Innovations Bike Shop

Great bike shop. They were extremely kind and knowledgable– i am a total bike newbie and was kind of embarrassed to ask «stupid» questions. They were more than helpful and even made suggestions to improve my ride. Will definetly be coming back!

I have over the years been to virtually every bike shop on the Upper West Side; Innovations is now my go to place. Full disclosure: they are close to where I live. However, they have exhibited a level of professionalism and knowledge that is hard to find. They have repaired my bike numerous times; once tightening my new fork which I had installed a week earlier by a competitor and which had come loose during a ride — not something you want to happen.
Friendly, great place.

I left a 5 star review a couple months ago. I couldn’t believe how clean and new my bike looked after taking it in for an overhaul because it hadn’t been ridden in at least 6 years. Sadly, after riding it 2 times it was clear that all they did was clean it and fill my tires. My front break still sticks, the tires weren’t trued, the left gear shift is not aligned and in 3^rd gear the chain clanks. My right break is still loose. Very disappointing.

Service for me is priority #1. I got it here. Went in for a box to ship a bike with my car double parked. Owner ran out to my car when he saw that I popped the trunk. he ran into shop, grabbed a box and put it in my car. No charge. All friendly. Another time had bike in trunk for minor repair; one again owner saw me double parked, ran out grabbed bike and took it inside. Went in after 3 fellow riders recommended when STI shifter cable snapped. No BS, just replaced cable in 10 minutes for a low price. Having been to most NYC and metro area shops at least once; this place ranks tops in price and service. My new place.

these guys were great. i moved back to nyc and pulled my bike out of storage — covered in cobwebs, flat tires, everything off kilter. i dropped it at innovations and came back 4 days later to a perfectly tuned and cleaned bike! it was expensive, but i needed new tubes, a full tune, etc. so i thought the pricing ended up being pretty fair. the guy who helped me also took 10 minutes showed me how to use the pump i bought, which was super nice.

Four months ago I started getting back on a bike again seriously. I looked around in my local area and Innovations seemed to get the best reviews for service. I walked in to first buy a bike for a my 4 year old. Since then I’ve bought 4 bikes from Innovations including my Cannondale SuperSix, a Montecci folder and two Specialized Hotrocks for my kids. Leo and the guys at the store are amazing. They are zero bullshit cyclists who like working on bikes and are welcoming to anyone who walks into that store whether they wear spandex, flip flops or just need some air.
They’ve always gone above and beyond on everything they’ve done for me and I couldn’t ask for an easier, more welcoming LBS. It’s not the closest to my home and yet I’m always happy to run over the extra couple blocks because of the vast difference in service levels.

Very very pleasantly surprised. I was on the way to another highly rated bike shop in the UWS and since this place is around the corner from me, I stopped in. Painless bike rental. $ 8 bucks an hour $ 40 max for the day. No hassles, in and out and nice bike. Zero complaints and how business should be done. Thanks Innovations!

Bought a cheap bike off of Craig’s list and surprise, surprise, it broke after about a mile (one pedal completely broke off as I was riding down Amsterdam). They were able to screw the pedal back in, gave the bike a tune up, and added a basket, all for about $ 90. 24 hour turnover, friendly staff.

Bought a cheap Schwinn road bike and the front dérailleur broke after about a day’s riding. These guys gave the whole bike a tune up and completely reconfigured the wiring ($ 55) and installed a new Shimano FD ($ 35) in about half a day. They did an OK job but nothing special, I actually had to readjust the replaced part myself as it had been mounted far too low. Kind of got the impression they weren’t too fussed.

I’ve become a big fan of Innovations over the years. I’ve got an old race bike that needs occasional work, and they always do great work on it, and they never over charge.
The guys who work there are all cyclists (that’s normal, I guess, at most bike shops), and very honest (which isn’t quite as normal). A couple of weeks ago I needed a new tire, and popped into a different bike shop, which will remain nameless. They tried to sell me a junk one for double the price I’d have paid online — not that I would have bought the junk they tried selling me. So, I went to Innovations instead and got a high quality tire for about what I’d have paid online including shipping.
But yesterday they really proved their mettle. I went in to fix a wheel that had gotten bent in a little mishap with a car that made an illegal turn in front of me. They could easily have sold me a new $ 80+ wheel, but instead the guy who works there (I think he’s an owner, and I should know his name, but I don’t) took the time to adjust every spoke over and over until the wheel spun straight again. And he only charged me $ 16 (plus he adjusted the gears of my wife’s bike which she bought there and even threw in a couple of handlebar plugs that had gone missing).
For a guy like me who knows very little about bikes other than how to ride them, it’s great to have a place nearby where I can trust the staff to give me good advice and not try to sell me things I don’t need.

