Bicycle Habitat

04/18/2008 Posted by bklnbdub

Bought a Mountain Bike a few weeks ago from Matt. He was very patient with all the questions I asked before dropping a bunch of cash on a really nice bike. Very helpful with everything. I went back today for the tune-up he recommended I do after a month. I spoke to the blonde girl, super nice, who put me next in line for the service guy, who answered more questions for me, with no attitude. I needed a tire that wasn't in stock but will be replaced in less than a week at no charge. Overall great service. Yes, the store is a little cramped, but is thats not really a big deal to me in a bike store.

04/18/2008 Posted by queensgael

I've read a lot of bad reviews on this place (and other NYC bike shops to be fair), so I armed myself with information on what I wanted/needed/desired before going, and it totally paid off. Let's be honest: you wouldn't buy a $40 coffee machine on Amazon without doing some research, the same goes for shelling out $$$ on a bike. Figure out 1) what you will use the bike for and 2) what models you are interested in ( www.bicycling dotcom is a good place to start). The guys and girls who work at BH love bikes, and if you seem like you know what you're talking about, you'll be golden! It's a busy place, and if you stand there like a goofball saying "I'd like a bike, a blue one!", well, you just don't look like an educated customer. In my case, I was assisted by a guy called Matt. He was great, didn't rush me into looking at a bunch of bikes (I had narrowed it down to three). He put me on the stationery trainer for about 15 minutes, watched my motion and adjusted the bike to suit me. Very helpful. It's like getting a treadmill analysis when you're buying running shoes. He stayed within my price range, and was helpful when I asked about upgrades and accessories. Bike was $50 less than manufacturers listed price, which was cool. Also, 10% discount on accessories for 5BBC members (be sure to push for it, some staff members didn't know about it). My $0.02: give yourself at least an hour to buy a bike - you need to look at a few options, and get fitted. And do yourself a favour and do your homework! Happy wheeling :)

Pros: Great website, good selection in store, very knowledgeable staff

Cons: Small space, can be cramped when busy which adds to some folks' stress levels

04/11/2008 Posted by commonsense78

bad customer service. worse managment. know it all employees. nothing worse than a know it all . especially in the cycling world. go to sids, or velo on 2nd ave. the blonde chic that works there has a similar atitude to a traffic officer writing parking tickets. you know the type.

Pros: location

Cons: pretty much everything.

03/03/2008 Posted by OrigamiBiker

Whether it's SuperCool dred-sportin' Hal or another of the shops repair techs, I've NEVER been dissapointed by the speed and accuracy of the repair crew at Bicycle Habitat. I tried others, (had a pretty bad experience with a certain shop on the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 15th Street) and then fell in love with the "it's no problem" mentality at Bicycle Habitat's shop in beautiful Soho. Long live Hairy Hal and his crazy cool skills ( and the other cool folks at this shop)!

Pros: Fast, Accurate Repairs (and they'll explain things to you).

Cons: None

01/23/2008 Posted by trufflehunter

Have been looking for a new commuter bike for several weeks, so went into Bicycle Habitat three different times to look at bikes and talk to the salespeople before I bought. Of all the salepeople, Alex was the most helpful, informative, and low key. Based on my experience, and other comments on this site, its worth finding out when he is there. I ended up testing riding the bike he recommended, bought it, like it, and use it daily. I've been back once for some sizing adjustments and retrofitting, which was done right then and there. Hal, the repair guy, is excellent, but as he notes, he will not help you find/get fitted with other equipment. For that, you need the (good) sales staff (ie, Alex) I didn't find the rest of the staff snobbish there (I neither am, nor look like, intense biker material) but just a little hard to engage.

Pros: selection, quality of merchandise, customer service

Cons: customer service can vary

08/09/2007 Posted by nycylist

I also have been disappointed a few times now by the customer service at Bicycle Habitat. I've been in there 4 or 5 times, but after today, I am just giving up on the place. It seems like there are two tiers of staff, somewhat friendly but not all that knowlegable floor staff and then aloof and unhelpful experienced staff. Today I literally asked about brake pads and a staff member vaguely gesticulated at the wall and went back to standing there, doing nothing. I have heard good things about this place, and at first I assumed it was a fluke, but it's happened a few too many times now, and I will not be going back.

03/25/2007 Posted by katibhvgti

I arrived to the store just as they were closing on a Friday evening. Rather than close the store, one of the sales staff stayed and hour and half extra and fitted me for several bikes. They have a great selection of quality bikes and let me take my time trying them on the trainer. I may or may not end up buying a bike here, but for customer service, I'd say these guys are A+. They show the commitment and care for the product that comes from a long standing family own business. It makes for a more pleasant buying experience, especially if you're new to bikes.

09/17/2006 Posted by aasny

Don't waste your time with this shop. The first time I went in to buy a pair of shoes, I was ignored by sales staff who were standing around talking to each for 10 minutes, ignoring me and other customers who clearly needed help. I left in a huff and went to Paragon, which had a large selection of shoes and staff who bent over backwards to help you. The second time, I e-mailed to see whether they would schedule a bike fitting. Eric responded and repeatedly (more than 3 times) said he would get back in touch with me to arrange a time -- never heard from him again. In this case, it's two strikes and you're out. How can this place get such a high rating when it is obvious that they don't care about their customers?

Pros: None

Cons: Staff doesn't care about customers

08/21/2006 Posted by alih

I have been to this store several times and have always walked away unhappy with the pathetic customer service. As if talking to a mere mortal will shatter the staff's oh so cool image. Get over yourselves.

05/07/2006 Posted by cmc999

Great shop, went there to sign up for Bike New York. Found a great selection of clothing and really helpful slaes folk.

Pros: selection , friendly

Cons: the construction