Yeah, not bad....for a bike shop. The best thing about University bicycles is the location, if you ask me. The 9th and Pearl region is one of the best in Boulder, so they've got that going...for sure. Besides that, the shop is spacious, definitely. There are many bikes and many smiling faces of locals/staff to make your day a little brighter. A great place to show off your cutting edge bike fashion (if you have it). read more

This is my favorite bike shop...ever. Specifically for buying things. For repairs and super customs parts, I still stand by Yojimbos (which is far from University Bikes in Chicago). I found everyone in here to be super friendly and knowledgeable. They have a great selection - from your standard Pearl Izumi to awesome and more obscure brands like Rapha. Their prices were exactly in line with prices that I had researched online - minus the S&H! And if they don't carry something you want - you can fill out a form on their website and they'll see if they can get it. For a wide range of bike needs - this place gets an A+ from me! read more

Bikes, bikes and more bikes! Un. Bicycles has an enormous selection of road, mountain, city, and fat bikes! All prices and all sizes! It really is unbelieveable how many bikes they have. It is also like a museum for bike fanatics! Plus, a huge bonus is the knowledge that the staff carries with them around the store. They are extremely helpful and nice, even when we were just browsing on vacation. read more

See all

I love University Bicycles! This is my go-to place to rent bikes whenever friends come into town. The staff is incredibly helpful and their prices more reasonable than any other bike rental I've checked out in town. Short anecdote. My friends rented bikes here this past weekend, and when we came to return their bikes (I had my own) the owner of University Bicycles, who was outside with one of his staff, complimented me on my bike and then without my saying anything noticed the chain was a little tight. Indeed, it had been giving me problems on the ride. He disappeared and then a moment later, free of charge, loosened up the chain and straightened the splatter guard on which the chain had been clinking. My bike rides so smoothly now! In short, check this place out. Great people, great service, great bikes! read more

I needed to get my bike worked on because of a botched repair I had recently gotten in another state. I got on Yelp to find a bike shop near me ; lucky for me it turned out to be UB. As I approached the door with my bike, someone inside opened it and held it for me. I walked in and was greeted by another worker who directed me to the mechanics. I happened to be met by Ben and I pointed out what the other shop had done. he knew exactly what needed to be adjusted and noted that riding as is would damage my bike. He racked my bike and started on the repair right away ! During I thought it was cool he let me watch what he was doing. he also took time to explain what he was doing and gave me some tips for later. I thought it was also great that he brought over another mechanic to brainstorm something on my bike which was stuck. (We also do that in my line of work - to double check so no time is wasted or damage is done. I would surmise that had that happened at the other shop, my bike wouldn't have had the chance to go out the door broken) He was done in about 10 min and charged me a super-reasonable fee. I was very happy because my bike was happy, and the whole time in the shop was a quick though very pleasant experience. As I started towards the door, someone had already beat me there and opened it for me. In no time at all I was back outside enjoying the day on my bike thanks to UB !! Highly recommended. I'll definitely be back read more

Rented bikes, they were decent bikes from Specialized. What a great time. Recommend everyone take a ride around and rent from these guys they do great work. Really helpful staff! read more

Renter beware- they get you on the backend. Nice people, very friendly. I rented a mountain bike. To do that I signed a waiver suitable for a lawyer to read. I could have spent 2 hours reading it. I had a great ride in the mountains. Never fell, nothing hit the bike. At the end they said I damaged one of the shock absorbers and its $150+tax to fix. WTF. I took a bike designed for mountain bike riding to the mountains. Two little scratches on the piston which for all I know were there before. They charged my card before I even walked out the store. I could have bought a bike for what 2 hours of riding cost. Never again. And I'll be fighting that charge. In response to their response (Oye!). I appreciate the review. However, at no time during the rental period was I asked to inspect the bike for damage. It's a bike. Who would even think to do that. I only have your company's word that it was undamaged. damaged. I was told after the fact that expensive repairs for their bikes are the risk when one rents. If little scratches cost $163 then you should be offering damage insurance. As explained by the very kind girl who rented me the bike, I would be charged for damages like ," if the derailer was torn off or something that extreme." Any damage was caused by the normal use of mountain bike riding if I caused it at all. I never fell. Plus the location of the scratches was more likely caused by a rack which I did not use. Sorry guys. Not my damage, not my responsibility. read more

