This shop is a scam. Me: Is this bike for sale? Owner: Yes, it's fairly new.. I got it from a mechanic a few years ago Me: Wait, you got this bike a "few years ago" and you haven't sold it yet? Owner: Um.... I mean, I just haven't wanted to sell it until now.. it's legit, it's not stolen.. trust me.. I mean, I just, it was in storage.. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the bikes are stolen.. read more

BUSY RIDICULING CUSTOMERS I came into the shop wanting to test ride a used bike. I left feeling bullied. I was hoping to ride a used bike for 15-20 minutes before purchasing and they laughed at me as if this was some bizarre concept. They then spent 20 minutes telling me how stupid I was and that no bike shop would ever allow that. They accused me of just wanting to run an errand. When I told them that a bike shop down the street would let me test ride bikes they spent several minutes finding the phone number of that place and calling that shop. Total waste of time and so rude. If they had a no ride policy they could have just said that instead of ridiculing me. I felt like I was being bullied. I left and went to test out a bike at another shop with no problem. If you want any kind of customer service don't go here. I also looked this shop up afterwards and it turns out they have a record of selling stolen bikes. One of the guys bullying me was the owner highlighted in this article: https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/a-troubled-shop-reopens-with-stipulations/ This doesn't surprise me at all. Definitely not a place to trust with my money or my bike. read more

Had a terrible horrible customer experience with these guys Incredibly unprofessional, No regard for the client, bike was supposed to be ready for times and I came down and it wasn't ready each time. Then when I test rode the bike the back wheel basically fell off and I almost killed myself on the street. Literally Avoid these guys at all costs read more

It used to be a good place. We liked the original worker who is quiet and just does whatever we wished for the bike. A new worker, 1. He speaks loud without a mask right in front of us during pandemic. 2. Unfortunately, every time we see him, he tries to sell more. Even if the reason may be true, if customer doesn't want to buy it, he should immediately respect customer's request and stop selling or forcing it. "The more you give, the more you receive......" He is a good guy, so I hope he finds calmness and humbleness, and "Listen" more than speaking. Yet, we appreciate their services that they gave us in the past. Thank you read more

These guys are straight up theives!! DO NOT HAVE REPAIR WORK DONE HERE! I came here when a my pedal fell off and paid forty dollars for a new one. A week later the same thing happened and they said I needed a new axle and charged me $30, but they didn't replace the axle they just bolted the same pedal back on. When I came back a week later with the receipt they pretended they didn't know me. DO NOT GIVE THESE GUYS ANY MONEY!!! read more

I traded in my 11 year old Giant for this bike. They gave me a great deal for the exchange. D, the manager sized me up and set me up for exactly what I was looking for. He then took the time to polish the bike and make a few minor adjustments before I was off. I also have 3 years of FREE tune-ups. I registered the Bike I traded in with them and registered my new bike with my local Precinct with a document they provided. I'm to come back in 3 weeks for a FREE quick tune up. Thanks Busy Bee Bikes ! read more

Busy Bee Bike - PHIXIE - Phat Cycles - Bikes Near Me - New York, New York

Fantastic service and care, they took care of my bicycle repairs and the kids bikes upgraded. Now we are ready for the summer! All one stop and shop moment, service while we waited. It was great! Just get in there early if you want to avoid all the customer traffic. Knowledgeable, experienced they explained my needs and expectations for riding throughout NYC. They have all the gear you might need on hand or they can order for you if you want. read more

Busy Bee Bike - Nice mom and pop shop with plenty of stock - Bikes Near Me - New York, New York

This place sucks. First bike I got had a flat in 2 minutes. It's been 7 days and I still have a "48 hour" hold for 300$ on my account for the bike rental. When I asked to get the hold taken off my account (with my bank agent on a conference call with them) the manager cursed at me several times. The place is the worst run business I have ever seen. *Absolute scum* read more

Just riding my bike through central park the other day and wondering why the "serious" bikers wear cycling jerseys that say Reese's Pieces/Credit Suisse and those crazy tight cycling shorts? Tour de France; maybe you can get away with that; but is their 30 mile ride through the park really sponsored by Avis and Banco Popular? Weird fashion sense and low sperm count really makes these cyclists quite the catch... If you don't own a bike, get one 'cause it's the best way to zip around the city. And buy a good lock. Just don't buy from BBB. The first B stands for (lazy) bastards. BBB doesn't keep busy cleaning or fixing bikes. The bikes they sell are in bad shape and a bit rundown. You can sift through their (stolen?) selection and may find a decent one that needs some TLC, but you'd have to know what to look for because the guys that work there are some sheisty individuals that give horrible advice. I live down the street and saw an 8 year-old Specialized that had no handle grips. I asked them to put some handles on and give the bike a tune-up. The half-in-the-bag manager quoted me a price, which supposedly covered the handles and tune-up. I forked over a deposit and came back a few hours later after dinner (at takahachi-awesome). Come back, there are 2 tubes of rubber slapped onto the handle bars, and other than that, the bike doesn't look it's been touched. The manager tells me I need to pay a few more bucks to get it tuned up. after debating with the guy, I just took the bike and worked on it at home. The guys don't keep their promises, won't haggle, sell poor product, and their prices are too high. Buzz Off? read more

