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Lion's Bike Shop
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: South Los Angeles
1387 W 29th St
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(323) 733-2791
1387 W 29th St
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(323) 733-2791
- Hours:
Mon-Sat. 9:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
5 reviews for Lion's Bike Shop
As a bike commuter living near USC, a quality LBS* is a must. I've found mine here. It is owned and run by a Latino fellow named Elicio-- his english is good but his wife can be difficult to understand sometimes. His kids help run the shop too, and their english of course is perfect, having grown up in LA.
This is not a high-end shop for Campy or Surly nuts; it is a neighborhood sales/maintenance/repair shop. Whether business is slow or crazy-busy, I've always gotten good service and honest time estimates and embarrassingly low prices-- perhaps some facility with Spanish would have resulted in a better experience for Sarah K. (sorry it was so frustrating for you! Calling customers in a timely manner, as you described, is a high-end bike shop expectation, though... and you'll pay high-end prices too)
This is a great place to buy a good used bike at a great price. They buy bikes from departing/graduating students at the end of each semester, clean and tune and repair them as needed, and re-sell them... late May/early June is a great time to buy. In 2002 he sold me an aluminum Motiv 18" frame, with 2.25" commuter tires, decent components, new cables and adjustable riser stem, for $45. I am still riding that thing-- only 3 flats in 6 years, and Elicio fixed each one as soon as I rolled in-- with a new tube not a patch-- for $5 each time. Total.
When I want a Bakfiets or a Surly Big Dummy or a Rivendell, I'll go to a high end shop to get it... but Lion's Bike Shop will be my first stop on the way home, to introduce it to Elicio, who will keep it running smooth for me!
*LBS="local bike shop" in cyclist-nut parlance
I am planning to buy a bike and so walked into this shop today. I don't usually write negative reviews but this one was too much. If possible, I'd give this shop negative stars.
Anyway, there was this woman in the shop who asked what I wanted and was totally unwilling to help me in any way. I asked for advice in selecting the size of the bike that would fit me, but she was cold to it. When I asked particularly about a bike or two, she changed her answer every two minutes. Eventually I figured out that she was lying to me and was not interested in selling bikes at all! I don't know what her problem is, but a customer was seemingly the last thing she wanted that day.
All the bikes that were of interest to me were hung on the wall - and there were not too many of them - maybe about 15 bikes. I asked her to get one of the bikes I liked down so that I could test it, and she REFUSED. There were two men in the shop doing nothing and even I was ready to help her get the bike down, but she plain refused to show it to me unless I paid her money and bought the bike first.
THEN she started arguing with me saying that I was wasting her time. I had been in the shop for only 5 minutes! Finally when the shop employee got the bike down, she wont let me ride it more than 10 feet in front of the shop. After testing the bike I felt I needed a better bike and after a while I asked her to show me another bike. This time, not only did she refuse to get it down, she started arguing with me. I told her I cannot pay for a bicycle just by looking at it being hung from a wall and I want to test it first. This was too much for her. She starting YELLING at me. Then she said something in Spanish to her daughter and she also started yelling!
Then this guy Eliseo comes out and takes the side of the two women. But he was probably the only sensible guy in the room. He agreed to show me the bike and let me ride and test it. He was the only one who was even willing to tell me the price of the bike. I could see that he was a good guy, but he's in the shop only on weekends as he told me. And I couldn't imagine going into this crazy place and dealing with the mother-daughter. The prices are very low and that's good, but you don't want to deal with these guys for even a small tune up - just to save your peace of mind. It takes a LOT to get my temper high, but these guys were successful in making me angry. They were outright humiliating a customer who just wanted to buy a bike from them. The shop was not at all busy, but the people are very rude.
My advice: even if you have to pay slightly more elsewhere, it is worth it. These guys are not cheap for nothing. Stay away from them!
I'm pretty peeved about the service I got at Lion's Bike Shop. The reviewer below probably had the great privilege of going to the shop in the summer, when USC was not in full swing.
Lion's told me that my bike would be done at 12pm, I came at 1:45 and it warn't done. I had left my number specifically so I would be called if it weren't ready by then, and I walked in hot, hot heat to get here.
They told me to come back later in the day, but by 5:30, my bike still wasn't done. THEN, they called me at 7:45pm to tell me to pick up my bike by 8pm. Thank you for the 15 minute window. What a nightmare!
Two stars for that.
One star for this:
I finally picked up my bike today and the brakes were squeaking like cuh-razy. She fixed the noise, however, the brakes weren't stopping the wheel completely and I told her I wanted them to be tightened, but said no and that's how they're supposed to be. Part of this seemed to be a communication problem because her English was quite insufficient.
I rode downtown today and literally my front brake is unable to stop my bike. I had to use my feet to brake, which I would say swings on the dangerous side (not in the badass way, either). It would have taken her literally 30 measly seconds to readjust and I threw down $80 for repairs... I really expected some better service.
So, needless to say, I'm never coming back here again. Ever. The prices are a bit higher than L.A. Bicycles, anyway. If you just want to buy a beach cruiser and get the hell out, go for it. If you're actually serious about anything and want repairs, stay the hell away.
I would have most definitely gone somewhere else, but I was anxious to get my bike fixed in as little time as possible. PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE!
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I took our 67 Schwinn Collegiate in for a tune up. He did a nice professional job, went above and beyond what was asked for a really good price! We live downtown and this is our new Schwinn shop! Thank you! p.s. always call before you go pick something up, it's so easy to do!
Woohoo! As good as it gets! An awesome family owned bike shop right next to the USC campus (corner of 29th and Vermont). They are rarely busy, which allows them to take on your bike usually right when you bring it in. They know their stuff and I've found if you buy a part you don't have to pay for labor. Everything is even better priced than you'd normally find in a bike shop and they won't cheat you. I find myself tipping when they tell me my total simply because I can't believe it. Quick service and legit, check them out.
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