To: bovik@cs.cmu.edu
Subject: bike shops
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 95 13:50:01 -0400
Message-ID: <8167.814211401@G.GP.CS.CMU.EDU>
From: Dan Morrow <James_Daniel_Morrow@G.GP.CS.CMU.EDU>

Harry, 

Below are the responses I got regarding local bike shops.
The consensus is Ambridge is best, although it is a 30-40 min drive.
Also, Dirty Harry's in Verona is also good. 

A good, focused source of information on the web:
John Greiner has a good bike page, with shop recommendations.
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~jdg/bike/retail/pgh.html

--------------------------

I'm sure you'll get many people saying the same, but I've personally
found Ambridge Bicycle Shop to be the most well-stocked, knowledgable,
and friendly bike shop around.
-----------------
If you have a car, you can usually get the best bike deals by driving out
to Ambridge (out near Sewickley, about a 40 minute drive) and going to the
Ambridge Bike Shop.  If you can, ask for Gary.  He is a great guy who will
try to steer you towards the bike that you need.  Try not to deal with
Larry or Marty.  They are nice enough guys but their bike knowledge is less
than stellar.  Ambridge generally has a large inventory of last year's (or
even several years ago) bikes with appropriate good prices.

If you don't have a car and need to buy in the Oakland/Squirrel Hill area
then the best thing I can say is to avoid Pittsburgh Pro Bicycles in
Squirrel Hill.  They are serious bike snobs and have a real attitude
problem.  I'm an avid cyclist and I absolutely don't shop there.  Most of
my cycling friends agree.  Gatto over on Penn near Wilkinsburg isn't too
bad.  They have a decent range of bikes and some pretty knowledgable sales
folks.  Ask for Joe.

If you are simply looking for reliable transportation and aren't in a major
hurry, I'd say that Gerry Kraynick's shop over on Penn in
Garfield/Friendship (not sure what the area is called) is the place to go.
Gerry is absolutely great at being a practical bike person.  His shop alone
is worth the trip.  Calling it a rat's nest would be an understatement!!!
It is a classic, packed to the walls with odd bike stuff, old fashioned
bike shop.  Gerry is one of the nicest guys I have ever dealt with
anywhere.

--------------

For mountain bikes, I like Dirty Harry's in Verona.  Sometimes they have
used bikes at very attractive prices.  For road bikes the shops are not
as good and I don't have positive recommendations.  Pgh Pro is pricy and
elitist. I wouldn't trust Gatto (at least the one in Point Breeze) to
know what they are selling.

---------------

I would pass on Shadyside Ski & Bike.  I think they're okay as far as
sales go, but if something goes wrong they're terrible for service.
After I'd had my mountain bike for 3 years (doing things like riding
down stairs) I broke my rear axle; I had a new one put on and I
stopped riding down stairs & doing gratuitous bunny hopping, and the
new axle broke within 3 months of replacement!  I also had a new
cassette put on (again, the old one was on for over 3 years) and I
managed to snap one of the cogs through normal use in a matter of 2 or
3 months.  I wasn't doing any extreme riding with either of the new
parts, and I was riding at most 3-4 miles daily.  Either they used
inferior parts or they didn't know how to install them correctly.  In
any case, I haven't given them any business since then.

-----------

For new bikes:  I just bought from Gatto's.  I wanted a current-year
model instead of next year's because the manuufacturers seem to be 
decreasing quality on components in order to hold the line on price.  
Other shops in town didn't have what I was looking for in the right size.

The stores I considered were Gatto's, Dirty Harry's, West Liberty Schwinn
(not restricted to Schwinn), BikeSource, Pittsburgh Pro.  Ambridge has 
a good reputation, but I didn't feel like trekking all the way out there.

For nontrivial repairs, there's only one place: Kraynick's, over on
Penn Ave behind West Penn Hospital.  He's the place for parts, especially
old or odd ones.  He doesn't do much business in new whole bikes (yes, I
talked to him before buying).  He's much more likely to talk you out of 
something you don't need than to talk you into something fancier than 
you really want.

-------

John Greiner has a good bike page, with shop recommendations.
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~jdg/bike/retail/pgh.html

Call Kraynick first, because he's the coolest, and will tell you if he
doesn't have what you need.  He also knows other people who put
together bikes from recycled parts.  We did ok by this route.

Pittsburgh Pro Bikes is fine if you want the newest, freshest, and
priciest.  Ambridge is best for selection, and they have good prices
and service; unfortunately you need a car to get there.  I ignore the
rest.

Erik.

-----------

I recently got a bike at the shop on Murray in Squirrel Hill.  I think it
is called Pittsburgh Pro Cycle, but in any case, it is on the steep section
near the 5-way intersection.

I think I got a pretty good deal, although I hear that they are higher priced
than other stores in the area.  Many of the people who work there seem like
morons, so try to get the guy in charge to help you.  He is pretty nice and
seems firly knowledgeable and honest.

They can get special deals on bikes made by Wheeler, which is a popular company
in Europe but little known in America.

----------------

I can't really say that it's "local," but I've enjoyed dealing with
the Ambridge Bike Shop up in Ambridge, PA (About 10min north of
Sewickley on Rt. 65).  They had the best prices while I was shopping
for my mtn bike (early '94) and their service department has been very
helpful.  Twice I've brought my bike to them with what I thought were
confusing problems and both times it turned out to be something simple
which they just fixed for free, or showed me which tools I could buy
to economincally fix it myself.  I don't have their number in front of
me, but I got it out of the phonebook.

-------------------

I really like the Ambridge Bike Shop.  It's pretty far to drive
(30-40min) but they have great deals.  I bought my wife's mountian bike
there as well as my own.  They tend to have a good selection of
closeout models for good prices.