If you want to pay too much for a bike of sketchy quality sold to you by a guy that probably lied to you about the bike, then this is the place! However, this place DOES have a lot of bikes. Some vintage and still in decent shape. If you have your heart set on something and you know about bikes, you'll still pay too much and have to deal with these dudes, but they may have it. read more

So, I stuck up for Busy Bee back in March.... no more. Busy Bee is an awful bike shop. I brought my bike in to pick up some tape and Nolan started talking to me about lightening up my bike. I thought, sure you know I really wanted to do that anyway.. why not. Days later, I picked up my bike and they had put USED white-ish tape on my bike and finished it with black ELECTRICAL TAPE?! Is this a bike shop??????? The handle bars were too big for the bike and it just looked awful. Plus, they charged me $150 over what they quoted me for originally and it looked worse than it had been in the beginning, so I left it there to have them take the tape I brought in and purchased and also fix the handlebars.... I come back to pick it up two days later, and they didn't have any other handlebars (??????), so they put my old heavy ones back on and put different white tape on. Then, he says I get $15 back, but I'd have to come back later since there was no cash in the drawer? I had paid with my card so, I asked him to put it back on my card... he then grumbles and gives me a $20 from his wallet. This place is awful! read more

They have a good selection of bikes but they're not of the best quality. I think they're a little expensive given quality. This is actually an update to a review. Initially I gave them one star, partly because of some terrible service. However they have new people working and they seem nicer than the group I initially met. read more

These people want you to leave your ID and credit card to rent a bike. That's f'n nuts. Needless to write, I did not do business with Busy Bee. read more

I went there, had my derailleur adjusted front, back and changed front cable for 25$. It took them 20 minutes and works well now. Good job! I´ll come back! read more

Avoid. I bought a bike here and literally two days later, my chain broke. Once that was repaired, I soon noticed the rear axel was bent, so when I brought it in to my usual bike shop (Sid's whatup), they had to replace the entire wheel as the axel had damaged it too much. I honestly think the people working at Busy Bee were just too stoned when they prepared my bike for sale (it REEKED of weed in there). Shoddy workmanship, but I guess my own fault for trusting blazed dudes to work on my bike. That said, the employees were very pleasant; I just wish they'd done a better job with my bike, as it cost me over $100 to fix, and I hadn't even had it for a week. read more

The first timeI ever went in there I asked for the price of a used bike. The guy told me $600 and upwards. I just waled away. The second timeI recall going in there was yo buy a water bottle basket for my wife's bike. They sold me one, used, but said they didn't have the tools to attache it. I fumbled outside for a while then came back to the assistant. He then miraculously conjures up the correct tool I needed. To make it worse I thanked the older guy (the owner?) as I left the store. THe MoFo just looked right thru me like I didn't exist. I have no desire to set foot in that place EVER again. What an effing attitude these guys have. I wish there was a MIMUS 1x star option on the ratings here because that's all they are worth. read more

Hello, I bought a PURE FIX single speed on April 2nd and less than a month later the pedals broke down. The pedals would lock up and force the pedal off the crank... PURE FIX SUCKS .... - J read more

I've only been in there once but I had a very good experience! I went in with my lock, part of my key broke off and was stuck in it. It's a very easy fix if you have pliers, but I don't. So I went to metro bikes first and they told me no, I could borrow a pair of pliers for 30 seconds, and no they couldn't do it for me. But I could buy a new lock for $40-$70. No thank you. So I went over to Busy Bee Bikes and showed the guy my lock and was in and out in less than a minute. He grabbed his pliers, got the key out, and I was on my way. read more