slightly out of the way location, close to a less traveled part of the park, which is still beautifully kept, and actually, much greener than many sections further south. i live close and ride through on the loop all the time… close to the reservoir, a couple small hills, and some beautiful vistas…
but i digress. innovations is certified specialized dealer – and spesh makes first rate bikes, arguably the best in the world. they also carry cannondale (also among the best anywhere), making for a nice combination of high end road bikes to choose from. good selection, quality, pretty good pricing.
the shop itself is also a cool alternative to renting a bike further downtown – again, its in manhattan valley, a slightly less crowded, but still safe and clean northern neighborhood adjacent to the park, close to columbia university, yet still only a few minutes away from the densely populated upper west side. a nice trip «north.» manned by a small, but knowledgeable, professional, and helpful staff, leo is a really good egg. i always make an effort to stop by, even if its only for a bottle of water or a clif bar, to say hello. good doods, good equipment, good service,
and the coolest pooch (usually hanging out on his pillow bed over by his friend the mech) in the business… two thumbs up

I love bringing my bike here. They do good work for pretty standard prices. The guys are all really helpful. I went in today to have my fender re-​attached after a piece snapped off and the nice employee who helped me said that we were going to have to be «innovative» to fix this problem. That was adorable and he had my bike up and running in about fifteen minutes.

Great local business with really helpful staff! Rentals are affordable and always available.

Bought helmut for 8 year old son. Juan Pedro was very helpful and child friendly. Great Service.

WOW! When I got to the Columbia campus, I was surprised at how hilly it is in Morningside and realized I needed to replace my 3-​speed Schwinn with something with more gears. The campus outdoor club was selling their used rentals for cheap, so I picked one up. It was not ridable – it looked like someone had smashed the rear dérailleur with a sledgehammer, the back wheel was out of true, the brake cables were wonky – so I wheeled it down to Innovations and asked them to fix it enough that I can tool around town.
I assumed I’d have to drop it off and come back next week to pick it up and hand over three figures in cash. Boy, was I wrong. In the space of half an hour, one of the mechanics had completely replace the dérailleur, lubed the chain, trued up the wheel (I totally didn’t realize that the spokes can be tightened and that that’s how to get the wheel straightened out), and adjusted the brakes. He took my bike from a total crapheap money-​pit to a smoothly running transportation machine for the incredibly reasonable sum of… fifty bucks. WOW. As I was checking out, I asked Miguel if he knew of any places that offer classes on basic bike maintenance, and he said he didn’t but told me that I can stop by the shop for an hour or two any day I’m not in class and I’ll learn by watching them do routine maintenance. All in all, amazing and friendly service. I won’t take my bikes anywhere else for as long as I live here!

A quality local bike shop with an experienced and friendly staff. These guys know bikes, are quick, and fairly priced.

This shop and its owners are awesome! We bought my wife’s bike there last summer. Since day one they have been fantastic. They always bend over backwards to help in any way possible for both of us and my bike was not purchased there. They have even taken time after hours to show us how to do emergency repairs for an upcoming bike trip and wouldn’t accept payment. They are very knowledgable, very skilled, and couldn’t be more gracious. We are so thankful that we happened in to this store by chance one day last year and will be loyal customers.

These guys run a fantastic shop and do some of the best quality work on bicycles anywhere in Manhattan. I ride thousands of miles a year and race on a weekly basis, and I’ve tried all the major shops in the city. This is one of the very best. Often helps to talk a bit with them about the anticipated cost of a repair before it’s done if you are dropping off. They have stuck to what they have said or called to verify a change. Most of all, they know what they are doing and are good people.

I’d like to say as a woman walking into a bike shop, it’s often testosterone territory, but these guys are wonderful. They don’t wait a minute before offering assistance but aren’t pushy. Last week I bought new bike shoes there and today I bought a helmet — at half the price I bought one online (that one was shipped back today!) The amazing thing was that they carry shoes and helmets designed for women, not so common in a small bike shop, so they’re tops with me.
At a block away from Central Park, they’re definitely a place to check out.
Miguel is great and so helpful. Kudos, guys.

I got completely screwed by these guys.
I had them do about $ 200 worth of work on my wife’s bike, which was fine. When we picked it up I asked if they could fit her on the bike. I’ve been to many bike shops and they never charged me for a fitting if I had paid them to work on my bike, so I wasn’t expecting to pay much if anything at all.
Well this guy (the owner, I think) takes some measurements for about ten minutes and puts them into his computer. He could have done it in five minutes if he knew what he was doing. My old shop would just eyeball it, but ok, whatever. Then he makes some adjustments to her bike, which took about 20 minutes, which is typical.
He charged me $ 150 for the fitting! He said I should of known because he told me that he was putting the measurements in the computer. I never would have agreed to a $ 150 fitting. My wife isn’t even that serious a biker and she didn’t represent herself as one.
I got completely screwed by this shop. They were not clear up front about the charges because they know no sane person would pay $ 150 for a bike fitting. Avoid this shop.