APEX Cycles & Service/2009 Reviews
2009-01-17 00:46:59 Got some parts for my fixie today... very knowledgeable and good service. The shop was a bit messy, hard to move around, but I will definitely give them my business. They gave me a student discount, which is something I have not seen from any of the other shops... I will definitely return! —BrandonBarrette
2009-01-23 09:04:18 A friend who rides a fixie recommended Aaron. I called and was able to take my beater commuter bike in the next day. Aaron was great - he actually worked around my class schedule so that I could have my bike back right away, which is a major benefit over other shops. I think the student discount is awesome and my bike rides much much better now. I'll definitely be going back for anything else I need. Thanks Aaron! —Ratatat
2009-02-01 13:02:24 the only bike store i go to. —pol
2009-03-19 02:20:17 best bike shop in davis! owner is friendly and extremely knowledgeable! —wizz
2009-03-25 23:24:26 I went there today to pick up a few parts, and got great help and advice. Plus, they have parts that nobody else does, and the prices are great. I wish I had heard about this place sooner. It is the only bike shop in Davis that I will go to anymore. —twblalock
2009-04-22 23:45:05 The owner is knowledgeable and comes off as friendly, but he will rip you off. He takes advantage of customers who are unfamiliar with bikes; he charged my roommate's girlfriend $55 for alloy riser bars and bar tape! I've been in his shop one too many times, and he's shady in my book. —TylerSe
- Alloy Risers run $29.99 for the cheapest ones I sell and $39.99-$69.99 for good ones and $100+ for Carbon. Cork & Gel bar tape generally is about $12-$15 while Cinelli Gel w/ fancy colors, including glow in the dark, being about $20-$25. So spending $55 is pretty easy, but I'd be happy to look over your receipt to make sure your friend was charged correctly. And as for the comment that I rip people off, and take advantage of customers who are unfamiliar with bikes, that is entirely untrue, I have the best prices in town and treat customers better than any shop that I've been to (and I've been to a lot)... just look at all the comments above. In all actuality, I do a lot of hand holding with customers and really try to educate them before they make a purchase with me or anywhere else. I'll even go with you to look over bikes in other shops or online to compare. And being called shady bothers me... yes I do business in a rented garage, but I am one of the most legit business in town. How many shady business donate to Davis Community Meals (Financial), The Willow Project ($300 Frameset & Gift Certificate), Camp Kessem (Financial), Ceasar Chavez Elementary (Bike and Gift Certificates), Birch Lane Elementary (Bike and Gift Certificates), Habitat for Humanity (Gift Certificates), Relay for Life (Financial) along with numerous clubs on Campus (Financial)... I'm not saying I'm a "Saint" or anything, but far from what I would describe as "shady".—Aaron.Curtin
2009-04-23 07:42:58 I've never bought anything from Aaron, but I've been into his shop a number of times to consider some purchases. I never felt that he was anything less than a hardworking, honest businessman with a passion for bikes. Even though I didn't buy anything, he spent a long time explaining to me the details about the bikes and parts I was looking at, and the pricing that would go with the parts and service. "Shady"? Give me a break. —TheAmazingLarry
2009-04-23 09:08:32 I've been to the shop a few times and bought a track cog for a bike I was building at one point. Even though that was the only part I needed from there, Aaron still gave me a ton of advice regarding things I should watch out for while building it (my first fixie), as well as a few shop tricks he'd use on my particular project to keep it from falling apart while riding (and it hasn't yet!). —KevinChin
2009-04-23 10:52:26 The idea that Aaron is "shady" as the quasi-anonymous "TylerSe" asserts in his comment of 22 April 2009 is ludicrous. I know Aaron through his work as NeighborWoods coordinator for Tree Davis in the fall of 2007 and all I can say is he is whatever the opposite of "shady" is. Try hard-working, honest, diligent, thorough, and great with people. —DavidRobinson
2009-04-24 14:27:40 Aaron is the boss; end of story. He has helped me a ton with building my fixed gear and educated me from ignorance to being able to strip my bike down and put it back together myself. He is always willing to meet whatever parts need you may have, and has an eye for adding style points to any fixie. I won't be going anywhere else for my fixed gear needs again.
—2009-04-29 00:02:28 I think the near unanimous positive reviews speak for themselves, but I'd like to add my own experience with Apex.