Talk about service, these guys rock! Called to rent a road bike before they opened and they answered. Took my order, met me in front of the store at 10am when they opened, had the bike ready, gave me a map with some great routes highlighted and away I went. After the ride they educated me on the latest mountain bikes. My fingers are getting tired or i'd write more. Highly recommend this shop is an understatement. read more

Poor business decision. Recently purchased our second $5K bike from University. Our second purchase was demo that we discovered a major defect in two weeks later. The comped attempt to rectify the problem failed. Now, we are told that we will have to pay for parts, only $50, but come on guys - do the math. We will be going elsewhere despite our loyalty to you. read more

Used to be my go-to bike shop. I've now had a couple bad experiences in a row on sloppy repair work. Not sure if it's just a couple bouts of bad luck, but it's hard to trust this place like I used to. To their credit, U-Bikes comped part of the labor on part of the corrective work needed, and the employees are always friendly and eager to help. read more

I've been to oh, maybe 1000 bike shops in my 55 years on this planet. This one is by far the coolest. First, it's almost a bike museum. Classic bikes of all kinds adorn the walls. There is a very cool painting on the floor that seems to be some sort of board game with hilarious pictures. The outside also has a top notch mural that was so real I touched it when I first walked up. Not sure how the dude below had a problem with the girl busting thru the mural...that was the coolest part! Anyway, the staff is very efficient and doesn't jerk you around with the tech lingo. It is a smidge pricier than other local stores, but everytime I've brought my bike back , the service has been incredible. Free air hose and tools on the side of the building. Dig it. read more

When visiting Boulder, you probably need a way of getting around. The two options were renting a car, or renting bikes. Since we like to drink (who doesn't), we went with the bikes and came across University Bicycles. To me, the price is kind of ridiculous. Yes, it seems like the bikes are nice, but I mean I have a yearly Citi Bike pass that was comparable to one day of rentals. My other problem is that they didn't even give us lights or blinkers for our bikes. We learned the hard way that night when we were driving into the darkness on some roads. When we returned the bikes the next day (our plan was to keep them for the week), they said they could now offer us lights and blinkers. A little too late, as we returned them anyways. read more

As with others, my beef is not with their retail side, which, while overpriced, offers a nice variety. No, my complaints center around their service side. From my experience, it seems that their service folks either don't want to work on your bike or just want to charge you exorbitant rates. To wit: Last year, I took an older (but good) bike to Uni to get the brake levers and cables updated. Dude slapped it up on the stand and proceeded to tell me how futile it would be to do anything to the bike because it was so old (1995). Further, he recommended that I just donate it and be done with it rather than spend any money because it would cost me hundreds to get it updated. He stated that he had never before been able to remove and service Grip-Shifts (yeah, I know. I hate the things, but they were on the bike when I got it long ago) without having them break, so he was sure that I would need to pay $$ for new shifters. Basically, the dude was more interested in shuffling me out the door than with providing any help. The one solid piece of advice he provided was for me to take it over to Boulder Bikesmith to see if they would do anything for me. Fortunately, I took this advice and was met with an entirely different experience there and my bike was well updated with good brakes and cables (including new shift cables) for significantly less and by a guy who was far more pleasant to deal with. In short, if you want good service, go to other local places, including Redstone (in Lyons), Boulder Bikesmith, Full Cycle or Vecchio's. Don't go to Uni Cycles. If you want to buy parts and supplies and such, you can get them at Uni Cycles, but you're better off going to Full Cycle because you'll get a better deal and a good variety as well. read more

