South Side Cyclery

I’ve been to almost every bike shop in the St. Louis area by now because I’ve been looking for something very specific. Tim at South Side Cyclery has to be one of the most knowledgeable, patient, and helpful people i’ve encountered during all of this. He was totally open to hearing about my particular needs and concerns, and always had solutions to offer. He made it sound like they would be willing to do whatever it takes to make sure a bike is right for a customer, and like there would hardly be any up charging for this kind of customization. I was really surprised. Their service deals were also beyond belief — something like a lifetime of tune ups for the price of one? Also something like 10% off accessories and a one year no interest monthly payment thing — can you tell I know nothing about that? But it seemed convenient if you needed to stretch out your purchase into monthly payments. Ok, I know i’m starting to sound like an ad for this place, but really i was just surprised at how many incentives they had to buy a bike there. I’m not from here and had never really experienced that before.
Very very sadly, in the end, they didn’t quite have what I was looking for, so I did not actually buy a bike here. But if i ever had a friend looking i would definitely recommend this shop!

I was in the market for my first mountain bike and went to look at them. Tim was great and absolutely more than helpful. He did not treat me like I was crazy when I asked him hundreds of questions over a three day period while I made my decision. There was never any pressure to make a decision; only lots of helpful advice. I ended up going with a completely different bike based on the information Tim gave me and after getting it home he was absolutely right. I wish all small business owners would operate like this one. I will be back with my wife to get her one once I can convince her she needs one!

Tim was very knowledgeable and helpful. Didn’t try to up sell at all. Highly recommend this place. Repaired my bike right then and there.

I purchased a bike back rack this weekend for the Pedaler’s Jamboree. I have purchased several accessories from South Side over the years, and when it came time for this purchase, I didn’t think twice of where to go – I loved my little local, neighborhood bike shop.
After I installed the rack, I was ready to get on the road for Columbia. However, it was my first time putting my bike rack on the back of my car. I thought I had it right, but I wanted a second opinion before I made a 2 hour drive on HWY 70. When I stopped back in the shop, the clerk who sold me the back rack remembered me. When I asked for assistance, he initially said ok until boss man came into the conversation and inquired if I purchased my bike rack there. I said no (although South Side sells the EXACT same model), that I purchased this rack at Walt’s in Columbia, so it would have been impossible for me to get the second opinion I was looking for in STL. Again, I was not asking for them to install it, but so a quick look over. The «manager» or whomever, swiftly said no, they couldn’t do it, because it was a liability for the shop. Even his 2 employees that were standing there were surprised by the response. I told them it’s the same rack they sell, but they still couldn’t bother to take the 2 minutes to give me some guidance. Big mistake. A little customer service goes a long way.
Had my earlier accessories purchase not have just been installed, I would have ripped it off my bike for a refund. I will not be patronizing this business in the future.

This is a well kept bike shop with great customer service and a wide variety of whatever it is that your cycling heart desires (not to mention the jolly ranchers at the checkout were a nice addition). I highly recommend this shop. It’s no wonder it has been here since 1933! Also, shout out to Tim for helping me find what I needed and fast.

This place rules! I got my beautiful bike there last year. Great selection. Great staff. Everyone is nice and helpful and they were super cool when I walked in 5 minutes before they closed on Friday. (Dick move) You rock South Side Cyclery!

Thought I’d update my review to reflect how professional, efficient, and friendly the people at SSC are. The tuneups are always quick. My bike is the closest thing I have to a child, and they always take care of it.

After test riding several bikes from shops near and far, I came back to South Side to make my purchase. I even had my bike picked out, as I had already gone on a test ride!
Funny thing is, as I was talking to my wife about how we wanted to pay (finance or credit card?) my sister pointed out a bike she thought I should look at. I had been looking at a Giant Escape 2, which was more of a city bike, meant for pavement and light trail riding. The bike I was being directed to was the Giant Roam 3, which was more of a trail bike.
My expectation is to spend most of my time on the Katy Trail, which either bike will be fine on. However, even a trip in Forest Park can turn into an off-​road kind of trip with the off-​trail bike paths, and being an outdoors guy, I can see myself in Grafton on a camping trip, or taking my biking fun off road at the right invite, so having some versatility seemed like an option worth a test ride.
When all was said and done, the Roam 3 was as fast and fluid as the Escape 2, and at only $ 10 difference, I was happy to be able to find a bike I liked that would allow me some flexibility on where I can and would ride.
Chris took me through the entire purchase process, hooked me up with a helmet, rack, bag, lock, pumps, all the necessities to getting on a bike and being safe about it, and he explained every nook and cranny question I had for him in the way a teacher would get a 1^st grader to understand the day’s lesson. I walked away informed and confident I had made the right purchase from the right shop.
One thing I was most impressed with was the lifetime tune-​ups offer which I jumped on as well. For the same price as a single tune-​up, with the purchase of a bike I was able to secure lifetime tuneups, which include cleaning and servicing of pretty much the entire bike. You can’t go wrong with having regular maintenance and clean up being pre-​paid for the life of the bike!

