The Bike Line

I went to Bike Line the first time a week and a half ago. They changed both tubes for me, and did it quickly. I was impressed and surprised with how quickly he did the work on a busy Sunday afternoon, but then the guy told me how much it was going to cost… Almost $ 50. If he had told me that from the start I would have walked away, but I ponied up and rode away. 30 miles later, a flat. I took my bike back and the guy in the shop told me I didn’t qualify for the warranty. He told me all about how it was all my fault and how he simply would never believe that I hadn’t hit a pothole, curb, etc.
I write this review from the service desk of BGI while the gentlemen here replace my tube. The cost was half and he just brought my bike out and showed me where he had lubed my chain, fine tuned my shifting, and fixed the back brake… All free of charge. See also my review of BGI, coming soon.

I recently took my bike to The Bike Line in Broad Ripple for a tuneup. I ride it pretty hard, and it needed quite a few things fixed or replaced (tires, chain, cassette, new wheel, etc.) in addition to the basic tuneup.
Shawn was extraordinarily helpful and thorough, and walked me through all that needed to be done. Perhaps more important to me was that while he told me they were exceptionally busy (late spring rush as people start riding more, 40 bikes brought in over one weekend alone), he would do his best to get the bike returned to me within 7 – 10 days; I was riding within a week.
Beyond that, Shawn, Nancy and everyone there loves bikes and bicycling and have gone out of there way to help me. It’s a small, locally-​owned shop, so they don’t have a big-​box inventory of bikes or parts, etc. and for people who need that or are in a hurry, that may be a consideration. But it’s a great, easy vibe, they do really good work and it’s always a pleasure to be there.

My bike is back!!! I got an old bike for Christmas, needless to say it needed some work. I had been to this store before and they know SO much about bikes-​like the dude told me things about my bike that made me rethink life. Lol okay I might be a little dramatic but their knowledge is very impressive!
I walked in and told them what I needed– they were fast, friendly and helpful with the information they shared with me. When I made my choices for what I needed they fixed everything for me right then and there. It took about 12 minuets total.
They also have an air pump – so if you are every riding and need some air stop in!
I will totally go back here when I’m in need for more bike work.

This is the best bike shop in Indy! They have high end mountain bikes that no one else carries. I have bought a Trek Fuel 9.8 and a Trek Farley from them and have had a great experience every time. Charlie and his crew are top notch!

Had a great experience here. Staff is very knowledgeable and helped me with some issues I had been having with my bike. They ordered in the part and installed it for me. Prices are a bit high but service is great.

We have used Bike Line several times for maintenance on two different bikes. Shawn is a great mechanic. He works quickly and does the job right. He also does not try to sell us more expensive parts then we need and always remembers us by name when we come into the shop. We have not purchased a bike from the shop so I cannot comment on the retail aspect, but for bike maintenance this is the place to go.
We had our first experience at Bike Line after having been to T3 on the north side where a $ 100 – 200 quote turned into $ 400 expense for bike maintenance. We found out that the work done on the bike at T3 wasn’t even correct when we were riding in Broad Ripple and almost crashed due to a bottom bracket that was put on upside down and a chainring that was barely tightened down. Thank goodness we were able to stop at Bike Line and had Shawn fix it for us.

The trip started out fine. There wasn’t anything wrong with my bike aside from the fact that my tires were losing pressure quicker than normal so I wanted to get the tubes replaced. The gentleman that helped me was quick and friendly I was on my way in no time. About a mile down the road I heard a pop and my rear tire went flat. I walked it back to the shop where a different person told me my tire was bad, and I spent $ 60 to replace it. He got it on fast, I paid and left. As I’m riding away, there is all of a sudden a loud creaking when I pedal. I take it back and show the dude who immediately gets defensive and says it has nothing to do with anything they have done, says «I don’t know what to tell you» in a crappy tone and that I’d have to leave the bike for a week to get it fixed. Could this all be coincidence? Sure. But all I know is I rode my perfectly fine bike to Bike Line and left $ 100 poorer with a bike that doesn’t work nearly as well as it did when I arrived…

Shawn is hands down the best bike mechanic in town. He does high quality work without running up the bill. I always take my bikes to him before any race.
As far as the other negative reviews on here go, I don’t agree with any of them. Bike Line BR Rocks!

