Ben's Bikes Sequim — Local services in Sequim

I bought a trek bike online about a month ago that trek had on sale for pick up in this shop. Later, I ordered some parts from a different seller online that I wanted to put on the bike, so I returned to Ben’s Bikes to buy some tools that I needed. I told the employee working that day that I needed a specific tool for a SRAM dub bsa and he found it off the shelf and proceeded to first OPEN the tool before handing it to me. I asked him how he was so sure that was the tool I needed, and he said ‘if it’s SRAM, that’s the tool.’ I took it home, but it wasn’t the right tool. So, a few days later, I went back to the shop to obtain the right tool. I was attended by the owner (who apparently had to work retail in his own shop because all of his employees quit on him). He was extremely rude (that seems to be his usual state – the only time he was ever polite to me was when I paid $800 for a new bike). Instead of being helpful, he immediately brought up that I had voided my bike warranty by working on my own bike – Trek customer service says that if the parts are compatible with my bike and I did not damage it by changing the parts the bike warranty is not void. He also passive-aggressively commented that I had been buying and returning lots of tools I see from watching YouTube videos. At the moment I didn’t remember, but I realized I had returned one other tool, unopened & sealed in its package the day after I bought it. He then refused to order the tool I actually needed (which I was willing to pay the difference for) AND he also refused to give me a refund on the tool his own employee had opened, telling me to buy what I needed somewhere else and when I got the right one he would give me a refund. All that to say, I believe I was treated badly by the owner of Ben’s Bikes because he was offended I decided not to use his bike maintenance services and I looked for parts deals elsewhere. He obviously has no business sense and ZERO customer service skills, I spent hundreds of dollars in his shop and was prepared to spend more, but he seemed like he was tired of seeing me in his store and didn’t want me there, so I’m happy to oblige – I will gladly never shop there again. It’s worth the trouble to drive to Port Townsend for your bike needs, trust me.

Edit to add: before I added any new parts, I took my bike to the complementary ‘checkup.’ My bike was returned exactly the same - the chain was full of debris, the bike was not cleaned or lubed. The only thing I noticed different was that the crank on the right side was loose and my grips were dirtier than when I...

I am every grateful to Ben's Bikes for skillfully and quickly rehabbing my Santa Cruz Blur from years of neglect to the once again best mountain bike ride I know! When I dropped of the bike, Shane was incredibly patient and thoughtful as we walked through the bike's history and its likely future. He asked me both about the work done and the riding on the bike before and how I planned to use it in the future in order to assess the appropriate level of work to be done without over spending. He spent at least a half hour with me, talking through my options as though I was the only customer in the store (and I wasn't). I noted that other customers were attended to by other staff and if they were waiting for Shane, were greeted and explained he would be with them when he was done with me.

I was surprised when he told me he thought it would be ready within 5 days,...and then my socks fell off when he texted me 2 days later to tell me it was ready for pick up! I also loved the fact that they boxed up all the replaced parts and kept them with my bike to allow me to choose whether or not I wanted them. My husband loves to learn from seeing what was replaced and at other shops, we haven't been given that option.

I am so pleased that i want to give credit to Ben's for also ordering the weather on the day I picked up the bike (sunny and high 60s),...the perfect day for me to call in sick and go for the best ride I have had in years (road or mountain). THANK YOU Shane and your crew at Ben's Bikes! I am a super-happy customer!

PS. Work done = replacing the entire braking system (levers, cables, disc pads and rotors), an overall tune up and chain replacement. I didn't ask for this, but the bike also was the cleanest I had seen it in a decade! ...

Ben's Bikes— Miracle Workers?

Last year, I bought one of those 7-speed fat tire bicycles they had on sale at Costco. It was preassembled and I thought it was perfectly suitable for my needs. So I rode it like that all the way up to this week. The only adjustments I made were to the tire inflation and occasionally fooled around with the derailleur tensioning.

Then, the other day I went out to ride it and found the back tire completely flat. Long story short, I took it to Ben's Bikes for repair. After looking it over, they recommended a tune-up… probably because I complained that I felt like I wasn't hitting all the gears when shifting.

Less than 24 hours later, they texted me that my bike was ready to be picked up. My wife drove me down and I paid for the work. They brought the bike out and I attached all my headlights and taillights and put on my brain bucket. Then I got on the bicycle and started riding it through the parking lot on my way home.

It was a revelation. All of a sudden, I was riding not my old bicycle, not just a bicycle at all, but a precision piece of pedaling machinery. The gears clicked into place. The disc brakes— which had already impressed me with every ride— were adjusted exactly right so they worked even better.

I'm not sure if this is the same bike I brought into their shop . But if it is, they made it better than NEW. It's like, 175% better than new. And that's why I wondered if those guys are miracle workers.

Ben's Bikes. Highly...