It's been more than a decade since my first wonderful experience at this fantastic bike store, and…read moreonce again it did not disappoint! From the easy to use website with up to date information, to the person answering the phones who knew exactly what was in stock and had the bike I was interested in locked up outside ready for me to ride, it was an absolute pleasure to buy a new bike with zero snags. The selection in this store is much bigger than it might first appear- they're known for cargo bikes and an increasingly large supply of electric cargos, but they have kid's balance bikes and the lovely step through commuter bike in the pic, too. Their website is very easy to search for what you want in advance. You can also get all the things you need to put your new bike in use from racks, bags, baskets, bells, gear, and safety supplies. It was fast and easy to select high quality items and they attached it all so my bike was done and ready to take home that day. Another huge advantage over the first time I bought a perfect bike- bike lanes! You can try your new bike in a safe bike lane before cutting back to the store on a side street then a less well traveled road. Gives you a little descent, little bumpiness, and a little ascent so you can get a real feel for the bike. I love that there's no pressure, just a plan to help you find what works best for you. So happy with my purchase!

I took my commuter bike in for major maintenance about one year ago…read more in retrospect I am not pleased with the parts that were chosen, how they were installed, and how the results relate to the description that was given to me. folks were friendly, the place is super cute and trendy, but in the end neither cheap nor reliable

After being rebuffed at another store in the area, I decided to check out Conte's since it was not…read morefar away. It was like night and day. The people were friendly and welcoming, and I had no problem getting answers to my questions and loads of attention. they were personable and knowledgeable and good listeners as well. I'm picking up a new bike here tomorrow. I definitely recommend going here first.

first it took 1 and a half weeks to get a new kickstand and front brakes and it got delayed another…read moreweek. when I finally got my bike back the kickstand imdietly fell off!

Competent, yes. Mildly condescending, yes. Hipster, definitely…read more Cambridge Bicycle is not bad, but it's hard to take a business seriously that handles vehicle (yes, bicycles are not all toys) parts and repair which does even open its doors before 11 AM. If you just need a bit and can't go elsewhere they're OK, but this should not be your local bike shop.

These guys were awesone. Had transported a bike from 10 hours away and so things got jostled and…read morefront brake was rubbing. They did a quick adjustment and it was all good. Highly recommend. Thanks so much for great service!

So, this review (so far) is based on my interactions with the Dutch Bike folks from afar. I first…read moreheard about them a while ago, in their activities importing awesome dutch bikes to the area. I then got a Groupon for a bike tune-up from them last week, and have been talking to them about solutions for outdoor bike storage (so we don't have to schlep our bikes up our stairs to our condo). Anyway, thus far, they rate highly due to their offering of Groupons, their quick and friendly email replies, their general awesomeness in importing and selling fun bikes, and overall promotion of a bike friendly city. I'll update this post once I actually visit the store (perhaps tomorrow?). Oh, and their hours (not so easily findable on a mobile browser): Monday - Friday : 9 am - 6 pm Saturday : 12 noon - 4 pm Sunday : closed

