International Bicycle Center

IBC is closed.

Sorry to report that I received an email from owner, Harold Knochin, announcing that International Bicycle Center had closed effective today after 45 years in business. Harold is retiring. This location has been sold to a developer and the Newton location has been sold to Landry’s. Bad news for the Boston biking community. International always had the best prices and widest selection. I’ll miss the place.

Oh International, I want to like you, but it’s just so hard.
I help run a local bike co-​op that operates streetside and thereby doesn’t have the ability to provide much in the way of parts. International is the closest local bike shop, so we send folks there to buy parts, and then teach them how to put them on their bikes.
I can’t even explain to you the disproportionately high number of times I have sent people to international for a new rear cassette or new spokes, and have them come back with the WRONG SIZE or MISSING PIECES. Literally, they sell people six ring cassettes when their bikes can only fit five rings, too short or too long of spokes, various other parts without the proper mounting brackets, screws, or otherwise, even chains they’ve sold the wrong sizes of.
But: you are the only bike shop in Allston now that Bicycle Bill’s is kaput, so I would encourage you to up your game so that we can feel confident referring people to you.

I moved to the Allston/​Brighton area a few years ago and knew of International Bike in Newton, so I decided to try out this store in Allston. I was not only pleasantly surprised by the accessibility in a busy area, I was pleased at how well I have been treated each time I come in. Harold (the owner) and all staff now recognize me and treat me with the utmost respect — especially with the endless questions on my part — Thanks Morgan for your patience with every little repair.
My oldest son purchased a great Trek mountain bike and my girlfriend purchased a great Trek hybrid for riding around town with me. I am now saving up for the next level bike and Harold has been great to show me my options when I am ready.
Thanks International Bike for making biking around Boston fun for someone who recently moved here.

IBC has the best customer service! As a new bike owner, I stopped by the store for some bike gear. Rick from the Allston store was so friendly and gave me advice on what I would need and was understanding of my budget concerns. Of course the prices in a specialty bike shop won’t be as low as some things you can find online, but I appreciated the expertise they provided.
Then, a few weeks later, the Kryptonite bike lock I bought got jammed! The first time I called, the store provided a bike lubricant for me to try on the lock. After that failed, I called the store again and the manager immediately got someone on it — had someone come out the very next day to cut open my lock AND replace it with a new one. I appreciated the confirmation call I got roughly an hour before our meeting time. When he got there, it was raining like a MONSOON outside and yet Chris spent 30 minutes cutting the bike while I waited nice and warm in the car. After he got the lock open, we decided that it was too ridiculous to ride in the rain and 30mph wind, so Chris got back out in the rain, loaded my bike onto the back of his car and dropped it off at the Allston location for me to pick up at my convenience (since it’s just a block away from where I live). He also dropped me off on the way.
Overall, great experience. Their expertise and diligence is well worth any premium on the things they sell.

The best bike store, ever.
Seriously, I have been to a lot of bike stores, bought several bikes and accessories. These guys know their stuff and are helpful, friendly, and extremely patient. They go out of their way to figure out what you need, what is right for you, what works. Geoffrey, Dave, all of them… kudos for a job well done.

Brought a friend from out of the country here to find a good bike for commuting that he could then take back home with him for more rugged riding (still commuting). Came into International Bicycle Center, and was greeted by Harold, the owner. Harold and his staff spend a long while with us, showing us options, letting us test everything out, and overall spending a lot of time helping us out. It was a wonderful experience. They clearly know what they’re doing and care to do it right. I highly recommend them and will be telling anyone that asks the same.

This is the only place in Boston you need to go for any of your bike needs. These guys are top notch. This is a business that always works for the customer and never makes you feel unwanted. The owner is an honest man and will work one on one with you to get you what you want and what your goals are. I have been coming here for years and have bought 3 bikes from them. I was recommended by other friends and have since sent others here. It’s the best place for any level of biking your at.

Really great service and knowledgeable staff. Carefully fitted my daughter and I for two helmets including adjusting the straps. Another staff member took a lot of time to discuss options for bike racks with me over the phone.

