I can't speak for other bicycle services, so I'm only sharing my experiences at this shop of purchasing a Gocycle (folding electric bike) for folks interested in these bikes/this shop.
My interactions with Fred, the owner, since last fall when I bought this bike have been disappointing and became more challenging over time. I was interested in getting a folding electric bike for a 10 mile commute. Fred dismissed the less expensive bicycles and talked about how amazing Gocycles are and highly encouraged me to get one. So I paid $4300 for a Gocycle including commuter accessories.
Unfortunately this Gocycle had issues with the battery and it was only going a max of 9 miles on charge. I was given a replacement which now gets about 11 miles on a charge (much less than what Gocycle indicates, though shortened of course because of SF hills). Throughout this time, Fred was angry with Gocycle, cursed them out in front of me because of their lack of response and how problematic these bicycles are. Strange since just a few weeks prior he glorified these bikes. This is complicated by Fred being "the only one who knows anything about them" as I've been told by other shop staff.
I picked up on a considerable lack of professionalism early in this process. He had poor physical boundaries and repeatedly touched my arm when trying to get me to buy the gocycle. When issues began to arise with the bike, he even suggested that I meet him elsewhere outside of the shop after hours. Inappropriate behavior to a woman customer.
After a month of having the bike, it was clear the bike was a headache for him and his communication became avoidant and defensive. Fast forward to the spring. The back light went out and I reached out to Fred- no response. Then the bike had a major electrical failure (pop, hiss, no power) and I dropped it off to the shop on May 8. Staff there didn't know the plan and I had no updates for over a week, so I called the shop and was told it was going to then be sent to Gocycle directly so they can work on it. Fred said that he would call me back to give me more information about the issue, no call back. Call a week later, he said that he would call me back the next week, no call. I then waited 5 weeks to call back, giving the benefit of the doubt. I was told by a staff that Fred would call me that night. No call back.
During this time, the shop offered me a gocycle to use. It had an unstable wheel and was not able to hold a charge. Staff who gave this bike to me did not know how the bike worked and could not assist. Fred never called me back about this. The last bit of trust in this shop was lost at this point when they gave me a bike which could be a safety issue.
After 2 months, I then contacted Gocycle who said that the bike was fixed "some time ago" and it was already returned to the shop. I called the shop who said that they didn't know and had to wait until Fred told them if it was ready. Staff called me back to say it was ready. When I picked it up from the shop no one could tell me what the issue was to cause the power failure, nor what work had been done on it.
As other reviewers have mentioned, I felt the vibe of this shop of trying to get $$. There's no profit to velocipiede to handle these warranty issues, so it's not a priority for them -- though unbelievable when you drop $4300 on a bicycle. I bought the higher end light kit for the bike (no lights come on the bike), and Fred didn't realize the higher end rear light doesn't fit the rack. So, I even then had to buy a whole other light set (front and rear), and after spending $4300, Fred made me buy the whole set, not just one light. Really? I spoke to Gocycle throughout this time about issues with the bike since the shop didn't take responsibility, and even they said that the shop should have worked with me on that.
Gocycle encouraged me to go elsewhere for service. I recommend the same. Too many other good bike shops in this town. read more