The current mechanics on duty seem to be honest and top notch with a sincere love for anything BIKE. The shop is a down home, let's get you riding kind of place, not a pretentious & fancy high end fixie performance hub. While another bike shop wanted to replace my bent in fork for $60, Busy Bee was able to salvage my original fork and bend it back into place for $25. Yes, I'm on a budget. Aren't we all? Busy Bee keeps it real, gets creative and yet needs to sustain income for the shop. Keep in mind the going rate for used bikes in NYC is double anywhere else I've seen in the country...so I think the prices are in line for the current local market value..LES style. It took me weeks to find a real bargain on a used bike in this city, and I now ride that whip everyday, hence my need for Busy Bee's regular service. Based on some of the reviews I read on here I'm thinking alot depends on who is working. Good bet there has been some turn over, I mean I think most bike mechanics pry have bigger dreams and working in the shop is a go between that keeps them in touch with a hobby they love. At present, the workers I know seem to have integrity. Say hi to Chad..he might even play you some James Taylor and is the nicest guy ever, next to Brian. Reading that they facilitate bike theft seems absurd. Maybe they were lax on buying bikes before, but I don't think they do that anymore. I've heard them tell customers on separate occasions how best to lock the bike and which chain/locks they have had theft reports on. In fact, they only stock the chain lock that has been reported on having the least amount of incidents. As far as having to replace a tire on a USED bike...that could happen to anyone, at anytime...that's the name of the tube game in general. Happy riding. read more

This is one of the few shops in the city that will allow you to trade your bike in for another. With so few used shops around I give this place props. PS guys, 250 for a bike is cheap. Ok So I had to replace a tire after a few weeks.... maybe I don't know much about bikes..... buy these bikes at your own risk. read more

My butt was seriously hurting from my crappy seat the other day, so I looked up the nearest bike shop to buy a new one and this one happened to be it. After I purchased my seat, dude wanted $5 to put it on for me. It was a single allen screw. It would've taken 15 seconds. I could see if it was bolted on with 4 bolts or something... Anyway, I asked if i could do it myself and they said they don't lend out tools. Thanks man. Good lookin out. So i rode home on my crappy seat with a new one in my backpack, got home, and put it on myself. In 15 seconds. My girlfriend bought a kickstand from B's bikes in BK for a quarter of the price of my seat, and the guy went outside and put it on for her, didn't even ask if she wanted it done, no charge. A little help goes a long way in the service industry. I now recommend B's bikes, and write crappy reviews about this place. Don't get me wrong, the guys here were nice enough about charging me money and not letting me hold their allen key for 15 seconds... read more

Busy Bee Bike rules! I was cycling home on a sunny Saturday afternoon (ironically from a Bike Expo downtown), blew a rear tire on First Ave - found Busy Bee Bike from some passersby who heard the 'gunshot' blowout - and headed over for a flat fix. The entire staff "ask for Joe" and the super mechanic, Shawn, are the BEST. They had everything my vintage 70s beach cruiser needed (including whitewall tires in stock!), knocked out the repair PDQ and did a super job.. It was a real pleasure happening on this hole-in-the-wall East Village shop - it'll definitely be a "go-to" spot for me for my many (7 at last count) bikes - and I'm happy to say, I made some friends hangin' at triple B. I can't recommend Busy Bee Bikes highly enough - Yelp only offers 5 stars! read more

i came in to get a wheel true and a cup holder, the repairman told me the price for both would be 27$. when I go to pay after an hour of waiting, the old guy who i presume is the owner said that cost was now 42.66$ but he' ll round down to 40$ because he knew he was trying to scam me. the owner thought he was slick, He tried to make a joke as he was telling me that price was changed by saying "we had to fix the nipple, but we didnt charge you for that. haha isnt that funny you usually have to pay for that." not very charming, more of him just trying to get over on me. I didnt question it because i realized they dont care. So why should i and why should you. So i wouldnt recommend going here. 2 stars bc he did fix my wheel read more