Had a really bad experience at UBikes a few months back. I'm the guy in the neighborhood who owns 6 bikes and rides 3 days a week and owns every bike tool known to man. I used to recommend Uni Bikes. No more. Bought a $2400 Specialized Roubaix with disc brakes. Coming down a long, steep hill (Lee Hill, 35+ MPH) on a warm day the brakes were first mushy (not great) and then they overheated and lost 80% of their effectiveness and I nearly crashed - YIKES!. The brake rotors steel had turned blue, meaning they reached 500 degrees or more- radically overheated! I'm a fit 195-lb rider, so big but not huge. Went in to talk to service and two, not one, service techs consulted with each other and determined that it was NOT University Bicycles problem and if I wanted to buy different brakes they could sell them to me but otherwise I needed to go away. So I called Shimano, maker of the brakes. Shimano punted to Specialized. Specialized wanted to help and said they would take the brakes back but I had to work through my local dealer. They were dumbfounded and dismayed to learn that the shop had sent me away. Second trip (and parking is tough and not free) a different service tech first tried to argue that my swapping out for a larger cassette and derailleur was the problem with my brakes. When i was able to show I knew a great deal about bike mechanics he backed off that line. Then he said they could install better brake pads and I informed him that for these mechanicals there was only one pad available, the ones that failed. (I had researched that). After 20 minutes on the internet he finally agreed with me. Then he started arguing that none of the other buyers of that bike type had a problem so it must be my braking technique. I informed him of my 30 years of cycling experience, including competitively, and exactly how I brake and then he backed-off on that debate. I asked why they were pushing back so hard as the Specialized and/or Shimano had already agreed to take the brakes back and all it would cost the shop to swap the brakes for others was a little labor, and in fact I would be happy to install them myself so it would cost them NOTHING. I did not get a coherent response. Clearly they were operating under some management directive they were not allowed to share. Finally the tech proposed to swap for different rotors and increase the rear to a 160mm from 140mm. I expressed doubt this would be enough, but they refused to replace the calipers or explain why. When I went back for the 3rd trip to retrieve they bike there was a nasty little note attached from the service manager that no further efforts would be made on this bike. Kind of unbelievable. I did not go in angry but I sure came out angry. At NO TIME was any concern for my safety expressed or any apology for the danger placed made. The service techs were consistently argumentative and less than highly knowledgable. Just recently I completely re-assembled the bike myself and found a couple of errors in the build including cheap housing that was the source of mushy brakes and mediocre shifting. I installed Hayes CX brakes with sintered pads and it brakes like a champ and shifts better too. I'm a guy people regularly ask for bike advice and I used to recommend this shop. Shop at Performance or Full Cycle folks- University Bikes has lost it's way. read more

Rented a bike from UBikes last week to ride ahead of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge -- again, the service was amazing. They set up a $6k+ carbon bike with no hassle. These guys are total pros and the pick-up and drop off are seamless and easy. I look forward to working with these guys again. A true pleasure. read more

My beef with this shop is not in their retail side. I'm sure that's much the same as any bike store in Boulder. But the service side is a con. They charge separately for every little thing they do as a means of jacking up your bill. If you were to go to a competitor, say Performance Bicycle they just quote you a reasonable price and do a great job. Who charges $350 to tune a recreational road bike? Plllleeaase. I'm done with this place, they've ripped me off twice now (yes silly me for giving them a second chance) and they just conned a good friend of mine as well. Go elsewhere for your service, there's plenty of options in Boulder. read more