Not sure why, but my experience was absolutely awful! I bought the Groupon for a tune-​up and they never bothered to call me and say my bike was ready. No, they didn’t give a date when I dropped it off either. Lied to my face that they «don’t call people for Saturday pickups,» but my friend HAD received a call. And the next time I got on my bike… I thought the air was out… Nope, it turns out I should have been told the tube needed replacing. Never again will I shop here.

great selection and service. took my bike over on the plane from Germany and they helped me with some stuff that got messed up. It’s very convenient from where we live as well.

Great customer service and great products avoid the others stop in here for your bike

Thanks to a Groupon offer, I visited this shop for the first time to get a tune-​up. Matt was awesome and very helpful. I bought my bike from a friend but really didn’t know much about hit. Matt gave me lots of useful tips on my bike. He also detailed what the tune-​up would cover and promised not to do anything that wasn’t covered without calling first. Fortunately, nothing additional was required. My bike was returned cleaned up and good-​as-​new!

South Side recently had a Groupon for a tune-​up, and I jumped on board and purchased one. I went in on a Friday I believe and turned my bike in for service. I also inquired about getting new tires for my MTB.
The nice fellow who assisted me upon walking through the door was extremely helpful and gave me suggestions as far as upgrading tires and so forth. He also answered a barrage of questions I had regarding the ‘newer’ bikes and so forth. Super helpful and pleasant to work with.
They had my bike ready to roll within 24 hours of turning it in — keep in mind that I dropped it off late in the day Friday, and they called me back the next afternoon. The turnaround time was great, and my bike now rides better than ever thanks to the excellent tune-​up and new tires. I was starting to seriously consider throwing down the serious dough for a new one but will now hold off since the ol’ gal rides so much better after a little love and affection in the shop.
Needless to say — I will most certainly go to South Side when I do decide to purchase a new bike. They have a nice selection whether you are looking for a typical street bike, mountain bike, or want to go hog wild and splurge on one of the light and refreshing road bikes. Price-​wise — they seem to be relatively reasonable based on my bike shopping research. They also sell a nice selection of accessories and hardware as well. I also like the fact that they are open until 7pm during the week, which is a big help considering the other shops nearby shutdown at 5pm.
Overall — I have found my ‘homebase’ bike shop. It is also within riding distance, which is cool. They also hold awesome classes/​events that enable riders to either learn more about the equipment they are riding or test drive certain brands.

I hate to buck the trend here, but I had a terrible experience with this place. I try not to be too judgmental on only one visit, but it was capital be-​ay-​dee BAD.
So, when I brought my bike in for service, the guy who assisted me was kind of gruff and rude. I chalked it up to it being a bike store; he definitely acted like he thought I had no idea what I was talking about; but I gave it a pass. He quoted me a price for new tubes and a tuneup and told me when it would be done and that they would call when I could pick it up.
On the day it was supposed to be done, I never heard from them. I figured, no problem, it took longer and they’ll call tomorrow. At the end of the next business day I finally called to check the status, and the lady on the phone was real snotty — «It was ready yesterday.» Oookay. When I got there, they had replaced an extra part that added another 60% to the bill. I would have preferred if they had called, explained the problem, and asked before going ahead with it. But okay, whatever, I’m glad it got fixed.
Then today I rode the bike for the first time since I got it back. I rode about four blocks when the rear derailer came loose and the chain fell off the gear cluster! I was riding in traffic when that happened, in the left turn lane to make a turn. Luckily there was a break in traffic that allowed me to coast through my turn and safely get off the road. If the road had been any more crowded, I would have been in big trouble.
So, to review: Gruff service, inadequate communication, unexpected charge, and life-​threatening «tune up» that actually broke my bike. I won’t be going back.
To be fair I should probably call them and give them a chance to make it right. But since I’ve already been endangered once by their service, I’m not really inclined to take my bike back in there for more «repairs.» So keep that in mind, I guess, when you’re evaluating my review.

