Tonka Cycle & Ski

I bought my first «real» bike here and love it. The friendly staff helped me figure out what I would need based on how/​what I’d be using my bike for. They also were happy to help me find something in my price range. I even got to test drive some bikes in the parking lot. Weeee!

The owner Steve spent about 1.5 hours making sure new new ski boots which were custom order fit perfectly. Great service love locally owned.

I first started going to this bike shop at their old location and fell in love! The staff are all knowledgeable and enjoy biking themselves. They take the time to teach you about the best way to maintain your bike and are not just looking for a quick sale. I’ve tried other bike shops around the cities and have not found the level of customer service that I have found here. They do book up a couple weeks in advance for a bike tune-​up so call ahead and schedule an appointment!

These folks first came to our attention in their old location because of their friendly and knowledgeable staff and great selection of winter gear. However, they also have a somewhat small but high quality selection of bikes and great bike service staff. I ended up finding the perfect discounted 2012 Giant Defy 2 on closeout in spring 2013, and have never regretted the purchase. Their staff swapped a bunch of gear between my old bike and my new Giant one for next to nothing and upgraded the seat post to composite. Unfortunately their store is 16 miles from our home, so routine service is just not a reasonable option. However for specialized service, like upgrading my brakes, I go there for great prices, service and advice. To wit, on 6÷25÷15 I had a set of Shimano 105 brakes installed, with new brake cables, for less than then the cost of the brakes alone on Amazon. Stopping power is 3x previous brakes, partly because the original brakes were worn out and partly because braking was one of the few weak spots of the 2012 Defy 2. Jason and his team go the extra mile to keep customers coming back. I highly recommend this shop, especially for bike service.

My fiancée recently purchased a beautiful 2012 Jamis Satellite Sport road bike from Tonka Cycle & Ski. We visited this shop three different times during our bike hunt, since we were considering all available avenues for purchase: Craigslist,
, eBay, big box stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods, and several other shops in the Twin Cities — small ones and multiple-​location stores.
So we had put in a good 10 – 15 hours of research and searching for bikes.
When it comes to buying a bike, you encounter a very wide range of prices. Here is what we found:
1) older used bikes on Craigslist (usually circa 1970s-​1980s) — priced anywhere from $ 150 — $ 250. These are usually tuned up and may have some upgraded/​replaced components, but they don’t ride nearly as smoothly as new bikes.
2) brand-​spanking new bikes (current-​year model) from places like Erik’s or Penn Cycle, often priced at $ 700 and up.
3) better deals for new bikes online at Nashbar, but you’re buying blind, unsure of how the bike will fit and feel to ride.
4) buying from a big box store like Dick’s or Target, where you can buy a new bike for $ 250-​$ 350 (or less), but where the components are likely not great quality. I question how long a bike like this would even last.
In the end, Tonka was our best option, mostly because they were offering 15% off 2012 models (i.e. last year’s model). We think this was a great way to go. My fiancée’s Jamis bike ended up costing $ 550. While that’s a hefty investment, we believe this is a bike that will last 10 years and beyond (given proper maintenance).
The team at Tonka Cycle was knowledgable, talkative, helpful, and patient. They had Krista try out multiple bikes, and they were not remotely pushy for a sale. In fact, we ended up visiting three times, and each time the staff was great.
We also checked out their big garage sale event (took place in July). They had well over a 100 used bikes for sale (try to get there early, since many of the best buys are snatched up immediately upon opening).
All in all, I heartily endorse Tonka Cycle & Ski.

A decent cycle and ski shop. They have a good selection of bikes (what I was there for) but the interpersonal skills of a couple of the staff are awkward, at best (my favorite example, although not my only, is the one about the employee who likes to tell me what is wrong with every preference I have; that being said, this person was nice enough to bring in one of his/​her own bikes for me to test ride).

A great place for quick and simple service. They carry a wide variety of High-​End bicycles and in the winter have a wide selection of ski’s and snowboards.