Community Bicycle Network

I really wish I could give this place a great review, but based on my experience, even two stars is overly generous.
I contacted CBN about a month before my wedding to reserve and rent their tandem bicycle. I was told that while they don’t usually do reservations, they would make an exception for me.
While this was a generous move on their part, the huge problem was that there seemed to be absolutely no communication between the person answering my emails, and the staff at work. They also didn’t seem to understand their own rules!
For example, their weekly rental rate is equivalent to the price of 3 one-​day rentals, and when I asked to rent for 3 days, they didn’t offer the one-​week rental. Also, the one-​week rental does not make clear whether it is 7 days, or Monday to Monday (8 days) (or Friday to Friday or whatever else)
Then, they said I could pick it up on a certain day, but when I checked their calendar, it was one of the days they’re normally closed (they’re closed Tues, Wed, Thurs)! Were they going to open just for me… they couldn’t possibly have suggested that I pick up the rental on a day that they’re closed, right? WRONG.
The part that really upset me was that when I arrived at CBN to pick up the rental, the person at the desk had no idea what I was talking about. There was no record of the reservation whatsoever. This means someone else could have walked off the street the taken the bike right out from under me. The person at the desk didn’t verify my reservation and just let me walk off with the rental. He had no idea about the terms of the rental, and couldn’t even answer whether I had to return the bike in 7 or 8 days.
Throughout the whole transaction, I had no idea who I was dealing with, the emails were signed «CBN,» so there were no names to be held accountable.
I understand it’s a *community* network, but… they don’t even know their own system. The fact that all my legwork beforehand was for naught and it was only luck that prevented my reservation from walking off with another customer pretty much puts this organization in the bottom of my list.

I rented a couple of bicycles from CBN this past weekend to facilitate a trip out to the islands for my boyfriend and I. Prior to visiting the shop, I perused their website and felt that this was the best place to rent from.
We walked in, a little unsure if we were in the right place, and were not greeted by the man working there. It was a few long moments before he acknowledged us, and when I asked if we were in the right spot to rent some bikes his only reply was «Yes,» as he continued working on a bike. After another silent wait he came over and told us there was one bike left, though the shop had been open for only an hour at that point.
I realised that it was the weekend and we had some nice weather, so I asked about alternative rental locations we could visit — he suggested the Toronto Bike Share bikes. After telling him that we needed bikes for longer than half an hour at a time and were travelling outside the area that the stations are located, he said he would see what he could do, and ended up finding three suitable bikes to choose from.
He also seemed hesitant about renting the bikes to us after I said we would just need them for the afternoon, like I wouldn’t be able to return them before they closed. I told him I was leaving the city for home that night and as I work early in the morning during the week over an hour away, there was no chance I would be missing their closing time. He once again mentioned that they were open at 12 the next day, just in case.
Our choices were not the advertised fleet bikes, but rather were used mountain bikes, which would have been fine, except that they weren’t outfitted with the baskets that come on the fleet bikes and I was carrying a large cooler bag. I’m assuming these were from the stock of used bikes intended for sale. He also didn’t want us biking with the locks provided attached to any part of the frames, so I used my grocery bag to hold those. He suggested that we go and buy a backpack to hold our things because the bikes didn’t have baskets. We ended up biking around with the bag straps over both our shoulders backpack style, which was not comfortable, but it got the job done.
When it came time to pay and sign the forms, I was informed that they are a cash-​only establishment, and that I would need to have $ 260 (100 per bike + 25 rental + tax) right then. I was hesitant to do so, but asked about an ATM, and as I started to leave he mentioned that if I had a credit card or something he could keep for the day I could use that. I did have a credit card, so I ran across the street and withdrew $ 60 cash for the rental price.
While riding around, my boyfriend’s bike had seat issues and kept slipping all the way down when he rode over bumps, so he ended up riding with a very short bike. Other than that, we had fun riding through the city.
Overall, our experience didn’t instill much confidence in the establishment, and I won’t be renting from them again. I think they seem like a valuable resource to those living in the city, but as someone visiting for the day, I don’t know if it was the best option. I have had much better experiences renting from other shops in different cities.

My wife and I go here when ever we need parts or repairs for our bike. Staff is really knowledgeable and helpful. So many bike parts for an amazing price. They also do bike tuning classes so you can do the repairs yourself.

Jen and John are ridiculously awesome (both on the phone and in person). Their main focus is making you feel comfortable and happy whilst saving you as much money as possible.
I rented a bike here (initially for three days) which I then extended to a week. When I called to extend the rental, John was really cool about it. When returning the bike, I forgot to bring back the lock. John was incredibly relaxed about the whole situation. He didn’t call or pester me about the bike lock — even though it was a fairly nice Kryptonite one. I just brought it in when I was ready.
And when I was ready to buy a bike, they actually suggested that I don’t buy any of theirs because they didn’t meet my specs. That said, John sat down with me for a good twenty minutes showing me bikes on the internet that fit my price range and abilities. He recommended stores to me and everything.
This is truly a Community Bike Place. Would trust these people with my life — well, maybe not — but definitely with my bike.

This place is amazing, one of the few bike shops you can actually trust, both with the knowledge and pricing. And no attitudes. John is very patient with lots of questions, and there always seems to be a volunteer who can assist you with something… like taking a used part off to buy or to answer questions. They have repair classes and you can rent time and tools to fix your machine on the premises, with a very well stocked workshop of tools. I believe you can also pay a person to assist you with your repairs.
They have a great assortment of used and new parts and really, I wouldn’t go anywhere else for repairs and used parts. They will also order parts for you and they have a good return policy.
A great place, they way it should be.