RC Bicycles

RC has been my go-​to for all my bicycle related needs in Tucson, and it should probably be yours too. Everyone in the shop is always super friendly & helpful, and I’ve always gotten the vibe that they genuinely care about their contribution to Tucson’s cycling community. I’ve brought my bike in for repairs on several occasions, and every time they have had it back to me in good working order very quickly. Their pricing is also very fair, they’re definitely not looking to rip you off. I paid a fraction at RC compared to what Fairwheel had once charged me for the same spoke repair.
They have a nice variety of new and used bikes for sale, as well as a decent selection of bike gear and tools. If you’re in the market for a fixed gear or in need of fixed gear repairs, this is the only place to be. Plus, you can’t beat that it’s walking distance from campus when you’ve got a broken whip or a flat tire.

The last two times I stopped by at this bike shop I was disrespected by the owner. After reading the reviews about this place, I had stopped by to get assistance with my bicycle. The support staff that work there are quite helpful and always do a great job. The previous time I stopped through the support staff offered a trade in, and the owner scoffed and rejected it in front of my face. This past time I stopped by and was looking for assistance on a wheel set issue. The support staff once again welcomed me in, but as the owner was walking out of the building with another bike for another customer he rudely told me to wait outside in the baking heat. Will not be going back here ever again.

When I first moved to Tucson and needed a bike to get around town, they sold me a used bike for 80 bucks. The bike was not in best shape anymore and did not run as smoothly as s new one would have, but it worked well enough for my purposes and I think the price was fair.
I needed to come back a couple of times because of blown out tires/​accident and because I wanted to buy more accessories (helmet, basket, lights, lock). Every time I went there, everyone was very friendly and helpful and made time for me. They have a very laid back, welcoming atmosphere in their store. It was always a fun experience and I felt valued as a customer.
Regarding my experience with buying accessories at the shop: not only have they always been very patient and happy to help, they also seem to be very honest, i.e., they do not try to sell you the more expensive stuff just to make money. For example, when I asked about baskets and lights, the guy who helped me recommended that I take the cheaper product because it fit my purposes better than the expensive one.
As for repairs: I had three blown out tires in a row and then I had an accident with the bike, so the handle bar and some other stuff needed to be fixed. They did almost all of it for free! And I hardly had to wait. They also let you watch while they fix the bike and it is fun to chat with the employees while they fix your bike.
Finally, my impression is that the employees are very competent and that they are really passionate about bicycles. So my guess is that this is also a good address for «serious» bicyclists.
Edit: reading through the other reviews, I find it remarkable that all of them are either five stars or one star – nothing in the middle. This makes me suspect that, whereas most of the employees at the shop are awesome, maybe there are one or two black sheep at the shop?

These guys treated us like valued customers, even though we were just tourists looking to rent a decent ride for a few days. We rented new road bikes that were so much fun to ride in this very bike-​centric town! David & Santos fitted us for these rentals, installed bike cages, and gave us great advice on routes. In a town with lots of big bike dealers, this small shop offers big-​time service, quality, and value.

Avoid this place if at all possible, took my bike there for some simple repairs, very disappointed. One word, UNPROFESSIONAL. Was told repairs would be done by Monday afternoon (brought it in on a thursday), unless they called me to notify me otherwise. Went to pick up the bike… they had lost my ticket with my name and bike info, and had no idea how much they had charged me. So after they made Up a price, I foolishly paid thinking I could finally have my bike back. When I went to get the bike, 0 repairs had been done, it simply hadn’t been touched. The attendant tried saying that Sunday is a rough day to bring in a bike… I informed him I brought it in on a Thursday and was never called about the bike not being repaired. So now I’ve paid for repairs that haven’t happened and its been 2 WEEKS And I haven’t received a single call. once I get my bike back, never going again. Never offered a discount or even an apology. Very disappointed.

I have come here before for repairs and though they are relatively expensive they have done a satisfactory job in the past. Unfortunately this last experience has me deciding that I will never return. Not only did they misplace the dropout they had broken off my bike, they also still charged me full price for dismantling the bike, persuading me that the piece was unimportant. After heading over to a frame shop to get the dropout reattached, I was told it would cost an extra $ 25! I came back requesting a discount (to reassemble my bike) because of their mistake. Instead I was unsympathetically rebuffed and given a paltry $ 5 discount because of their mistake and quoted a price of $ 10 ($ 45 instead of $ 35) higher than they previous quoted. If you’re looking for a dirty, pompous, relatively rude staff that attempts to take advantage of their customers in every way you’ve found the place. Will not be returning!

One of the guys seem rude. Kept trying to sell me things and maintained a pretty condescending tone throughout our exchange. Will not be returning.

Great customer service… came in to buy a water bottle and the guy gave me two for one deal. Easy access from the school too.

I’ve gone to these guys 3 times now. Every time they explained to me up front what exactly what was going on with my bike, and how much everything would cost. They never overcharged me, and in fact gave me a discount once.
RC Bicycles is awesome. Thanks guys!

I am currently a Freshman at the U of A. I bought a bike right before school from another shop in Tucson and it cost about $ 300. About 2 weeks into school the bike was stolen. After waiting for my insurance check to come in I went to a bunch of bike shops trying to find another bike, but a cheaper one because I was a bit skeptical of spending that much money on one again. After visiting all these other shops I went to RC and finally just settled on spending the $ 300 on a fixie. About an hour after purchasing the bike, I was feeling buyers remorse and my mom finding a free bike from a friend, decided to take the bike back to save $ 300. The owner was completely understanding and refunded me the entire amount of the bike. I will most definitely be going to RC when I’m ready to spend money on a great, quality bike again. These guys are top notch and their customer service is second to none. I felt as though this review was the least I could do to repay them for me being such a hassle! I would recommend this shop to EVERYONE. They are great to say the least. Thank you RC Bike Shop! Cannot wait to do business with you again!