I have repeatedly taken a bike to UBikes to be worked on, and every time I do, I kick myself for wasting the money. Their promise of 24 hour turn around is convenient, but it isn't worth it after you have to spend more time and money to fix what they fail to do. I have to say that when they actually DO the work, it's acceptable, since bikes either work or they don't. Twice this season, I've dropped a bike off to have medium sized repairs done. The first time was a few days before leaving for a big MTB trip, so I was willing to have them fix everything. They offered to adjust my derailleur hanger, and charged me $20 to do so. The only problem is they didn't touch the derailleur limit screws or indexing, so now the derailleur threw the chain into spokes, which would've trashed a less beefy wheel or caused a major accident. On top of that, the derailleur now didn't shift properly, so I had to spend the first 20 minutes on trail yanking the chain out from behind the cassette and re-adjusting my indexing. More recently, I took another bike in to have a creaky BB replaced. The wrench found a couple of problems, which i was grateful for. I asked him to also swap out a screw (the front brake crown nut, for those who understand how easy that is), and they charged me $3 for the part, $1.50 for a washer, and $15.00 for the labor of turning a wrench. Seriously? This was on top of another $75 repair - you're going to charge me $15 for what's essentially a spare part? Not to mention that failure to even address the front derailleur and new spacing on the crank meant that the bottom SIX gears in the big ring have serious chain rub. Why would you return a several thousand dollar bike that can't be ridden in a third of its gears? Finally, also paid $275 for a fit there last fall. What did the fitter adjust? He installed insoles for my shoes, and then raised my saddle to compensate. Oh, don't worry - they're nice insoles. They cost almost $75, so the other $200 was him raising my saddle slightly. In and out in forty minutes in a two hour appointment, after waiting more than half an hour for the previous client, who ran over. Again, waste of money. Here's a piece of unsolicited advice: UBikes, don't nickel and dime customers, especially semi-loyal ones. If you treat people well, and do good work, they will return of their own accord and you won't need to charge them $15 for stupid repairs. TL;DR: There are many other places in Boulder that will make your bike run well again. I assume that's important, since you're looking at service. I recommend going to one of those other places. read more

Don't be fooled. I purchased an ebike not long ago and since the techs at University worked on my other bikes taking it to them was an obvious decision. As I'm new to ebikes, I asked the techs to help me get the bike squared away. Over a few months, I brought the bike in about a half dozen times and each visit brought some improvement to the bike and an increase in my knowledge. I was happy to pay when appropriate and purchased all of my gear there. At the same time, I'd been test riding some of their ebikes for the day I stepped up to a better bike. This afternoon I brought my bike in and I had just given the tech permission to order a part when a manager walked over and basically accused me of taking advantage of the tech's time and to get more help I'd need to pay 200.00 for their fitting service. I was momentarily speechless and noting the tech's acute embarrassment I chose to say nothing. This shop presents a folksy image but this manager demonstrated something entirely the opposite. I'll never again step foot in that place and I'll buy my 4500.00 ebike elsewhere. read more

I had U-bikes install a new crank, cassette, derailer (or derailleur, if you please) and control levers on my Schwinn recently but was completely unimpressed by their service. Despite keeping the bike a week (which I thought was a very long time), I still had to do some additional adjustments afterwards to make everything operate smoothly. Their prices seemed high and their staff, despite being rather friendly, didn't come across as "experts" to me. I'll be taking my business to Bicycle Village or Turin Bikes in the future. read more

We rented a couple bikes to spend the day heading to Longmont and back doin our own version of the ale trail. This is a pretty big shop with lots of help. The bikes were very nice practically new Specialized Allez models. They supplied helmets, locks, and flat kits as part of the rental. They also gave me a map and spent significant time explaining the best route and the confusing parts of hitting the LOBO trail. read more

We had a breakdown, fortunately only .6 miles from University Bicycles. The young man who helped us said they don't work on bikes over 10 years old, but he'd take a look. He fixed the brakes and gears in about 10 minutes. No charge. Man. read more

I just recently had my bike stolen. Now this bike was 11 years old. I bought it 11 years ago at University Bicycles. I called them up half heatedly hoping that they would have records of my purchase to give to my insurance company. They found my old record and emailed me the receipt without any gripe! 11 years ago and they still had it! Thank you so much! I wish I still lived in CO so I could get my replacement bike from you guys. 10/10 best service I have ever had! read more

The friendliest staff, very attentive, helpful, lay back, etc. rented from them road bikes twice in one week. The bikes were at a great price and very well maintained. The store had the same prices as other stores, but carried great brands and cycling items with colorado theme. read more