If I could give this establishment 0 stars, I would. I went to this bike shop to put air in my tire and the pump was off so my tire deflated even more. I went inside and the employee with a Caribbean (Jamaican) accent said that the cord was broken and would be fixed in about a half hour. Wondering why the cord is out with false hope of filling a tire I decided to leave the bike and he said he will have it ready when I come back. I also asked for a quote to change my bike from being a fixie and left it at that. So far so good? Maybe. I returned about an hour later and I didn't have my portion of the ticket he left on my bike, but because it had been less than an hour, I figured it would not be a problem of unfamiliarity. Upon leaving, my tire was still fully deflated and I was going to use the free air he had inside. Proceeding to the pump (2:24 PM)  he abruptly approached me with his hands on his crotch saying to suck his di** and don't touch his air. I responded that he shouldn't speak in such a way to customers and I went outside to attempt to freely use the pump that originally deflated my tire. The pump outside is only for Schrader tires and I have a presta tire. That pump was no good for my bicycle. I went back in and he said to get the fu** out of his store. Repeated the gesture from earlier and at 2:28PM said that his ball sack weighed more than me and that i was a little midget. I am 5'6, an active FDNY firefighter, an Air Force veteran, a human and a flat out customer who based on solely that should never be spoken to in this manner. He called his owner and was on the phone with him and once i mentioned writing a review about the most horrible customer service experience I have had in my life, the owner on the phone instructs him to not speak to me anymore and to not help me. As told to me by the employee. Camera footage shows this man approach me frantically with aggression as he yells vulgarity and obscurities at me. I will never go back to this bike shop. NYC Velo, Wing Bikes, Bikefix NYC and Trek Bicycle Bowery are just blocks away from this poorly staffed establishment. I should have looked at reviews first. Thanks to those who have read this review in its entirety. That should never be what someone has to endure for for air and a repair quote. read more

I've been going to BBB's for years because it's a great neighborhood place to buy a bike and keep it tuned up for the tough streets of NYC. Keep it up BBB's!! read more

yeah I mean it's good if you've got a flat or a quick little problem and you're in the area, but... he'll totally try to sell you a 3 speed shitbox for like 250 bucks. think about this: the only thing worse than a used car salesman is a used bike salesman. read more

Gave this place the benefit of the doubt and paid for it. Scammers. Not going to get into specifics but they're more chop shop than legit bike shop. They got caught selling stolen bikes 4-5 years ago and that should be enough reason not to go. read more

This place gets sort of thrashed on Yelp, and I have seen why, but I think they're not terrible. Not great--especially when the LES has so many great bike shops--but not to be avoided completely. First thing to know--as other Yelpers have been quick to point out--is these guys were blown up in a sting by NYPD for buying stolen bikes. See the article in the NYT: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/a-troubled-shop-reopens-with-stipulations/?_r=0. HOWEVER, I started going in there after the incident and the owner does seem to have wised up. One of the first things he told me was that this is an area where bikes get stolen a lot and that I needed to be careful. Do I think he was turning a blind eye to what his staff was doing previously though? Without I doubt I do. But he seems to be keeping to straight and narrow now. With that said, here's the skinny: - For little things and basics they're not as terrible as some say if you're in the area - Service is pretty crummy. Guys who work there are rude and have a bike snobbery around them that doesn't make them easy to get advice from. - Called them on the phone to ask about a bike box for traveling once and the guy who spoke to me on the treated me like an idiot when I asked for details on how do it - They seem too keen to upsell you, but without providing much valuable - Bought a heavy duty lock for $70 and the employee acted like he was doing me a favor when he attached it to my frame... read more

(Emey, owner of this shop for many years, died a couple of days ago - RIP) My dad bought his first bike from Emey when he came to NYC in the 70's. I got ripped off on bike parts for the first time here when I was 13. Not sure if it's the same situation but junkies hang around the shop and it's generally a depressing environment. I would also look for a bike here if it got stolen. read more

Sells faulty tubes. Bought 6 about 3 months ago. 1 went flat before I took it out the road, and today one was flat the second I took it out of the box to put a little air in it to install. 4/6 working tubes for $6 each. I called on Jan 11 to explain my issue, and the guy was not only completely ignorant, but he was trying to tell me I was installing them incorrectly. Dude, I haven't even installed it yet, I took it out of the box and put air in it. Still yet to find a decent bike shop that doesn't try to rip you off in Manhattan. read more

Wow SCAMMMMMMMMM!!!!!! ARTIST I REPEAT SCCCCCCCCCCCCCCAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ARTIst!! should have listened to my fellow yelpers but since I just got my bike I wanted to check my tires. Sad to say it but these guys are scam artist 100%. Should have known from the minute I walked in he had a "let me charge you for everything and sell you crappy stuff" look. So came in checking my tires . Used the machine outside but for some reason all my air went out thinking it was a busted tube I walk in. The guy asks me what do I want I ask to use a hand held pump. He asks why I state the reason he grabs my bike rips the tire and checks it himself. I was so thankful. He pumps away and stats it's because I was letting air out. He then askes me for money. Demands it rather. I am shocked but then he asked again and demanded to the point of him not letting me go with out my bicycle. I didn't want this to get out of hand so luckily My friend was close by at a shop so I borrow the money then walk back in and slam the cash on the door and walk out. He stated "it doesn't matter if I don't tell you it's gonna cost you the minute I touch your bike I charge by the minute". I was so freakin shocked. Sad to see Bussiness like this who don't understand the value of customer service and repeat customers . Never will come back ever ever ever ever again and like to state my longest post ever on Yelp because this place is that bad !!!! I BEGG YOU READ THESE REVIEWS AND STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS SHOP.! read more