After spending the summer in Copenhagen and Amsterdam, I fell in love with the ubiquitous Gazelle…read moreand Batavus bikes that gracefully maneuvered the streets. After trying to actually ride one however, I soon realized that with my short little legs, and mediocre biking skills, I was never going to feel comfortable pedaling a tall Dutch Bike up the hills in my home of San Francisco. Coincidentally, my first stop back in the US was Boston, where I had heard they imported a variety of Dutch Bikes and decided to stop in. Although I was told that they were stepping away from their import business, Dan, the proprietor introduced me to a viable alternative in the Lady Swift Bike produced by DBC. Completely hand built, and custom tailored to your specs in New England (with most parts manufactured stateside), this bike is the perfect mix of great engineering and good design. As someone with a design and production background, I fully understand that the R&D that went into developing this bike is not easy to come by domestically, but that DBC has really accomplished something wonderful here. Dan was incredibly passionate about his bikes and the people behind it. After test riding, I absolutely knew why. I've spent a lot of time on bikes that weren't right for me, just because they usually aren't built to fit people like me. However, the Lady Swift was the smoothest, most balanced and comfortable ride I have ever had the pleasure of taking. For posterity's sake, my bike saavy boyfriend also test rode the bike and agreed wholeheartedly. The bikes start at $2500, and include a custom built frame, engineered and painted to your specs, beautiful rust proof components, and internal shifting mechanisms. The full specs can be found on their site, but all I can say is that the final product is one very nice bike, and in my opinion, a downright steal considering the custom fabrication that goes into the bikes. Dan needs $1500 up front to start the work, and has a lifetime guarantee on the bikes. If you aren't happy for whatever reason, send the bike back for your full money back. DBC would rather that you love your bike, than regret your purchase. Unfortunately I did not have that kind of extra scratch kicking around at the time (quitting your job and traveling for an entire summer kind of does that to you) but Dan has my specs on file and was fully understanding about me holding off until I did have the money to front. However, acquiring one of these fine bikes is at the top of my priorities list. From a business perspective, DBC is top rate, and my personal interaction with Dan was extremely positive. As a Bostonian, he was a very enthusiastic guy who genuinely loves his product and his city. He even went so far as to suggest places for us to visit while we were in town and gave us his card to call him if we needed any tips on where to eat. That all said, I can't review the quality of DBC's tune-ups or really ignore the elephant in the living room that is Chris P's review below, but quite frankly, I don't necessarily think that tune-ups would be their forte, nor give a crap why/how/if that incident happened and I don't think it is my, or anyone's business to be the judge of things that happen in a proprietor's personal life here. All I can really say is that I cannot wait to get my hands on one of these jaunty little rides.

Beware of this business! I purchased a Fortified Bike and after experiencing a few problems…read more tried to contact the business. Numerous voice mails at their ONLY listed phone number received no response. Emails asking for a call back received auto-replies promising I would be contacted soon. I was never contacted. I visited the Cambridge MA corporate address listed on the Fortified web site and guess what? There is no Fortified Bike office or facility of any kind at that location. This smells like a business on the edge of bankruptcy starting to dodge unhappy customers. Buyers beware!

This is no longer a reputable business to purchase from. Buyers beware…read more Echoing some of the other comments here. The new owners of this company refused to honour the warranty I purchased and left me out to dry. They stated that they're not legally obligated to honour warrantees that were purchased before they purchased the company. Very shady.

Not as expected. When he checked the bike he said he would do breaks, chain, back hub, and tune it…read moreup for $175. When I picked it up, he charged $150 for breaks, chain, and tune up. He had not done the back hub. He said it would cost $40 more and would take a few days. I asked what he did for the tune up. He would not say. He does not provide a receipt listing the items to be repaired so there is no documentation of what the understanding was. Bottom line: he did not keep his word and I'm not going back.

Mike's a pro. Affordable. Quick turn around. Attentive…read more Would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to 'buy local'.

From the outside, ATA Cycle looks like the kind of place where very serious cyclists drop $20K on a…read morebike without blinking. And yes, that world definitely exists here--but what surprised me is how welcoming and useful it is even if you're not that person. I first stopped in a few years ago when I was just starting to get more serious about biking. I was in "just looking" mode, but the owner, Husam, ended up having this unexpectedly refreshing take: men think nothing of spending real money on their bikes, and women should feel just as entitled to invest in themselves. It stuck with me. I didn't buy my bike there at the time, but recently went back for a professional fitting ahead of a cross-country ride--and it was 100% worth it. He adjusted me to a shorter reach and narrower handlebars, which completely changed how I ride. I'm now using my hamstrings and glutes much more instead of torching my quads early. He also spotted that my left leg is actually more dominant than my right (never would have guessed that) and gave me exercises to balance things out. I also ended up upgrading my cycling shoes while I was there, and even that made a noticeable difference in power transfer. It's those kinds of small, expert tweaks that really add up. One of my favorite things: once you're a customer, you're always a customer. Husam told me to stop in anytime--for water, the bathroom, or even just to check tire pressure. That kind of low-key, no-pressure support is rare. If I ever buy another bike, I'd absolutely come here. And I highly recommend the fitting--it gives you measurements you can use on any bike going forward.

