R & A Cycles

If you need something for your bike, it's very likely that they have it -- no matter what it is. The sell here is selection, not service or price. They are accustomed to dealing with very high-end riders spending in excess of $10k on a rig. If you have a lower budget in mind, shop elsewhere.

Most of their business is driven through their massive website so they seem to have a problem with living, breathing people who show up on their doorstep.

I've been here many, many times becasue they have the best equipment selection in Park Slope. Unfortunately, when it came to purchasing a bike, they treated me very poorly and I ended up spending nearly $3k somewhere else.

If you go to buy a bike, do your research and make sure to deal only with Felix. If you are looking for your kid, stick with Target.

Posted 12/08/08 | Report Abuse

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Read about this shop in the discussion boards at bicycling.com, so decided to take a look for myself. R&A's does a lot of business through their website, which is geared toward the very high end (eg, $2000 road bikes). But their shop also sells lots of bikes that the rest of us can afford. They have a great selection on display. In fact, this is one of the only shops in the city where I was able to find several of the bike models I was considering buying all together in a single shop. They also have a huge selection of cyclist's clothing and other gear.

Unfortunately, several of the bike models on display that I was interested in were the wrong size for me, although they did have my size in the back unassembled. They said they would only be willing to assemble the bike(s) in my size if I bought it first. Also, the salestaff member gave me some incorrect information (admittedly minor details though) on a couple of bikes I was looking at (I already knew the stats after having checked the bikes out at other shops and at the manufacturers' websites). The prices were on the high side - they were selling the bikes I was looking at right at the manufacturer's suggested retail price while many of the other shops I visited sold at a discounted price. (I ended up buying a new current-year model bike elsewhere for $150 less than the $650 R&A quoted me.)

PROS: Pretty broad selection of bikes on display
CONS: Overpriced

Posted 08/29/06 | Report Abuse

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