They have a good selection, and this was the only store in Boulder with the bike i wanted to ride. They are knowledgeable enough, and friendly enough. Of course they do the fake smile and interest, but overall it was fine and not over the top. I'm sure they are a little pricier than other stores, but this is a good time to buy and things are 20%+ off. in my case, 40% off. my only complaint is they don't swap stems for free, most other stores do this no problem. they give you 25% off, which is likely well above cost. i'll buy it off CL, then. it was pretty busy, so they couldn't really give you the top service, but good enough to get 4/5 stars overall. read more

I love, love, LOVE this place... so helpful, friendly and knowledgeable... just took my bike in for repair because the gears kept "slipping"...they put it on a bike stand, found the problem (bent derailleur), fixed it, took about 10 minutes - no charge. Big kiss to the technician who helped me!! :-) read more

Great shop! I was in town for a long weekend, and rented a Cannondale SuperSix from them for a day. They set it up perfectly for me, it was in brand-new condition, and I fell in love with the bike. The riding in Boulder is epic! The guys were even nice enough to give my girlfriend and I recommendations for dinner places in Denver. A+ shop, hope to be back soon. read more

Great bike shop in town! Super friendly service, totally customer focused and very helpful. Great rentals as well.

I was on a mission. My son wanted a unicycle for his birthday. I had a couple days to find one. Sounds easy, right? But no! I found one at a bicycle store in Aurora, but they only carried a very cheap model. So we searched and searched online. Amazon carried several, but we would miss his birthday...big disappointment. Then I found a brand (Torker) that had a very good website that listed several Colorado stores that carried it's products. But, after calling almost everyone on the list, only University carried them in stock. It was over 50 miles away, but I made the trip. The sales people on the phone were helpful. I was greeted as soon as I walked in. I was helped within seconds and was getting my son's new unicycle. They even had a mechanic check it over for me before I left. This took only a few minutes (okay, it has only one wheel). What a good shop. Could something be better? Well, being from Parker, I don't like have to pay to park, but that was minor. read more

Updated: it's still great. I rented a road bike for a few days. Service was fast and attentive, and the bike was lovely.

Another great Boulder bike shop. I called to ask if they carried a specific model Cannondale in my size (61). They had the frame, and built it up to my requested specs just for a TEST RIDE. The sales lady i spoke with did a brief bike fit for me before the test, and was very knowledgeable about the bike and the components I had requested. They do not work on commission, so there was no pressure about buying the bike on the spot. Great overall experience. read more

I have used this bike store for over ten years, and over the past few years, the service group has become more and more inconsistent -- this past spring I had to bring my bike back three times for them to fix it correctly. The folks were nice, but the hassle factor was big. Last month I brought my bike in to have them make some adjustments and when I (nicely) asked that they check the settings because my past experiences had been inconsistent, the man I talked to said that I could leave it with them or take it somewhere else. I tried to explain that they were the only group that had worked on the bike, and I just wanted to make sure that the work got done correctly the first time and I was told the same thing (leave it or take it). I asked for the manager and this man said he was the manager. They are not the only game in town for great bike repair, so I took my bike (and all my future business) elsewhere. read more