I contacted ATA Cycle because they were recommended as a shop familiar with Storck Bikes. I'm…read morefinishing a build and only needed a small but essential part--the hardware connecting the saddle to the seatpost. Since I hadn't heard back from Storck, I called ATA hoping for guidance or help sourcing the part. Instead, I got a two-minute conversation that managed to be both unhelpful and dismissive. They told me they don't carry spare parts--fine. But when I asked for help identifying the correct part or sourcing it, they simply repeated what I had already said, offered no direction, and quickly ended the call. At one point, I was even asked where I bought the bike, as if that determined whether the question deserved an answer. It's not the lack of parts that stands out--it's the lack of effort. If this is how they handle someone ready to spend money, it's hard to imagine how they handle actual problems. I'll take my business elsewhere--and suggest others do the same.

So many critics - sow few participants…read more Many seem to condemn CM because they once had a cyclist stop in front of them at a red light they wanted to drive through, and it might have been on a friday, so CM sucks. CM in Boston is small. They/we never hold a light more than one cycle to keep the mass together. There is one intersection they always seem to want to "cork" for a few minutes - I don't like that so I vote with my wheels and leave. Yes it's immature - but to say "I wish the bus driver ran these fucks over"? Wow, Jason C, rage much? I sure hope you don't own a gun or live near a school. CM is a great place to ride free, meet people, enjoy fresh air all at about 10mph, a speed nearly anyone can sustain on a bike. People in cages need to learn that 99% of the time they "suffer a huge delay when going to pick up sick kids" it's a bunch of motorists that delay them. Not motorists commuting or working, but motorists joy riding, driving an errand that does not need to be run at 6pm Friday, or cruising for parking. Yes it's a fact, some studies show that 40% of traffic in a city is from people cruising around looking for a free place to store their car. So really - if you hate CM, it's probably because you hate traffic. If you hate traffic, the best thing you can do is demand market-rate prices for curb side parking, so people (including yourself) can find a spot easily & quickly, and let all vehicles flow freely. And to my fellow CM riders who might read this... Let's stop corking, OK? It's dumb.

Critical Mass is great in theory, but not so much in practice…read more It is fun, and I can't negate that. I show up pretty regularly actually because I can't resist an excuse to take a slow ride through the city and ring my bell with a bunch of other bike lovers... BUT the anarchist element, combined with an angsty attitude toward cars, causes things to go terribly wrong more often than not. With no one in charge to keep people in line, things deteriorate rapidly almost every time. Now I will do some preaching about my theory on bicycles: Bikes are a wonderful, sustainable, affordable, and fun way to get around town. Cars use gas and destroy the environment. Okay, we're all clear on this. But let's face it, for the rest of our time on this planet, people will be driving cars of some kind on the roads AND people (hopefully in growing numbers) will be riding bikes on those same roads. Cyclists and drivers need to learn to get along. A lot of drivers get pissed at cyclists because they swerve in and out of cars, don't stop at lights and stop signs, and don't wear visible attire. All of these things are legitimate complaints. And cyclists get pissed at drivers because well, first of all, they are in cars. Plus, they open their car doors on us, turn into us, and general fail to notice our existence and respect our right to share the road. Also reasonable. But people! The solution is not cursing each other out! We've got to share the road, like it or not!!! I joined Critical Mass many years ago out in Eugene, Oregon, and then rejoined again in Boston last year, because I wanted to be part of a movement to raise bicycle awareness. Unfortunately, Critical Mass, in my humble opinion, fails to accomplish this goal, and instead tends to turn into a crew of cyclists riding on the wrong side of the road, stopping traffic, banging on the hoods of cars, and generally pissing people off. There's a lot of anger and downright resentment involved, and it just ain't right. So-- I'm working on starting some kind of casual bike crew this spring, based out of my 'hood in Somerville. The goal is going to be to get out riding with other bike lovers, ride at a social speed, and follow the rules of the road, all while having some spontaneous dance parties, dressing up in weird costumes, and just showing everyone how awesome, responsible, and respectful we can be all at the same time. What a novel idea! ;-)