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Front of the Pack
Categories: Shopping Sporting Goods Bikes Shopping Fashion Sports Wear Shopping Sporting Goods Sports Wear Bikes, Sports Wear [Edit]
3944 El Camino RealPalo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 804-6680
- Hours:
Tue-Thu, Sat 10 am - 6 pm
Fri 10 am - 7 pm
Sun 1 pm - 5 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Jason L. said: "Joe and his family want to sell the right bike for YOU. There's no pressure to buy but plenty of support to help you make the right decision if you do decide to buy. The service doesn't stop after you purchase the bike. They stand…" read more »
15 reviews for Front of the Pack
15 reviews in English
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Review from Wayne Y.
New York, NY
11/17/2011
This is the first review I write on Yelp because I am very surprised to see some negative reviews about this place.
I had bike fitting, then bought a bike at Front of the Pack. Darrel helped me throughout the entire process. He is a really patient, friendly, and informative professional. I am not an experienced cyclist, so during the fitting, he used simple concept and examples to let me understand what myself and my body need. The fitting took about 1.5 hours while I tried almost all possible settings. He guided me to narrow down options until I decided my best fit.
After fitting, Darrel applied the setting to the bike I was interested in. He was very honest to me that the stem length was 5mm different from my fitting results, and let me ride on the actual bike to test if I felt anything uncomfortable. Because of his passion to cycling, he worked on my bike like it's his own bike.
Overall, I was very happy and satisfied with this experience and purchase. Service was great. Price was reasonable. Most importantly, I got my awesome new bike.
I certainly recommend this place. Other than the products, Darrel also provides his knowledge and experiences to his customers to get their own amazing bikes. -
Review from luis v.
San Mateo, CA
12/20/2011
Two friends went to this shop for high end bikes in two different occasions, they were treated like they had no business in the store. They were mocked because they asked beginner questions and they left with a very bad experience. I myself had one long ago, but I gave the store the benefit of the doubt... well this was it. We just ordered 4 high end bikes from a different store. One that treats all customers with respect and know one or two things about customer service. So if you want a bike shop elsewhere, if you want good service, shop elsewhere.
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Review from Steven M.
Portola Valley, CA
8/27/2010
Stay away stay away and then stay away! My multiple experiences there have been pretty negative, especially with the owner who has been consistently rude, semi mocking, abrasive and patronizing. I asked for advice recently on hydration system for my Triathlon bike and was treated so badly and rudely that once I got to parking lot and realized I'm spending money at this place, went back in and told owner he really needed an attitude adjustment. To wit he replied essentially we don't get along and go spend money elsewhere which is exactly what I will do.
Stay away from this place and rude owner....to many other good bike/triathlon places that are supportive and will welcome our business. -
Review from Girl B.
San Jose, CA
1/11/2011
I find the negative reviews of this place VERY hard to believe.
Both Darrell and his employee - Dell - were crazy sweet and generous to Boyfriend and me on the multiple occasions that we frequented them. Not once did we get any sort of attitude or aloofness. That's like saying Winnie the Pooh and Piglet are assholes. No they're not.
After searching everywhere for a road bike that would fit me, Darrell emailed Boyfriend to let him know he had a Kuota that fit the bill ON SALE. When I came to visit my bike one day later, poor Darrell had to deal with my silly asinine questions and he took it all with patience. Boyfriend luvs me but even he sometimes wants to stab his own eye with a fork when I pelt him with curiousness. Not Darrell. He was very informative.
Last time we were there, Boyfriend purchased inner-tubey thingies (yes, i'm pro) and when I asked if they could install it for me, without hesitating, Darrell said absolutely and got down and dirty with my wheels himself. How you like them apples?? -
Review from Antonio D.
Sunnyvale, CA
7/9/2010
Let me start with the positives about this place. The employees and the owner, Darrell, are very knowledgeable when it comes to bikes. You can tell that they are experienced and also are active in the cycling/triathlon community. I also appreciated the customer service of his employees.
What I did not like...Darrell's customer service and aloofness. As my wife was asking him questions, he left her, and asked his employee to help her out so he can help someone else. The manner in how he did this was rude. If a customer is asking you questions, you don't just leave them when they are in mid sentence and ask one of your other employees to help. This showed that he was disinterested in helping her. Perhaps it was because the other person looked like a seasoned triathlete.
