Bikes On the Drive Sales & Service

I Bought my old Brodie Ocho here in 2009 and the bike was great but the old store’s staff was nice to me but rude to so many people in our neighbourhood.
I bought my new Brodie Élan here and it is sweet, the custom fitting made it extra comfortable and the staff especially the manager Rob was really nice and helpful.
I liked the service so much I took my cyclocross and carbon fiber racing bike to them for service and they were cheaper than where I bought those from and the tuneup from the techs was just as good as Dizzy and Simon’s and cheaper so this is my goto shop now.

I cannot give enough thanks for the change in ownership here. Man those old people were the WORST. These new guys are ahmazing! Friendly, knowledgeable and don’t talk down to you or make you feel like a tool if you’re not quite certain what they are talking about.
I bought my bike here and feel inclined to keep bringing her back to her home to be serviced. I come in for tune ups seasonally and at $ 50 plus tax, I feel like I receive some pretty good service at a price comparable to other shops in the city. I find them to be straight up about what needs to be done, and aren’t trying to get me to pay for things I don’t need. That being said, I have only ever had tune ups here.
The turn around time does seem a little long for a tune up, but perhaps they are just that busy? I do find five days to be a little excessive.
¹²⁄₃₀

I just want to start by saying that I don’t like leaving a 1start rating for anything. but unfortunately this place has quite literally earned it.
I have brought my bike to these people 3 times in the last month starting with new brake pads and ending with a new drive train. Each time my bike has come back worse then when it arrived.
1^st time
Went to get new brake pads. The new pads rub, I was told that this was normal… funny they have never done that before… that’s right they did not put the right pads in. They used some after market brand that don’t fit right.
2^nd time
I was finding my shifting isn’t very tight the shifters feel a little loose. So I decided to get a tune up. I get my bike back and now not only do the shifters feel worse, My bike now slips gears and the breaks are acutely worse.
3^rd
I bring the bike back after slipping gears multiple times in a single ride (it had never done this before the «tune up». And i was told that my drive train was worn out and that they must of missed it during the tune up… really you missed that isn’t that what a tune up should fine. in fact isn’t that exactly what i tune should find.
After being told that they were sorry and that they would put a new drive train on my bike just for the cost of the parts, no labor. I decided to let them go ahead… god I wish I hadn’t.
Final out come
Now my bike slips gears, the chain drags like the gears don’t line up (doesn’t matter what gear I’m in), my cranks have a distinctive knocking sound and feel, my shifters still feel sloppy and my break pad still rubs.
At this point it is impossible that they are just bad at there jobs. I mean at this point they should have gotten something right.
I am just going to take my bike else where and get the job done right.
I really wanted to like this shop and at this point between the cost of parts and labor I could have just bought a new bike.
Don’t go here, don’t let them touch your bike. Just pretend the store is not there.

I wrote this review yesterday, and today we got the call that our bikes are done. They did go above and beyond what they said they were going to repair, so that’s good. Not sure if that has anything to do with my review, or if it’s a coincidence, but it was a nice surprise.

Totally disappointed with the rude staff that work there. Not even a ‘hello’ when I walked in there. To ask a question even costs me $ 50 or whatever their shop rate was. I just wanted to replace a broken part and OMG, was it ever a task to find one single person to help me. There’s a rude bald tech there who just charged for this and charged for that and next thing you know, I can buy another cheap bike at Canadian Tire, for the amount the bald guy wanted to charge me for a $ 20 part. I recommend A1 bike on Main street. The guy is very honest and doesn’t charge for things like air or adjusting my handlebar or removing a screw, whereas this shop will.

While I like that the staff is really knowledgeable about all things bike-​related, it seems like they have decided to take on the curt hipster attitude towards their clientele that so many businesses in East Van have. I was really excited to visit the shop because I had heard such good things about the products and the service, but I was disappointed with the way they seemed to talk down to my girlfriend when she was having her bikes adjusted.
I’ve been back a few times since that day, and the bikes that they carry are great, but it’s been hard for me to shake that experience of that first visit to Bikes On The Drive. To their credit, I’ll affirm that all of the staff really seem to know their stuff and that your bike will be serviced thoroughly and properly should you need to take it in. Just don’t expect the employees to go out of their way to make you smile.

Picked up my bike today after a week (a week!!! wtf?) in the shop for a tune up and new brakes. Not the cheapest place to get some work done let me tell you… Pretty good service and employees though. I like The Drive vibe in there.
I might go to our community bikes instead next time because my pockets probably won’t be deep enough for another repair there.
They have some good merchandise I was checking out so they wil see me again browsing for sure.
Take a look, get an estimate, and decide for yourself.

Had a flat repaired and they didn’t advise they’d be changing the type of tube an valve. Was missing the nut from the valve web I got it back. When I went to pay with VISA I was informed that their un-​posted policy is that purchases under $ 20 require cash or debit. Not bad, but they were rude. Won’t be back.

I guess I’m in the demographic that Tim L. says this store is trying to cater to; I’m a commuter who is no spring chicken. I’ve had two tunes up done here and the work was fine but wow what a rigamarole to get an appointment! First you have to bring your bike in for a looksy and the lecture about how you should keep your bike in better order and then you have to bring your bike in the day before your appointment which even in winter is at least two weeks away. Plus both times I had service done here they waited till closing on appointment day to call me to let me know that the work was complete. Thanks now I have 15 minutes to get my bike or wait another day! Today I decided I’d had enough of treating my bike repair like brain surgery and I went to Dream Cycle on the drive instead… fast and friendly and no lecture!

Bikes on the Drive is a good little bike-​shop for those with commuter-​based needs but kind of falls down everywhere else. Like I said, this place is a commuter’s dream and tend to cater towards middle-​agers with an environmental conscience who aren’t knowledgeable about bikes what-​so-​ever. The folks at Bikes on the Drive fill that niche admirably.
I, however, do not fall into the category of cyclist that they are catering to. Not really interested in commuter bikes so there’s that and usually I’m just looking for parts which tend to be priced on the high side (though they do have some older gear in their little display window at the front for decent-​enough deals). I tried getting a tune-​up there a couple times but they have his overly elaborate appointment thing where they go over your bike with a fine-​tooth comb and figure out what needs to be done. Kinda nice I suppose but most of the time I just want new brake pads and cables sorta thing. They are a busy shop so their turn-​around times are atrocious, even during the middle of winter. I’ve never heard of anything less than a week.
If you’re looking for parts and tools, your best bet is to head on down to Mountain Equipment Co-​op.
I find their service passable though I find Alain (sp?) to be a little bit know-​it-​ally. But all-​in-​all, a decent little shop in an ideal location!
– Unrelated to Bikes on Drive but what the hell are all these commuters carrying in their excessive panniers?!?

Hurray for Bikes on the Drive! This place is a bike store with a mission to promote and support cycling as a sustainable alternative to driving around in cars. As a worker-​run retail shop and service centre, they do a great job educating themselves as well as their customers about environmental issues as well as about their products. Check this store out for the impressive range of bikes and cycling products, and also for the friendly, helpful service by people who are really passionate about being on two wheels.