Over the past week I have gone to this store on three separate occasions in search of a cheap bike. The run down look of the store grabbed my attention, and screamed there could be some very cheap bikes within. On my second visit I actually found it to be a busy and well staffed store. However, on my first and third visits I saw a side of this store that others seem to be missing. For one, their prices are very high, and you can easily find a better bike for much cheaper at another shop in town. But the main reason I will not be returning to this store is the staff.
As I said my second visit was great and I was helped by a gentleman that knew bikes as well as I do, and tried his hardest to get me to ride away in a new fixed gear. My other visits have been much less satisfactory. I was either not approached as I searched through this very oddly laid out store, or I was insulted by the staff member I asked for help.
I have been riding and repairing bikes for over eight years now. As for the staff at this shop, their experience left much to be desired. They could not tell me anything about the bikes without making something up off the top of their heads, and when I finally called them out on their mistake, in a completely respectful tone, I was then insulted by the staff member saying, «You know nothing about bikes.» I immediately laughed and left the store.
I will certainly not be returning, and unless you enjoy staff members who don’t even bother putting out their cigarette while they speak to you, and insult you, I would recommend staying away from this establishment and going to a real, helpful, and competent shop instead.

My fuji absolute got stolen so i brought my old gary fisher for a tune up here. My bike received a full tune up, new grips and brake pads. will say that they did a great job to get me back on the road. Thank you Mario!

RC is close to campus, but not quite as close as its competitor Fair Something Bicycles. We went to RC first because the Unilocal feedback was resoundingly positive.
My daughter is a freshman at UofA and needed a cruiser. RC had two models at slightly different price points, but both seemed reasonably priced to me. Jerry was super-​helpful and explained the minor differences between the bikes. Jerry also did not freak out when I told him we needed to go over to Fair Something to look at a hot pink bike (a clor that RC did not carry). We were back a few minutes later, having decided the hot pink bike was not for her. Jerry welcomed us back with open arms and got my daughter the bike she wanted with all the accessories she needed (lock, basket, light, slime in tires). And he gave us a discount on the accessories!
Everyone we talked to at RC was nice. It did not take long and the bike fits her well. Five stars for sure.

Well, they seem to be doing well enough on Unilocal without my 5 star review, but here it is anyway!
This very morning I was pumping up the tires on the bike I got for my birthday before a nice ride. Apparently, not everybody can pump tires, because the front one exploded. I literally thought someone was shooting at me, so I dove to the ground like some kind of idiot.
I Unilocaled bike repair, and this was the first place that came up. I called to ask them about prices, if I needed an appointment, and if it really was just a tube or if it was likely to be the entire tire. The gentleman was very patient with me and my silly questions.
I went in, and explained to the man what happened, and he remembered my call to him. Within 5 minutes and 15 dollars later, I had a heavy-​duty tube installed, and he filled my tires for me, since I am apparently really bad at it.
I will absolutely be back for any other bike-​things I may need!

One more 5 star review for RC Bicycles. And it’s well deserved! I have been twice, once for myself, once with a friend, and both were amazing. My friend got a new tubed installed speedily, nicely and at a decent price. I went in recently looking for a good lock for my bike. A guy popped out immediately to talk to me and explain the different locks, what would work best, etc. They did not have a huge selection but I found what I wanted. They do repairs and sell bikes and have parts and everything else. There is a parking lot next to them if you don’t want to pay street parking at the U of A.
I also send my dad here and he had a great experience. They were honest, upfront, and did loads of work on his bike and brought it back into shape. He was happy.

Double up those stars! RC get 10 stars from me. This was my 3^rd shop to try and find bike grease. And let’s not talk about cell minutes used. It was a nice day so I started walking to the 1^st place that was about 1 mile away, the next place was about 1.2 miles from the 1^st place and RC was a little less than a mile from the 2^nd place. What a great workout?
The nice young man working by himself at RC took time to advise me that most people do not attempt to put together their bikes. I explained to him that it was just the front wheel, seat and peddles. Plus, I had no way to get the bike to a shop. So, he gave me some tips and grease and away I went. Guess where I’m buying all of my accessories?

Wow, some of the best customer service I’ve had in Tucson. I was looking for a entry-​level road bike and was on a pretty restricted budget. The guys worked with me to get a quality bike and some accessories well within my budget. Knowledgeable and friendly staff, nice selection of bikes and components, and centrally located.

The guys here are passionate about their job. They love what they do. Always offer suggestions to what is better for your bike. Customer service here is outstanding. I will most definitely recommend this business to anyone looking to get their bike servIced.

I was in charge of collecting donations for our elementary school’s bike rodeo. RC Bicycles was by far the most generous of all of the bike shops that I contacted!!! I was so impressed and touched by their generosity! The guys working in there were super nice and helpful too. I will certainly be buying my next bike there! ;-) Bravo to good stewards of the community!

We were renting bikes for a couple days in Tucson and RC had the best rates for hybrids when we called around. They also hooked us up with helmets, locks, water bottle cages, and bike pouches. What can I say? We’re high maintenance. The bikes worked out really well and were in like-​new condition.
The guys working there were also friendly, awesome, and even entertained us by letting us run around the shop like it was a candy store. Coming from NYC we rarely see so much open space in a store and parking lots to try out bikes in. And tandem bikes! And unicycles! And penny farthings! We were happy.