That wasn't the end of it. She had gone in a few times afterwards to ask him about what the prices were for changing out different components. Each time she came in, she was quoted a different and a more expensive price--so it was unclear what the actual price would be.
With the not so good interaction with the owner, combined with the inconsistency of giving us different prices, we decided to go to another shop to buy her Cervelo.Comment from Darrell E. of Front of the Pack 7/14/2010
The single best way to setup time with me is to schedule an… More » -
Review from Archie R.
9/28/2008
Pretty much every idiotic thing I have done in my life was because of a girl.
Don't get me wrong, it's totally worth it.
I am a huge fan of "team female."
I celebrate their entire collection.
Well, the only thing I absolutely cannot stand about women is their use of change.
I mean, I can see it coming. I am in line at Starbucks, in a hurry, the girl's bill is $4.53. I can see her digging around her change purse looking for the EXACT change.
"One second. I know I have a penny in here somewhere, hang on......hang on.......................found it!"
That being said, it's a small annoyance to deal with in comparison to the rest of the super awesome benefits women bring to the table.
So, my next endeavor?
A sprint triathlon (I had no idea it was spelled that way, I thought it was triathalon) in November.
The bike and run, pfft, child's play.
The swim?
Holy crap I am screwed.
I visited Front of the pack to grab some gear (water wings). Good prices and they had what I needed.
I can tell though that if you don't know what you are doing and are inexperienced, keep your head down and treat this place like the Soup Nazi.
They kind of have attitude about what they do but I didn't really give a shit.
If you're a sensitive type, shop elsewhere.
Drown. -
Review from Bryan K.
San Mateo, CA
9/19/2007
Update 9/25/2007. -1 star. Still a great tri shop, but a solid 4 stars.
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I am so happy to have happened upon this place. This is a serious tri shop. They carry Cervelos and Kuotas, two smaller boutique bike makers, but very well known. They also have a wide selection of wetsuits. And they give Golden Gate Tri Club members discounts on goods and service.
Greg the Manager was incredibly helpful. We talked tri's a bit and he gave me some recommendations to help my swim. They didn't have my size in the wetsuit so I went to a chain store up the street (*cough* MetroSports *cough*). Service there was terrible so I called Greg back from the other store's parking lot and had my suit special ordered.
Metro gives 15% discount on suits and Front of the Pack only gives 10%. But my rule is, pay for service. This is a great little store with great knowledgeable service. Skip the chain stores, skip the low price leaders. Come here, you'll be glad you did. -
Review from Omer S.
San Francisco, CA
6/8/2011
I found Front of the Pack through Cervelo dealer locator when I was in market for the 2011 RS bike.
Darrel and Preston are amazing professionals. Based on my experience with my Felt bike, I have requested bike that was too small for me. After spending 2 hours trying to fit me, Preston and Darrell worked out a bigger frame, so that I could be happy.
Despite some reviews blaming the staff to be "aloof", in my experience this was not the case. The guys at Front of the Pack are professional, they know their business, and they do do above and beyond to have the customer satisfied, as my experience shows.
Their higher class shows in small details. Cable ends are soldered, so that they will stay together and not fray out after a cap-end get lost (and cap-ends always find their way out). Handlebar wraps are tight ant nice. Gears are pre-tightened.
FotP are not stocked up with stuff like some specialty shops down in South Bay, but they have good stuff on their shelves. But the most precious things they have are the ones that are hardest to get anywhere on market:
- Caring for customers
- Being professional
Lesson for me: measure 7 times, buy once. -
Review from J C.
Palo Alto, CA
7/6/2007
The only game in town(and by town i mean the Bay Area) if you are serious or semi serious about triathlons.
None of the local shops have half the working knowledge of this shop.
Palo Alto Bikes....uh uh...totally a road riding shop with a bunch of posers as salesmen
Bicycle outfitters...one word..they're happy to sell to the million dollar bike- ten cent legs rider...just because it is expensive doesn't mean that it's a good fit for you
Sports Basement...if you want to go to the Costco of stores...great if you know exactly what you want...but good luck with getting fitted to the right set up
About the staff:
Darrell and Greg are the perfect combination. Darrell is your more type A personality triathlete. Intense. Totally knowledgeable of every facet of the game. He will take the total scientific approach to optimizing your performance.
