One of the great things about the Chinook Book is that it has coupons for practically every bike shop in the Twin Cities. As I had some differed maintenance on my bike to do and we needed to get a few things for our new bike (it needed a front wheel, pedals and a lock), our staycation seemed like a great opportunity to hit up several bike shops. Four to be more precise (actually we went to five, but one didn't have the item we were looking for). Here's the run down:
Behind Bars - 208 13th Ave. NE Mpls
Agenda: buy pedals for the new bike.
As we were headed to Red Stag Supperclub in NE for lunch, it seemed appropriate to go to at least one NE bikeshop. They have smartly put out sandwich board signs at various nearby intersections. The shop is set pretty far back from the street and would be easy to pass by unless you knew it was there.
The shop was spacious and fairly typical, but I did appreciate the couch/waiting area. We were greeted warmly and given good advice on our options, the tradeoffs, value for money, etc. Kate settled on a pair of stylish red pedals to match the red cog on the back wheel of the bike. Coupon got us $5 off.
Behind Bars location isn't particularly convenient for us, so I don't know when/if we'll go back, but I'd recommend it if you live in or near NE Mpls.
The Hub Bike Coop 3020 Minnehaha Ave Mpls
Agenda: drop my bike off for serious repairs.
The Hub is one of the closest, if not The closest, bike shop to us. This is our typical go-to place for bike stuff unless we happen to be somewhere else. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only coop bike shop in the cities. Technically, if we knew what we were doing, we could use their space and tools to work on our bikes for a small fee.
Anyway, my front crank has been bent for a while and my brakepads were worn down to almost nothing. The plan: to fix those issues and remove two of my three front gears converting my bike from a 24 speed to an 8 speed - I really only use 4 gears anyways. What I didn't know was that I also needed a new chain and cassette. Turns out, a typical chain is good for about 1,500 miles and a cassette for maybe up to 3,000. Based on my calculations, I'm pretty sure I've easily put more than 2,500 miles on my bike.
I got great advice and service. The bad news was that I needed to spend more than anticipated and my bike won't be ready until Monday. It's a good thing we now have 3 bikes. Coupon will reduce the cost of my repairs $10.
Overall, we definitely recommend the Hub.
Grand Performance 1938 Grand Ave. St. Paul
Agenda: purchase a front wheel for the new bike.
Next, we headed over to St. Paul to Grand Performance, which is a shop that tends to cater more towards high end racing bikers. Nevertheless, we used to live close by and have used them for some emergency repairs in the past.
We've had some mixed experiences with customer service at GP, but this time we had stellar service. Our bike dude was super nice and was happy to explore different options, at several points he consulted other staffers to make sure we had all the info we needed. We also found a tire for 50% and left with a complete assembled wheel ready to ride. Our coupon netted us $10 in savings on top of the $17 discount on the tire.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend Grand Performance for commuter or mountain bikes, but for racing/road bikes they seem to be one of the best shops. It's not that they can't help with other things, but there are other shops that specialize in those areas. Nevertheless, we had a fantastic experience there today.
Boehm's Cycle 1592 Selby Ave St. Paul
Agenda: lock for the new bike.
Boehm's is a funny place. It's half bikeshop and half hockey store. They are down to earth and very friendly. They have a solid selection of products.
We found what were looking for, got some good insights and were in and out quickly. Coupon got us $5 off.
Having gone to 4 shops in one day with a positive experience at all of them, it's hard to offer recommendations of which one to visit. The prices were all pretty comparable and our coupons were generally the same $5 off $25 or $10 off $50. The differences seem to be in two areas: the products carried (more specifically the brands) and location. Unless you are looking for a specific item that your nearest bike shop doesn't carry, I'd just go to the shop that's the most convenient for you.
Total saved from coupons on bike-related purchases today: $30
Ride on!
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