I was recently recommending places to purchase bicycles to a friend, and it reminded me I needed to write a review for The Bike Line. I did a quick scan through the other reviews, and the following stuck out to me
«First of all, if you feel like you need to be humbled, come right in! Bike Line staff is always looking to make you feel like a jackass! … «
I ride nearly 5000 miles a year, and this sentence is EXACTLY how The Bike Line sales staff makes me feel on every visit. I have purchased 3 bicycles, high end wheel sets, and many other items from them, and still they consistently talk down to me. This isn’t a short term problem either. I have been shopping on and off at The Bike Line for 27 years. I am not sure why they are so arrogant, nor why I continued to shop there for so long, but I made the switch to Matthews a year ago, and all I can say is the drive is certainly worth the service and attitude. If the drive to the west side is too much I recommend going to BGI, or even Performance Bicycles (hard to recommend Performance because they don’t sell Trek which is my brand of choice).
As far as their service department, I found it to be amazing. Everything the sales area lacks the service department makes up for. They wont suggest unnecessary repairs, and often times, they will true up a wheel for no charge. They are also extremely fast in getting your bike back to you. BGI constantly runs 2 – 3 weeks for anything, and The Bike Line gets it back to you in a few days. I would recommend their service department to anyone, but for you own well being steer clear of the sales department. This is pretty easy considering they are in separate buildings.
This shop has a great selection considering how small they are, and are very convenient to the Monon. The proximity to the Monon also makes it an excellent place to test drive a new bike. All of these things make it all the more tragic that the culture in the stores (Carmel is the same) is so toxic to customers.

Been going here for years. Great range of quality products, everything you need to ride. Very supportive of local cycling and you can’t beat the location.
Love the fact you can test ride on the Monon and pop in during a ride easily enough for a quick fix or shop.
Staff is helpful and easy going and repair shop is fast and knowledgeable

After calling around town trying to find a 28″ inner tube (pretty uncommon, apparently), the young man who answered my call at The Bike Line confirmed that yes, they carry that size! And yes, they do currently have it in stock! Since biking is my main form of transportation, I got a ride to the shop as soon as I could manage it. On arrival, I found the person I’d spoken to on the phone and asked where I could find the special size inner tube I’d called about.
«Oh, twenty-​EIGHT? I thought you said twenty…»
Though disappointed that I’d made an unnecessary trip, I realize that it was a simple misunderstanding. My one-​star rating is due to the rest of the conversation, which went as follows:
Me: Could a 27″ be stretched to fit my tire?
Salesperson: Um, I dunno. Maybe. It could, I guess.
Me: Can you special order the size I need?
Salesperson: No. Actually, yeah. But it’d probly take like more than a week to get here.
Me: Do you know where I could get the size I need?
Salesperson: Yeah, I have no idea, sorry. Good luck.
Unfortunately, I won’t be going back to The Bike Line. For information, or gear.

I cannot say enough good things about The Bike Line on the Monon. I broke my aero shifter on Memorial Day, so I brought it to Ed the minute they opened on Tues. Just walked in. I was half-​panicked bc I have a long race Sat and was already running thru worst-​case bike borrowing scenarios. He worked me in, ordered the part, fixed it, washed it and returned it to me tuned and ready THE NEXT DAY. No one laughed at my drama. Just quickly fixed my baby and I’m rolling again. The work was excellent, quick, professional, and affordable. Even sent the second shifter home with me as a spare. There is no other bike shop in town as far as I am concerned. If you need a bike mechanic, go see Ed at the Bike Line.

Bad service! We stood around for 20min and were never greeted or asked if we need help.

Although I started cycling in May 2013, it took until small business Saturday (November 30) for my first visit to The Bike Line.
My wife and I decided to just explore broadripple and support some local small businesses. Bike line was having a 20% off sale for small business Saturday. The shop wasn’t crowded, and we received personal service from the one woman working the shop (who was apparently part of the family that owned the store). She was able to answer basic questions and was obviously a cyclist and triathlete herself.
I picked up some new gear at 20% off for Christmas and gained a new local cycling shop to use in the future. For now, I’m giving them 4 stars because I can’t judge the quality of their bike service.

Went in here close to quitting time to buy some bike accessories– fenders, lights, mirrors and pack rack. They were super friendly and informative. I did not get a «hurry up and get out of here vibe» at all. They were really patient and even installed everything I bought.
Update: I’ve been to this place numerous times since my first review. They are Stellar! So nice and helpful in every way.