Both times I’ve been here I’ve been greeted with complete friendliness, something that is all too uncommon on the Boston roads. It’s a great place to get your bike tuned up after an MBTA bus, UPS truck, angry Red Sox fan, and BU police officer fail to run you over. It’s an oasis of sorts. Despite the age of my ‘80s Raleigh, the crew here treats her with the care of a prestigious nursing home. «20 years young!» and «A feisty little lady!» are two quotes that I’ve completely made up, hoping those are snippets of some tacky inner-​monologue of a repairman. Anyways, service has been great and ill come here to enjoy the solace of bike culture without the whole city trying to bring me down. Cheers!

We bought a cruiser and a road bike from International Bicycle Center over the last six months. Staff is knowledgeable. A lot of bikes to look at with two floors.
We finally brought in our bikes for service. Basic service is included with the Trek bikes when you buy from them. We emailed them to schedule appointment. Brought it in the next day, Monday. Picked them up Thursday evening. Place can get pretty busy right after work until 7PM.
Parking lot in rear is nice.

Super helpful. Super knowledgeable. Brought a rear tire in I thought needed new bearings, turns out it just needed a quick adjustment which they did for free. I also needed some tires and tubes. The employee looked for twenty minutes so he could find me a tire in the size I needed. Great customer service. If you need anything bike related in Brighton this is the place.

This is my local bike shop, and I come by with regularity to either borrow their tire pump or fix something on my bike, but for this reason the mechanic services are the only parts of this store I can review. I find their rate for flat fixes to be reasonable and about the going rate ($ 15) and the mechanics are friendly and remember you. Once, when a flat that was fixed went flat the next day, I came back and they searched my tire thoroughly for the cause (a very small piece of metal) and replaced the flat again with no charge. I really appreciate that kind of customer service.

Recently purchased a new bike from IBC. After calling them to ask for a specific bike, the owner went out of his way to do some research prior to my arrival. He showed me a few other options and ultimately set me up with a nice bike that I had not previously been aware existed. Great way to help the customer find something new. Will go back for my service in a couple months.

Went with a friend whose rear wheel cassette had broken. Attendant was very knowledgeable, and service was very fast. Their prices were also very reasonable for a B&M store:
8 speed cassette: $ 26
Topeak Alien 2 Tool: Approx $ 44
Would recommend again!

Decent stuff at a decent price

I have been a customer only for a few weeks, but so far I have no complaints. They treated me very well, which is unsurprising since I bought an expensive bicycle, but they also were very friendly to folks who came in just looking to put air in their tires. I dealt with several staff members, and they uniformly seemed to know what they were doing, to listen to my requirements, to show me various options without aggressive cross– selling or upselling. They did not pretent that I needed a bike as nice as the one I ultimately bought, or that my level of accomplishment warranted it. They were very straightforward and facutal, gave me plenty of time to take a ride on various bikes, and offered good advice when asked.
As other have noted in these reviews, they were not bike snobs or condenscending wrench– heads. The mechanic was very low– key and conversational. I felt comfortable here.
Tehy also packed and shipped my old bike to a friend in Texas for a very reasonable $ 40 over the UPS shipping cost.
I cannot comment on whether their prices are competitive, as I did not shop around as much as i could have. However, the advertized sales seemed credible, based on what I know of the products.
I will go back in a couple of weeks for a fine tune of the bike, which was included in the purchase price. I will update this review when I can evaluate their work.

Like other folks, I really want to like IBC, but the experience is too hit or miss for me to be a true fan.
Positives:
They are honest and I got a Trek road bike that I genuinely love and was happy to spend money on. If you’re looking for a bike, this is an honest place to shop with good selection of Trek bikes. Thanks Lindsay!
Negatives:
Your experience will depend on who you get to help you. Lindsay was great and she was the one who showed me the bike I eventually purchased. Other folks not so much. You feel like they are totally into bikes, but not really into being ambassadors for the sport and seem to dislike answering questions.
The other times I’ve gone in for follow up apparel or accessory purchases I felt like I was bothering them and there were times where there was eye contact and the person knew I needed help but they ignored me. It was like pulling teeth to get helped. As an aside, you can tell there’s disrespect between select, individual staff and management because an open conflict of wills occurred when I last visited.
Bottom line:
If you know what you want, and don’t really care about the shopping experience then IBC is a good place to shop. If you’re looking for a resource and a place you feel welcomed to learn, then this might not be the best place for you.
Lindsay and Jason (?) (had a mustache, and a cool wooden fendered, vintage bike) were great, but everyone else has been a bit too distant and closed off for me to feel any lasting connection to IBC. I’ll be sure to ask if either of them are working that day before I go in.