Greg is your type B- laid back triathlete. Also his knowledge is just as deep but his approach is how would you say...more artistic. He's the yin to Darrell's yang.
Drop by their shop. You won't be disappointed. -
Review from Chris A.
San Francisco, CA
5/9/2009
Great bike shop, with a very helpful staff. You'll be looking at top of the line equipment here, but when I brought in a beat up 70's road bike worth about $0 they were happy to help convert it into a fixed gear.
I'll be back someday to buy a real bike, but I appreciated their help with the smaller ticket items. -
Review from Jim T.
Menlo Park, CA
3/30/2011
I bought my Cervelo P2 bike about two years ago from Darrell at Front of the Pack. He was helpful and had the bike built to my specifications at the promised time.
More important though is the level of support that I've received from FOTP since then. About a month ago my rear derailleur broke off. I took the bike to FOTP and Darrell immediately realized that the whole frame would have to be replaced since the rear derailleur holder is integral to the frame. He expected it to be covered under the Cervelo lifetime frame warranty. However when Cervelo was contacted by FOTP and the problem was described to them, they considered it damage caused by the owner (me) and, at best, eligible for replacement on Cervelo's crashed bike policy of half price on the frame. That would have cost me about $1300.
Preston, head mechanic at FOTP, disagreed with that explanation of the cause of the problem and sent pictures of the damage to Cervelo, kept actively in contact with me and with Cervelo and eventually succeeded in getting them to send me a new frame under warranty with no charge to me.
The new frame arrived in short order and Preston had the components transferred from my old frame to the new frame and the bike was back in my hands the next day. My only modest expense was for rebuilding the bike and replacing the chain and rear derailleur.
Outstanding customer support! -
Review from Travis D.
Palo Alto, CA
7/22/2008
I haven't technically bought anything here yet, but thats because i just discovered this place and i didn't really need anything when i was here. None the less, i've been here several times and each time, the guys that work here have been great. My next bike purchase (i'm eyeing a Cervelo) will almost certainly be made here. Even though i make it clear that i'm not buying anything, they never have a problem with me pulling a bike out of the racks to have a look at it (although you should always ask). I haven't done a bike fit session here, but i've been in while they were doing one and it has to be the most extensive one on the peninsula.
As someone who has been a recreational cyclist the last few years, doing the occasional sprint triathlon, now looking to maybe get into bike racing and triathlons pretty seriously next year, this looks like a place where i might be spending a lot of money in coming months and years. My girlfriend and i might even end up joining the 'we own a bike that is worth more than one of our cars' club. That sounds terrible, but i can't wait. -
Review from Chris J.
Redwood City, CA
6/2/2010
Darrell and FOTP have served me very well for many years in competing in triathlon. If all you care is the cheapest price, buy from the web. Like you wouldn't go to Borders to get the cheapest book, but to http://amazon.com.
But if you want support and services associated with the sales, I highly recommend FOTP. Triathlon is just an amazing sport, not only for the physical challenges and well being it brings, but also for its community. In this regard, FOTP is the place to go.Comment from Darrell E. of Front of the Pack 7/16/2010
Thanks for taking the time to write a review. It has been… More » -
Review from paul n.
Santa Cruz, CA
6/18/2008
As a newby to road biking, I wanted to get some SERIOUS advise in terms of the type of bike, fit, etc. I was blown away by manager Greg's attentive attention to my concerns and his step by step response in terms of which bike options would work best for me. Wait, it doesn't end there, once we selected the bike, he then took over an hour to fit my measurements to the various components of the bike. Being a bit ADD, I was losing my mind, but NOW I understand why he took all the time. The bike fits me like a glove (not the OJ type), and I am even more amazed at the fact that I am less sore at riding my road bike than I am at my mountain bike; a direct result of a proper FIT! I am even considering taking my mountain bike into Greg and Darrell for a better fit there too!
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Review from Baglan N.
Palo Alto, CA
1/27/2007
greg is a top notch professional!!!! hands down.
