Branford Bike

The minute I walked in here I felt uncomfortable. Their other customer – wearing full-​on bike kit and toting a beautiful racing bike– made some snarky comment towards my 1969 Peugot and walked out. The owner and his helper seemed upset with me for making him leave.
Why is it so hard to find a bike shop that doesn’t treat you like some kind of rookie?
No, I am not always wearing cycling gear. I use my bike to get around and go for long rides on weekends. Yet the bike shop on Bainbridge is the only place I’ve been met with some freaking manners. Maybe because they’re used to legit tourists.
In any case I’ve just moved and haven’t ridden my bike since a nasty accident I had on Westlake, on my way to work. So yes, my bike was just sloshed around in a van, and has seen better days. The 2 dudes called it a «time bomb» and said they didn’t have the tire diameter I needed, and just kind of shrugged. No offer to order it, no «sorry you got in an accident, what happened?» Nothing.
Oh, and just so you know, «Doug,» or whomever, I’ve been on multiple 500+ mile tours and currently own 3 vintage bikes. It’s unwise to judge a book by its cover. I was lucky in Fremont, with Recycled Cycles around the corner, but now it looks like I won’t have a neighborhood shop, because I most certainly will not be spending any money here.

I’m in the market for a decent road bike after signing up for STP, so I made the rounds to some bike shops. Knowing Branford had extremely pricey bikes I thought I’d stop in just to peek. I didn’t expect to be the only one there on a Saturday but the place is tiny. After explaining to Jerry I’m looking for my first road bike and I might not be in the market for something so high-​end he still spent plenty of time answering all my newbie questions without any snobbery or condescension. I got the best knowledge & service of all the bike shops I visited from someone who knew everything about ALL their bikes. I still got some great options for something that would suit me if I’m in the market for something high-​end, and Branford will get my business!

I really dislike bike snobs. You know the ones: your bike has to have been featured in some race that Lance Armstrong doped up to win, and that bike had to have been purchased within the last 2.3 years for at least $ 3000.00. If your bike fails to meet these benchmarks, there is no possible way one could glance respectfully at you in the innertube/​lube section of the store.
The guy who runs this place (Manager? Owner?) is one of those types. I went in the place for a small little part when the original little part fell off my bike while I was biking. Branford was right there, so I went in. In the most condescending manner, he said there was no way he had that part for my bike. That was it. Now, if you don’t have the part, there is not anything that could be done about it. But forfucksakes, no chatting it up for customer service sake? No «Those things happen». «I know a store where you can get those». «That makes for a rough commute». Hell, even a «Shut the door tight when you leave» would have been SOMETHING. Nope… just awkward silence to the point you could have heard a rear dérailleur hanger bolt hit the ground three blocks away.
Attitudes are not my cup of tea.

Thanks to Doug and his expertise, I own the best road bike in Seattle. 6 months ago I found a gorgeous frame online and searched around Seattle to find a shop to help me with a custom build. Having passed Branford’s a number of times and not seeing it, I was so relieved to have found this store on Unilocal.This teeny shop has such a big heart and I wouldn’t trust another store if you’re looking for real experts and racing enthusiasts.
Whether you want a new bike or you have a custom build project for a frame that’s 25 years old, they have the know-​how and the equipment to do it right. In fact, when I first came in here I wasn’t as well educated on bike parts as I am now. Doug took the time to chat with me about various options and avenues for this bike and the process of buying the parts and building the bike took a half a year. All of that time was worth it and you can see it in their work. In fact, I was so thrilled to pick my bike up when it was finished that Doug didn’t even take the first test ride!
Even if you’re just after advice or you’re hunting for parts, give these guys a call. The attention to detail is insane and you’ll only get this kind of service from people who really love cycling.

I like their product mix, and that they are big a Campy shop, but I had a less than satisfactory experience with them. They dramatically overcharged me for tweeking the drivetrain on two bikes.
There were large charges for time they spent in trial-​and-​error mode on things that
a) they should have known being «Campagnolo Professionals» and
b) would not have required nearly as much futzing around if they had done what I asked them to try in the first place.
I should have done it myself for all the time they spent Futzing around with my bikes, and I will in the future.

I have an Italian classic road bike with modern Campagnolo components. I went through a few bike shops before getting too frustrated with second rate quality service.
Branford was listed on the Campy dealer list, so I tried them out. It is a small shop, both figuratively and physically, but they seem to be able to handle their stuff just fine. Lots of carbon bikes in there, but I don’t hold that against them. Its all high-​end stuff.
Its not a bike shop for BMX, MTB or fixed gear riders. And very little in the way of clothing or accessories. But if you are looking for a new high end carbon bike, or really good maintenance/​repair services, this is a good choice.
They close early but have stayed open late to accommodate my schedule before.

Isn’t word of mouth great? Well… it CAN be. Here’s what I heard about Branford: «Oh my god… BIKE SNOBS! Do NOT SHOP HERE.» But what I actually experienced first hand was a far cry from that. This is an AWESOME store! Definitely worth checking out.
I walked into Branford the other day and noticed that this is a small yet serious bike shop. In the 500 or so sq ft that this store is crammed into, you’ll find only the best of the best parts. It’s clear within 5 seconds that the shop owners take great pride in bicycles and road bike culture. I guess with such limited space they don’t want to waste it on bikes that they’re not excited about selling.
Unlike other stores in town, you will NOT find a fixed gear bike here. (Which makes perfect sense since we are in Seattle!) You will only find top quality parts, rebuilt vintage bikes, accessories and stacks of catalogs from which you can request to have parts ordered.
My boyfriend recently made an insanely good purchase on a vintage Italian racing bike. Never used and sold for hundreds of what it could have been sold for, he’s shopping around the city (and the internet) to find parts to custom-​build it. When we went into this supposedly «snobby» shop again today, Doug, greeted us with open arms. We were a total of three customers (some guy was there while we were, but we weren’t together) and we were taking up every inch of that store. Doug chatted us all up about the store’s mission, the types of bikes they build, the bikes he owns, what he can order for us, what he suggests when it comes to the best parts, and more. It was so much fun talking that we didn’t leave until 4:45 and they’d been closed for nearly an hour!
You won’t only find great bikes and parts here, you’ll find great customer service and great advice. At no point did I find this store to be snobby at all. I think when you know your craft and your calling, it’s best to focus on it and not try to take on too many things at once. While I’m sure they can fix your Huffy or your Schwinn, they’re passionate about racing and I’d venture to guess that their best work is the work they’re most excited about.
OH! And Doug knows we live nearby so he entrusted us with an awesome DVD about racing. How cool is that? He loaned me a movie to watch. Had I known about Branford before, I wouldn’t have spent so much time at Velo and Recycled Cycles. YUCK.

My Campagnolo shifters were not shifting right anymore so I took them over to this shop. I dropped them off on a Saturday and got them back early the next week! The owner called me before he repaired them to let me know what was needed and how much it was going to be. The communication through the whole process was great. When I went to pick up the shifters I was greeted by the owner and he showed me all the little parts he had replaced. He was VERY knowledgeable on campy parts repair and even told me he had people from Alaska sending him shifters that needed work. The shifters are like new now and it cost me less than half of what new ones go for!
When you walk into this tiny shop, you are instantly surrounded by gorgeous bikes and parts which is kinda surprising because it is so unassuming on the outside. It is definitely an easy place to miss from the outside as it looks very plain with only some window markings indicating its a bike shop. I would highly recommend this place for any campy parts repair or if you just want to drool over some very sweet bikes and shiny campy parts. :)