Love this store. Very knowledgeable and helpful staff. Definitely check this place out if you’re looking for a new bicycle.

I just bought my first bike after a roughly 15 year hiatus, so I was in desperate need of guidance and accessories. My bike is about 25 years old and I was having difficulties finding water bottle holders and bags that actually fit on the frame. I’ve been into the shop a few times and the guys working are always so helpful and gave me good pointers on what to try. I was also having some issues with the gears and they fixed them right up for me in about 5 minutes and only charged me half of what they normally do.
I don’t think I’ll be buying much here because everything is so incredibly marked up, but I’ll definitely be back for any service needs.

I’ve been dithering whether (and where) to purchase a bike for quite some time and only Sunday finally decided to pull the trigger. I’d had another shop in mind but went to South Side Cyclery on the recommendation of satisfied friends.
So I walked in Monday morning knowing nothing except that I wanted to walk out with a bike on my rack, nothing of design, function, price, completely cold. The lucky employee who spent the next hour with me was knowledgeable, informative, helpful, and patient. He asked what sort of riding I was expecting to do, discussed the attributes of a few different models, adjusted the bike for me, sent me out on a test ride in the neighborhood, and made me feel confident that I’d made a suitable choice. And he sold me on the lifetime service plan, which, hey, if for the price of a single visit I can lock-​in tune-​ups down the road, that’s great.
My only comment, or suggestion, perhaps, is that he should have taken the opportunity to suggestively sell me some more of the things I would need. For example, I ended up buying a helmet, cable, and light, but it was a friend who reminded me that I needed more than just the bike to actually go anywhere.
End of the day: I biked from downtown to Chain of Rocks Bridge on my new Trek and had a great afternoon. Thanks for new wheels, guys!
Oh, and they’re having a free tire repair class Saturday morning at 9:30. Bonus.

In the Spring of ’08 I looked & looked for a quality new bike. The sales staff at South Side Cyclery was NOT as helpful or as knowledgeable as the people at Big Shark. Ed (at Big Shark) showed me several bikes & explained the differences. At South Side Cyclery, the salesman (a kid by my standards) just wanted to make a sale… NOW!
Yes, they carry quality bikes. If you’re a cycling enthusiast who already knows what you want, this shop may be fine. If you have a lot of questions, or are new to quality bikes, go to Big Shark.

I like Southside Cyclery. They have quality bikes (I’ve bought a few) and while they are not Walmart bikes or prices, they offer good deals for the level of bikes they stock. And, when you buy one of them they will provide ongoing basic tune –ups on that bike for free. Plus, they are assembled. Hello!?!
They’re great with bike repairs too. My only complaint is that they don’t provide pick up and delivery service.
Random thoughts…
I have a heavy duty beach cruiser that used to get me through my 16 mile a day beach runs in California (including many a margarita stop in MDR, Venice and Santa Monica along the way).
I look at this beach cruiser like a child (before mine came along) and I love it dearly. But, alas, it is too big to stuff into my wee little car. So it sits… abused… neglected. unused… waiting for some luv. Gees, I’ll pay you 20 bucks, can’t you come and pick up my bike and give it the attention it deserves? Oh, apparently not. Okay, when you come pick up my beach cruiser, I’ll give you another star. Deal?

My one experience here was great. I went in with my bike wheel (with tire and tube) with a need for a new tube. I was also having this weird problem where the tire seemed a little too big. I’m normally pretty okay at changing a tube and getting the tire back on. The guy was nice and fixed it in a few minutes. He also made me feel better by saying that he thought it was really a pain to get the tube on. This made me feel like I’m really not that clueless – that something really was strange about the tire situation.
I also picked up a Camelbak water bottle, which the guy swore by, and it a pretty good bottle. I’m not usually in that area of Gravois, but if you live near there or don’t mind going over there, it’s a good bike shop.