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Do not trust these people! Total rip-off! One of the Worst experiences I've ever had with a business. Gave them a deposit on a bike. With a receipt I came with the rest of the money owed. They bumped the price by $50 bucks, refused to give me my money back. Saying they used new parts. Found out all old parts. Unridable within 3 weeks. Took it back somebody else there told me all the things that needed to be changed "because they were worn out" . Ha! Rode the bike twice in 3 weeks. And the people are so rude, beyond. Btw I had met the owner in passing, liked him, which is why I came to buy a bike. From that point on it went right down hill, and I mean lightning fast. read more

Great neighborhood shop. They've always gone out of their way to help keep my bike in great shape. The quality of the work is solid at a fair price. I wouldn't go any place else. read more

Was looking to buy a bike and stopped in there store, but the guy behind the counter spent ten minutes talking on the phone about the economy and Groupon and never acknowledged me at all. I was planning to buy a bike from them in the $300 to $500 range, but walked out. They lost a sale that would have been very easy to make, with a simple "Hello, how can I help you?" They must not need the business. read more

This is not the best stocked or prettiest bike store you'll find. It has a sordid history (as you'll learn from some of the reviews). But my experience with them has been good. I was looking for a new bike and every other place kept recommending I get one of the shiny, pricey, off-the-shelf bikes. Nobody bothered thinking through exactly what I was looking for. Their response was binary - yes or no. The guys at Busy Bee, particularly Nolan, gave some thought to what I was looking for, made a few suggestions and chalked up an estimate. This came out to be lower than most off-the-shelf bikes. He was honest about why the price was lower too. He gave me a time estimate, had my bike ready by then. I call Nolan every time I need a mod or have a question. He's honest about when he can get things done, and he's nice about it. Why did I just give them 3 stars? * Not the best range of bikes * The owner tries to sweet talk or hard sell you sometimes. It's annoying. * They weren't entirely transparent on the total cost (but they didn't rip me off) read more

My go to bike shop. The guys here are always super friendly and can repair anything quickly and effectively. The prices are always fair and if something else needs to be altered they have no problem doing it. I've been to all of the bike shops in the area and I end up always coming back here! read more

really, the fact that the dude's fly was open when i first asked him about my bike should've tipped me off that this shop is not terribly detail-oriented. but they're worse than careless, they're sketchy and not nice, and i would advise you to stay away. there are plenty of nicer ones around. i live near bicycle station in brooklyn and they're great. to make a long story short, the dude was supposed to replace my sprocket. he replaced it with the wrong size sprocket, and didn't say anything. this made my bike wayyy too easy to pedal. so i came back the next day to correct it, and he told me it wasn't a big difference. i said i wanted him to replace the sprocket with a correctly sized one, and he was like "well, i would advise against that, you can just put the chain on the other gear wheel," a suggestion which made absolutely no sense, as it would have pushed the gear wheel : sprocket ratio too far in the other direction. clearly he was just hoping i'd opt for the solution that required the least effort from him, and hoping i just wouldn't know any better or would be too dumb or intimidated to point out that there was a problem. in all fairness, i want to say that the other guys working at the shop were pretty nice, and it's just this one manager/owner guy who's a douchebag. if you need a super fast and really basic repair, they will likely get it done really fast (they had my bike ready in 3 hours), but i can't promise anything in the way of competence or giving a shit about your ride. read more

Not exactly sure why this place has all the negative reviews. I came here to buy my first city commuting bike. After checking online to make sure that I wasn't scammed turns out I got a pretty good deal on a new bike with some accessories. I'll be coming back here if I ever need anything bike related. read more

got my bikes there , vintage , not best looking but excellent working , well tuned , didnt even have to come back for a tune , also got a lock at a great price , I mean , face it , this city is EXPENSIVE , so rent cost , and things cost MORE , thats how it is , wanna get a "DEAL " , buy cheap chinese price then have to pay more later. Great service , HAPPY people , if you got attitude , dont go there . read more

Yes, this place has been a bit sketchy in the past, but it's also a neighborhood small business, so give them a chance. I will say that the current dudes working there seem a bit more with it than some of the shops past employees. All the shops in the neighborhood are pretty pricey and these guys do a good job of explaining what it is that's going on with your bike, and ultimately did a great job at fixing up mine. They're nice guys and they run a good local business and I'd bring my bike there again. read more