I’ve had several «wow» experiences here lately! I just started biking a lot more and Bike Line has been very helpful in this new endeavor. I stopped in a few weeks ago to get a new helmet, tire (since mine was suddenly completely flat) and lights for safety. Not 1, not 2 but 3 employees were super helpful in helping me choose products and getting my bike fixed up. I thought it would take several hours but I was out the door, biking to errands in 15 minutes!
I went back a few weeks later to buy bike shorts, which trust me, make a huge difference for your tush when biking long-​ish distances. And I was recently back a third time when I thought my bike chain broke, but the repair guy just simply looped it back onto the gear. He was super nice about it and didn’t make me feel like an idiot. Can’t thank Bike Line enough for their great and friendly service!

I do not like writing bad reviews. However, when a place of business is consistently being discussed in a consistent light, I think it is safe to say accuracy is winning out.
Bike Line (broad ripple) has a nice selection of bikes, tools, and accessories. They have a knowledgeable staff, and a great service department. The convenient location in the heart of broad and on the Monon Trail makes other bike shops envious. This ends the positive comments.
First of all, if you feel like you need to be humbled, come right in! Bike Line staff is always looking to make you feel like a jackass! And, if you feel like your wallet is just a bit too heavy in your back pocket, feel free to have a little service done on your bike. They will ensure that every single small turn of the wrench will find its way onto your bill.
I have spent a lot of money in this store. I have bought many bike tools, tubes, accessories, and labor hours from them. Mostly, because it is convenient and close. But friendly service has never once been part of the package. Experience means a lot to me when spending my dollars. I finally made the decision to walk away. Experiences like these drive people to the big chains like Performance (where everyone actually IS friendly) or into smaller shops with less inventory like Joe’s (because the service is unbeatable).
Do yourself a favor. Stay ahead of the problems with your bike. Plan your shopping experiences elsewhere. And if you must go to Bike Line, remember that you did nothing wrong. Its not your fault. Its not you. They treat everyone like that.

The only reason I can’t give them 5 stars is because there is always room for improvement. As far as a bike shop goes, think small town, slower pace. I live near Zionsville but drive to Broad Ripple because of the service. I was interested in getting back into mountain biking and came into the shop at Charlie’s request. He didn’t want me to come in to sell me on something, he wanted me to come in to prevent me from buying just anything.
I never felt pressured. Charlie and the rest of the staff were extremely patient and helpful in answering questions. After a number of visits and mulling it over, I felt like they had helped me find a bike that I would be happy with and ride. I have not been so happy on a bike since I was a kid, and I credit their customer service for making that possible. I can definitely see how some might be put off by a relatively slower pace, but the staff know what they are talking about and work at making customers active bike riders.

If I’m ever up on my high horse, it’s good to know I can still walk into a bike shop or record store and get knocked right down. These enclaves of esoteric knowledge serve an important socio-​cultural function, and I accept that. So, while I didn’t feel cool getting my flat repaired after riding over some glass, I did have a functional tire after about 15 awkward minutes in the Bike Line repair shack.

I’ve been to this shop a lot because I lived really nearby for 3 years. You can get mixed service, depending upon who’s working. At worst you’ll be ignored until you ask for help but usually, it’s an ok experience and I haven’t had problems with them trying to oversell me, even on little things like emergency pumps.
Once one of the mechanics spent about 30 minutes with me talking about the pros and cons of certain kinds of bikes, women’s specific geometry, features I do and don’t need, and even brands (April 2011). I didn’t end up buying from them, but only because they don’t sell the bike I ultimately decided to purchase. Their main brand is Trek, but they sell other brands too. Out back is a repair shop and I’m pretty certain they rent cruiser bikes to enjoy the greenway. The last time I was in (June 2012) the service kinda sucked. I wanted to change out my handlebars, stem, and possibly fork. Needless to say, I had some questions: Cost? How short can the stem get? Can I try the bars out before committing? Extremely unhelpful. There was a kid there, and I basically got to play «telephone» with him as the go-​between so I could get some answers from the actual mechanic. I’m thinking maybe they’re friendlier in the middle of the day when they aren’t more focused on their after-​work plans?
Probably the biggest plus about this shop is that you can test ride the bikes up and down the Monon, which gives you a WAY better feel for the ride compared to circling a parking lot at other stores.
You can find someplace that will probably tune your bike up for a little cheaper, but if you live in the neighborhood you can’t beat the convenience.