I had a very disturbing visit there today. I brought my rear wheel off my 2008 Stumpjumper Pro ( DT Swiss 4.2 wheel , 770 hub, Star Ratchet etc.) to see if they could replace the bearings, which were getting a bit sloppy. Now, let me preface this by saying I'm 63 years old, how hard can I puch this bike?.. but love my bike, I've been a mechanic for 40 odd years rebuilding BMW motorcycles etc. and know my way around things mechanical, including wheels. I bought my bike brand new in Dec 2010, so it's 2.5 years old, trail use only. Here's what I was told... They would probably damage the hub removing and pressing in new bearings. They could not guarantee that there would be no play in the new bearings because they had to press them in.. The wheel was 5 years old and I should replace it. The spoke nipples would crack from age ( at some indeterminate date) and should be replaced (no evidence of hairline cracks whatsoever). He put it on the truing stand and gave it a spin...I was a few feet away and saw it spinning true. He grabs it off the stand and says it's out of true. I just had it trued 2 rides ago.Had the wheel checked at a different place. Guess what? True. He then tells me it has dents in it and i should buy a new wheel.. There is not a single dent or ding in the wheel..just a few scratches.Close investigation says cosmetic. He says it is worth maybe $100 dollars. Maybe so, but it still maintains it's structural integrity. Not knowing that these wheel bearings have a center compression tube, he said I should tighten the axel and that may take some play out. NO chance of that. Well, I'm overwhelmed with the amount of BS I just heard in one conversation, and I see a glint in the guy's eye like maybe he wants this wheel, probably for something he is building.. He is really tring to talk me out of it. Well. I have never been so blatently lied to right to my face, except for car dealers. I took it to a different Specialized shop which said set of bearings could be installed for 50-60 bucks. Never had a problem pressing in bearings with these hubs. No other issues with the wheel (which I knew) I didn't get this guys name, but the techs I've talked to in the past at this store never tried that con job on me. read more

This is the city's best bike shop. I've bought all my kids bikes here. They are always so helpful and courteous. Sometimes hard to find in Boulder, as there are a lot of cycling elitist in Boulder. read more

Great shop. Rented a very well-maintained road bike. Guys were willing to dial-in the fit. Super nice and excellent prices. What more do you want? read more

Went to get bicycle back brake replaced and a bike tuneup a few months back...no fuss, no problem. They were polite, knowledgeable, quick and reasonably priced! Can't ask for more. read more

Just purchased a bike for my son, who will be a freshman at CU Boulder in the fall. From the moment we stepped into the store, we felt welcomed. Michael took excellent care of us, and my son selected a bike to fit his needs. We are from California and an added bonus for us is that University Bikes is graciously storing the bike until move in in August! Again, the whole process was quick and easy, and Michael and the rest of the staff made us feel valued. I highly recommend University Bikes! read more

I have to give a shout out to these guys. I was riding home the other day, facing up to a long, steep climb to get to my vacation home, and my front derailleur stopped working. No way to get into lower gears. Uh oh. I stopped by University Bikes, thinking I'd need to drop off the bike to get it fixed. A mechanic helped me out immediately, despite the fact that the store was very busy. He tinkered with the bike for a few minutes and got the derailleur working, and then sent me on my way with no charge. I should add that this wasn't a bike that I had bought from them, and the problem was entirely my fault. It's the kind of thing that will send me back to them when I do want to spend some money. read more

My wife and I just moved to boulder and we've been to multiple bike stores over the past month looking for the perfect bike for her. The employees at University Bicycles are as good as they get. We were there a total of three times trying bikes out and each person that helped us was extremely knowledgeable and patient. They had a great selection and even pulled a few bikes from their warehouse upstairs for us without a second thought. There are no pushy salesmen here and I really believe they want you to find the best bike that fits your needs regardless of price. The selection, help, and level of service you get here is second to none. I highly recommend University Bicycles to anyone in the boulder area looking for a pleasant bike purchasing experience! I really appreciate their help! read more

Simply phenomenal service experience. I've been to at least a dozen shops for service and this was absolutely the best. They actually put your bike on the stand and check it out while you're still there to give you an idea of what's going on. Every other shop I called was at least a week turn around time and U Bikes had me going again in 1 day. Price was reasonable as well. read more

Moved to Boulder about 9 months ago and realized I was the only one not riding a bike! I work downtown and headed into University Bicycles in search of a commuter/fitness bike. I was greeted at the door and helped immediately. Steven walked me through all my options and encouraged me to take as many tests rides as I needed and went through all the accessories I was interested in purchasing. He didn't pull a salesmen pitch, he genuinely helped me find a bike that fit my needs and price range. Stellar customer service, fun atmosphere, you'll definitely see me in the shop again sometime soon. read more