Master Bike — Local services in New York

Went into this place blind as I was looking for something close to my neighborhood and this fit that bill. Unfortunately, the experience was just utterly disappointing. I imagine if you're bringing your regular bike or mountain bike there it would be fine, but I was bringing my Brompton fold-up bike there for the first time and they completely dropped the ball.

First, I only went for a cleaning but Imbert talked me into getting a new chain. It was a bit old to be fair, but when I went to pick it up a few days later, the chain was WAY to long and would uncouple from the sprocket upon folding. I brought this up and to their credit, they shortened the chain and it seemed fine...for a minute.

Then I went to ride it and the chain would skip upon ANY pressure, so I went back. They explained that it needed new sprockets and they didn't carry them so I'd have to go Brompton Junction. Why this was not explained and owned up to from the jump was my first point of contention.

I was also upset because I had wanted to just keep the old chain but they talked me into a new one and had thrown the old away and that meant by bike was made unrideable by their actions and that's thing two.

The other thing was that they ruined the paint job with whatever high pressure hose they were looking to clean it with (see picture). All that for $174 and that is ridiculous. I did get a refund for the chain at $32, But to not just own up to it right away, apologize, and OFFER A FULL REFUND is quite frankly just not good enough. There are are too many other, better bike shops out there and I'll get to that later.

I love my Bromptons and I was pissed. Luckily, I paid with my Am Ex card and I will definitely be getting my refund back in full through them in due course.

If your looking to get your Bromptons serviced, save yourself the incompetence and lack of outgoing service and just head down to Brompton Junction over on Bleeker Street. Better Yet, hit up David at BFold as he the absolute Best! You can find him at 224 East 13th Street.

Yet another reminder of why Quality is Worth the Extra Hassle And when it comes to premium bikes: You Get What You Pay...

Imbert and his staff are continuously knowledgeable, fair, honest and genuinely caring. These guys are all-around happy to assist you and answer any questions you may have no matter how trivial. I'm on my 3rd bike at this point after they opened the world of cycling to me. I purchased my first hybrid (Bianchi Cortina) from them and soon after acquired my first roadie (Felt F1 series) for very reasonable prices. Each time customizing the perfect bike for my size, lifestyle and budget. Despite me being quite a difficult customer the selection process was painless- they patiently provided detailed information and options. Never pushy or salesy. The bike fitting was comprehensive and any future tune-ups are on the house. Both turned out to be immense investments. As I was introduced to road cycling, they polished my biking skills by providing tips including positioning, using clips, training on a stationary machine.. and more...

I have to personally thank Imbert, the owner, and his nephew, Jay for showing my nephew how to ride bike. They went out of their way in front of the shop for a few hours at a time until he faced the intimidating task of riding on two wheels. All of this was an incredible gesture of goodwill for which I'm eternally grateful.

The shop also has a solid variety of bikes and accessories for decent prices. Best prices I'd say. Cheaper than Amazon. If they don't have it, they may accommodate you by ordering it.

Imbert, Jay, Mike and all the other guys are the epitome of what private business needs to thrive and what a difference it makes as a customer when you feel like you are part of a whole team/ family. Master Bike Shop has earned their stellar track record for quality, professionalism and gregariousness, and my undying loyalty as a local year-round commuter cyclist. I highly recommend anyone considering biking to these guys and will...

Edited Oct. 2023 / orig. written Jul. 2022, : I hesitated to write this since this was a local bike shop and the price for the tuneup was reasonable ($100 for a deluxe), but the tuneup job was not done well and the prices for the parts were ridiculous.

For the tuneup, I got it back with grime still stuck in the jockey wheel that I had to scrape off myself with a floss pick. As for the parts, I paid for only a replacement chain and a wheel, without labor since that was counted as part of the tuneup; the chain was $30 when the exact same one was $10 at REI and the wheel was $50 but only $22 from Specialized directly. 3x and 2.27x inflated! Mind you, this does not include labor, which is already accounted for in the tuneup. They also wanted to replace the brake pads but they were still doing well (and still well 2 months later)

To make things worse, about a month later, I had to take the bike into a different shop, REI's this time, to have the front derailleur adjusted when it should have been taken care of during the tuneup. There was no breaking in of cables since nothing was replaced and riding was normal city use.

Pics below are from right after the tuneup

I recommend Hilltop Bicycles on Columbus or REI on Lafayette over this...