Aaron recently built a wheelset for me, and when he went to order the spokes from the distributor, they were out of the size I needed. With any other bike shop, I would have received a call telling me that the spokes were out and it would be "x" amount of time before they were in stock and delivered. Aaron however, without any prompting, went around to all the bike shops in Davis and Sacramento and rounded up the exact spokes needed for my wheel-build, and had the wheels ready for me when I showed up.
Regardless of the size or appearance of the shop itself, you should feel safe that Apex will deliver top-quality knowledge and service. They know their stuff and will always greet you with a friendly face. —nwt
2009-05-05 07:29:20 Does APEX repair non-fixie and high dollar bikes? I have my garage sale road bike that I love very dearly, and I like to get it tuned up each spring. Thought I'd go some place else than B&L, especially with all the good comments. —ChristyMarsden
- Aaron did a great tune-up job for my road bike. I think APEX has the best deal in terms of tune-ups. —ScottWong
2009-05-06 07:51:05 Had a flat taken care of by Simon a couple of weeks back, he did it right in front and it took about 5 or so minutes before i walked out the door with my fixed bike. Yesterday i also had Aaron look at my loose axle. He went to work on it right away telling me to come back in 20. 20 later, i came back to my bike with a very solid axle. —lesterlowe
2009-05-08 13:16:48 Took my bike in for a tune up the other day. It was pretty good, but a lot of grease was left on the frame and bars. The mechanic was awesome, replace the pedal on my other bike with a used one for free (the pedal had broken off). Aaron is very knowledgeable and helpful. The shop does look like a mess though. —dwikiuser
2009-05-20 08:39:41 I emailed the owner asking about my bike, and within an hour he emailed me and told me to bring it in. I did, and in less than 24 hours it was fixed up like new. I was expecting to have to get the Blue Tune-Up, but the mechanic worked it out so that I only needed the Red with an additional cable replacement package. All in all, it cost me way less than what B&L would have and the turn around was fantastic! My bike rides better than ever before, and if it makes a funny sound or I'm not happy with it, the owner said I could bring it back. I've found a new favorite bike mechanic! —ChristyMarsden
2009-05-25 16:15:00 Off Topic: If anyone sees the bike posted a few comments above, please contact me at 925-998-0345. It has been stolen and I am desperately needing it back. —Deuces
2009-06-02 17:19:02 I spray painted my frame and took him my bike to be converted to fixie. And all i can say is WOW, the price i payed was about 55$ less than expected, and the labor cost was 1/2 of what he previously said. Aaron was super kind, and he even gave me a quick lesson and how to ride it. Highly recommended, if there was anything higher than A+ i would give it to him. —SameerAd
2009-06-25 16:17:54 Aaron thanks for the help with my seat post and saddle you rock! I will be back —Brians
2009-07-12 18:34:25 If Aaron isn't there, do yourself a HUGE favor and just come back later when he is. —OrofinJackson
2009-09-03 18:52:36 I went into the shop looking for a bike that fit me and fit my budget after reading all these positive reviews. Aaron took his time to explain all my options to me, from used frames to new frames, to ways I could cut down on costs. We ended up deciding on putting together a new fixie, and I couldn't be happier with the result. I have nothing but praise for Aaron and Apex. —naturalexponent
2009-09-11 11:00:55 I like Apex, and when I have gone in and talked to Aaron, he's seemed very nice and knowledgeable, and I'm glad they finally got a real shop.
That being said, I've had negative experiences with the other employees at the shop. I suppose I am a slightly unusual customer, I try to do all my own mechanic work, and only go to a shop when I need an unusual part, or need to consult an expert. When I've talked to the other guys (who I assume were either the assistant mechanics or volunteers) I've gotten the sense that they have a good general knowledge about bikes, but don't have in depth specific knowledge, or much experience with unusual problems. They're young though, a few more years on the job, and who knows?