I really want to like this place. The people that work there are friendly, and seem to be competent in their knowledge of bicycles and bicycle repair. I’ve been to plenty of bike shops where I have felt uncomfortable in one way or another, but not this place. I’ve also had a tune up here that made my bicycle feel new.
Here’s the catch — they’ve done some sloppy work for myself and my wife, more than once, and I can’t figure it out. One night my wife was out running errands, and had a flat. She didn’t have her repair kit with her, so she went there. After having it repaired, she got a flat — again — on her way to meet me. So we went back together, explained the situation, and they double and triple checked the tire for any glass, etc., but couldn’t find anything, or so they said, and then replaced the tube, and charged her for the second one. On the way home? A third flat. My wife checked it carefully herself and found a piece of glass in the tire.
I’ve had a flat fixed a couple of times myself. I was out, between places, in the neighborhood, and needed it fixed. On one occasion, I was riding after the fix and my chain came off. I associated this with them incorrectly putting the wheel on. Another time I discovered the my bicycle became difficult to ride, because the bolts hadn’t been sufficiently tightened, and my wheel was starting to ‘veer’ to the left.
This is frustrating. For all of these events, if I had done a bit more due diligence, I could have prevented these things happening. However, it still seems a bit sloppy on their part that these things happened.
So I haven’t resolved this yet. I like this place, and the people that work here have been friendlier than at any bike shop I’ve been to in a number of cities, and yet there are some issues with quality control. Maybe if you have some work done here, double check it after having it done and make sure everything is okay. It’s too bad, really, because I want this to be my five star bike shop.

So I previously wrote a great review of a ‘rival’ bike shop. I still very much like that bike shop, and I did purchase by bike there (spending WAY to much money)
But I have started going to International, and am happy I did.
I first went to International due to its convenience. I switched to a new Gym in December, and I pass International on the way home. So it isnt out of the way.
(Tip for those with cars, there is a small parking lot in the back, just drive through Budget rental)
Since then, I have purchased a multitude of random parts, Including a new fancy wheelset, and helped three friends buy bikes there too. The owner, Harold, is almost always there, and is helpful and remembers you. the staff remembers you and are friendly.
A couple great examples of the staff, how they help, remember you, and gain loyalty.
1. After having my bike tuned up (and now keep in mind, I have always done stuff myself to my bikes. I used to be a shop rat and bike mechanic, but they had a deal where if you got a tune up — $ 70 — you saved 20% off Accessories. well, thats $ 260 off my $ 1300 wheelset — so it was a good deal!), I still had an issue. I brought it back, they found the issue, fixed it, no cost. The service you expect
2. I lost two screws out of the cleat for my shoe. I went in, they found two, handed them to me, no charge.
3. I do a 7 day, 550+ mile charity bike ride every year. I went in and talked to harold about buying tubes for the ride support (a box of 50), told him what for, etc. He gave them to me for wholesale (or actually even below I think) to help out the cause. They do a LOT for fundraising and Charity — Especially PanMass challenge and LiveStrong, which I support a lot!
It reminds me a lot of the bike shops I used to work in out in Western MA. Friendly, they remember you, and if you are loyal, they help you out.
Dont go in asking for huge discounts, expecting the world, and never go back again. They are there to help, but also to run a business and make money.
The selection of the shop is very good, although not as extensive as some others. But this is ok, as they have most stuff people need. The only times I have had to special order things were random things (like new click straps for my cycling shoes). They have low end to high end, and everything in between
They do have a large inventory of Trek bikes, which is great if you are a trek fan (I am). They also have a lot of more unique things, especially in clothing, Helmets, etc (catering a little bit to the Allston crowd doesnt hurt.)
Dont judge the place by looking at it (the steel gates that come down at closing), or by the employees (yes, they may be tattooed, pierced, and wear big glasses — but doesnt make them bad people — they are knowledgeable, nice, and helpful).
Go in, talk to them, tell you what you need and would like, and they will help.
if you are in the area, there is no better choice for a bike shop.