump, you would think I would get some info on the offerings. Nope.

I write this to say, I would really take a look at who I have customer facing. You are bike shop in DTLA with many young professionals with disposable income. A little more effort from your team and I would likely spent more money as there were other items I was looking for (new helmet, mirrors,etc…) I bet this is the same for other professionals in the area, a little more focus on the experience and I guarantee you’ll see even more returning customers.

I entered the shop at 545 they told me there about to close and the door said 630??

Safe to say I will not...

During my second visit to this service, I was taken aback. The first time, they helped me and inflated my tire without any issues. But today, I came in with non-functioning brakes. They adjusted them, and the brakes started working — but now the bike itself became hard to just push. I asked why this was happening and initially got no answer "It's normal". I left the shop and checked the gaps between the brake pads, only to see that the rear wheel was touching one of the pads directly. I went back inside and asked them to loosen it slightly because it was too tight and the bike wouldn’t move properly. This is an e-bike, and when I asked why it was like this, they told me, "It needs to be turned on to ride well" (Wow, really?).

I understand that the workers here do their job quickly and try to accommodate everyone, but today it felt like it was at my expense. I paid $40 for brakes that were tightened way too much and are now wearing out while riding. At first, the interaction was friendly, but as soon as I started asking questions, it turned passive-aggressive: "You're not listening to me, but since you came here with a problem, I'll touch your bike one last time," said the worker, loosening the rear brakes and then tightening them again. Then he just walked away. I had no choice but to ride to work.

On my way to the subway, I realized that the rear brake lever wasn’t stopping the bike — it only stopped when I released the throttle. Only the front brakes were working properly.

I just wanted to understand what was wrong with my bike and what needed fixing, but now I’m afraid I might have to replace the brakes entirely.

The first video is front brakes and second is of rear ones. UPD the bike got slower...

I do almost all my bike tune ups myself, but come by this shop from time to time to pick up things like cables, brake pads, etc. It's a nice spot, conveniently located, and a cool staff. I'm giving them two stars because they sold me an incompatible product and they don't accept returns. I went in looking for drop bar levers for a v-brake (which can be difficult to find due to drop bar levers typically having a short pull, while v-brakes have a long pull). I asked to look at their drop-bar levers and even asked TWO different employees if they can confirm that the levers I was looking at were compatible with v-brakes. I explained to them the compatibility issues and even told them that drop bar levers typically work well with cantilever brakes, not v-brakes. One of the employees insisted it was the other way around and said I should have no issue with these brake levers. What do I know, right? I'm just a hobbyist and they work at a bike shop. I purchase the brake levers, install them, and now I have squishy brakes. There's just no way to get them to work well, because THEY'RE INCOMPATIBLE. So now I'm left with DANGEROUS brake levers that I can't return because of their no return policy. I ended up ordering some long pull brake levers online and now the brakes work fine (which eliminates the question that maybe I just installed the other brake levers wrong). So if you're coming here for basic stuff, some maintenance here and there, you're solid. Anything beyond that at...