In short, if someone who minimal cycling knowledge asked me to recommend a bike shop for general repairs at a good price, I'd send them to Apex (and especially if they had a fixed gear, since that seems to be their specialty), but if they have a bizarre problem, or high end bike, I would send them to Wheelworks. —KtotheF
- Fist off, I would like to apologize on behalf of the entire APEX family. I would hope that everyone has the best experience possible when coming to our shop. If you ever feel the need to want to talk to me in person, feel free to ask whoever is at the shop to contact me directly, and I'll be happy to answer any of your questions via phone, in person or email. I would like to know who you had a negative experience with, as we continually try to train ourselves to be better mechanics and sales people. That being said, I understand that not all of my staff/volunteers knows as much as I do, (that's why they are there, to learn), but I would assume that if you went to any shop in town, their staff's knowledge base as a whole would reflect the same differences in understanding and ability. And I assure you that there are plenty of bizarre problems that I've fixed that other shops, including Wheelworks have turned away. High end bikes are my passion and specialty... not fixed gears, but I work on what ever comes through the door. At times my repair stand will have a $7500+ TT bike hanging next to a 20 year old 3spd cruiser. I never turn anyone away.
2009-09-12 19:31:40 When are good times to come in just to talk about bikes? I'm looking either to fix up my old one or to buy a new one (possibly even put together one since I love doing that sort of thing), but I sorta know jack about bikes aside from how they work. —SunjeetBaadkar
2009-09-13 19:59:56 Aaron just came by today to fix both mine and my roomate's bikes. He was friendly, helpful, and super convenient. After a terrible experience with the BL bike shop, I was super happy to find a shop that I can trust. I will definitely be bringing all of my bike problems to this shop in the future and recommend it to everyone I know! Thank you so much Apex cycles and Aaron for fixing my bike so quickly:). —jsh314
2009-09-25 20:22:25 So I dropped by the shop because my rear-brake was sticking to my tires... Aaron took a quick look and said he could fix it. Within a few minutes he did, and he was very nice. Watching and hearing his kids play in the shop was also nice—it's a family business.
Noteworthy: While I was there, someone dropped by and asked about the turnaround time for a tune-up... He said next-day, which absolutely BLEW my mind. Remember that this is the first week of classes at UC Davis and there is a huge influx of new students (myself included)... and Apex still offers next day turnaround for tune-ups.
I'm from the SF Bay Area, and all the local bike shops there charge much more for tune-ups, AND they have a backlog of ONE to TWO weeks, AND they treat you like crap and give you a snobby attitude... Apex is the anti-thesis of the normal local bike shop... And that's a rarity... Highly recommended. —H4rry
2009-10-04 20:42:06 EXCELLENT service. I've been hear multiple times and I've never had a bad experience. I've purchased track pedals, an inner tube and had a new headset replaced here on my vintage fixed gear bike. I've NEVER been upsold here and in fact they've saved me money, which is great as a college student with limited funds. I needed a new seatpost binder and a mechanic here even told me how to make one myself on the super cheap. Aaron will answer any question you have super quickly and he isn't pretentious to customers. This is the only bike shop I'll go to. HIGHLY recommended. —tx2009
2009-10-18 19:30:12 Took my bike in a couple days ago because my wheel was rubbing against the brake as I rode. Aaron immediately noticed the wheel was bent and told me to come back later that day to pick it up. After a couple hours, I came back and the bike was already finished. Aaron not only fixed the bent wheel, he also replaced a spoke, and fixed a dent on the body of the bike. He did all this for just $20. I can't see myself ever taking my bike anywhere else. Very happy customer. —trevorchreid
2009-12-17 00:07:26 I don't know if it's bad luck or if my bike is really crappy but after the $70 tune up my bikes been getting worse. Just yesterday, I was riding and the hubs on my back wheel broke and a week later (after bringing it back in) the same problem occured...I've been warned that some bike shops simply tunes up without fixing the actual problem, just to bring in repeated business'...I'm not saying this place does that but I've been bringing my bike in here for years and every time I come here to get my bike tuned I always have to come back for re-adjustments. Will not return again.—AvidSpots
- Sorry for all the problems with your bike, but my $70 RED tune does not include me fixing a broken hub or axle. If the spoke broke, thats another story, but usually we don't charge for follow up labor if you had a tune up recently. Honestly, I don't remember repairing any hubs in the past few weeks. But I'll be happy to look at it personally. We don't try to get extra $$$ off of you by not fixing things that need to be fixed. Most of the time, I'll just include it at no charge with a tune up if it really needs it. Feel free to give me a call or swing by to talk to me in person. The only repeat business we want is happy return customers. You say you've been coming here for years, so you should know that I am a very accommodating person. I will do what ever I can to make things right for you.—Aaron.Curtin
