Freewheelers

Location

1757 Mount Hope Ave, Rochester, NY 14620

Hours

Winter Hours:

Sunday/Monday: Closed

Tuesday through Friday 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Saturday: 11:00AM to 4:00PM

Phone

585 473 3724

Email

<freewheelersroger AT gmail DOT com>

Website

http://www.freewheelersbikes.com/

Facebook Page

Freewheelers is a bike shop located on Mount Hope Avenue, next to Rowe Photo, and close to the University of Rochester. They sell bikes and accessories and service them. They are an authorized Fuji retailer and have a wide array of Fuji bikes (Road and MTB) on display. Many cycling accessories are in stock, from seats to helmets to fenders and everything in between. They also offer free tuning for life on bikes purchased there.

Comments:

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2006-10-06 14:35:29   I had a loose nut on my rear hub, the guy tightened it and didn't want to charge any money. I ended up chatting for about half an hour about bikes and random stuff. They might not have the biggest inventory, but they are very friendly and don't try to screw you over. The only negative thing I've heard about them was from a friend who tried to take a $60 Walmart bike there for servicing - the owner turned them away. -GirtsFolkmanis

2006-10-09 07:20:59   I agree that the owner is quit fair. This is a great shop to stop in if you need a particular item (recently purchased a lock and pair of peddles). While it is true the owner turns away Walmart and Target type bikes - we were told it is because they are very difficult to work on as they are constructed as "disposable bikes". You would be better off purchasing a used old quality bike and having them fix it up. —EllenKelsey

2007-03-18 11:17:43   Yes, sir, this guy knows his stuff. Roger, (the owner), is friendly, knowledgable, and gets repairs done quickly. He seems like a great guy, and someone I highly recommend to bring your bike to. —MattSnow

2007-06-16 17:22:50   This shop is small but you get really good attention. Roger is good to talk with and get repairs done quickly. —SimosEconomides

2007-08-05 12:42:04   A great small bike shop. Every new bike comes with a life-long guarantee of free repairs and maintenance, and Roger, the owner/mechanic, really knows his stuff. He'll talk your ear off every time, so don't go if you're in a hurry. —OwenThompson

2008-03-04 22:44:54   I visited Freewheelers for the first time today, per recommendation of my roommate. Growing up in Rochester, and in the local cycling community, I am willing to say that Roger gave me the best LBS first impression I have had. He was friendly, passionate about cycling, and yes, we did talk for about an hour before he let us go.

The shop was modest, and although it didn't have the high end bikes and accessories of Towpath or Park Ave, I could tell that he was a competent mechanic who will take great care in servicing the components I needed help with. —JustinSchmidt

2008-04-20 12:21:30   Stopped by Park Ave Bikes today because I thought Freewheelers was closed on Sundays, and they said I wouldn't get my wheel back until the first or second week of May —it just needed to be trued.

Dropped the wheel off with Roger, he said $20 to fix or $60 to replace, and he'll call me when it's done. While I was there I ogled over the 2008 Fuji models, they shame my 2001 Fuji. I'm pretty sure I'll be going back this summer to pick up a new bike :) —ChrisLauretano

2008-05-06 13:22:32   Purchased a bike here recently. Roger took about 2 hours out of his day to walk me through the differences between the different Fuji's he has (he has another brand that he carries) and even let me and my friends test-ride a few bikes. The bike took a few days to be prepared, but I had some customizations done to it. When I picked it up, Roger then took a couple of hours out of his day to give me a few pointers on maintenance and other ins-and-outs. He offers free tuneups for life. He says that there is no too often for coming in, but there is a not often enough. A+ Service Effort. —EugeneCain

2008-06-25 07:52:22   I’ve been going to Freewheelers for years (full disclosure: I’ve moved away from Rochester, but I still shop there. I just bought a new bike in 2008).

Roger, the owner, is experienced and honest. He’s very willing to share his knowledge and won’t sell you something you don’t need. Also, he’s not a bike store snob who won’t talk to you unless you are interested in top-of-the line stuff.

As to him turning away Wal-Mart/Target bikes, again, this is because he’s being up front. Frankly, Wal-Mart/Target bikes are low quality and hard to work on. Rather than doing a repair and handling the customer a repair bill that is a large portion of the bike’s cost, Roger will turn the work away.

If you want a quality bike or repair for a reasonable cost, this is the place to go. —Clipper

2009-01-23 11:28:32   The home mechanic's bike guy. I've built and repaired my own for years, but for a solid and quality build, I go to Roger at Freewheelers. Last bike purchase from him: Surly Cross Check, where he rebuilds the entire bike as part of his "free tuneups for the life of the bike" mantra. While I've done Park Ave Bikes, Towpath, Towners, Full Moon Vista, and by a long shot Freewheelers is where I go time and time again for top notch service. —JimmyMiller

2009-04-05 12:48:16   I bought a bike from Roger when he had his shop on Culver Road way back in 92' when I brought it in for a rebuild he remembered the bike and did a great job on the rebuild. Mine happens to be an Iron Horse which is no longer sold. A quality bike that he said was worth the effort to rebuild. I am very happy with it and hope to get many more years out of it! Roger is a top notch, honest mechanic with a lot of experience. I really like what he does with the installation of the cables. They will never freeze on you no matter how much it gets rained on! Dave Skiff —dpskiff

2010-07-30 09:38:41   Due to illness, I am open reduced hours for this summer, until doctors give me permission to expand them. I am here Tuesday through Friday from 1 - 5 and Saturday from 1 - 4.—rogerlevy

2010-08-26 11:46:25   Early Aug I tried to remove a brake shoe, but the nut had seized to the post of the shoe, and that post became loosened from the pad part. So, the shoe spun in the brake. Dangerous, right? Plus, my chain was all stretched out, needed replacing, and maybe even a new freewheel if the new chain didn’t hold. I was fed up with working on my bike, so I brought it into Roger at Freewheelers. I asked him if he minded working on a bike with some rust, he said no, not at all. He rambled about how badly he needed money (I kid you not; it was too crazy for me to take seriously as a warning…what a fool I was). I pointed out the brake shoe, the chain, and said: make it better, and tune her up. He gave an estimate of $200, in case the freewheel was seized on and unremovable, thus requiring a new wheel. At this point my instincts told me to leave; the bike wasn’t that rusty. But I stayed. I asked to be contacted if anything big came up; in light of our discussion, a new wheel would be considered big. I gave him my email addy and phone #. Days later he calls to say bike is finished. I go. As he chats with a customer about random shit, I wait. And wait. So I look for my bike, find it in the back. New wheel, different size, new flashy tire, new chain, the screwed up brake untouched; total cost: $193.32! This is NOT GOOD. I still wait, and then try to get his attention. He finally comes. I ask what happened. He says: freewheel was seized, needed new wheel (65$), and a new tire and tube ($37) because the new wheel was a different size. I told him I asked for a call if something big came up; he said that because I wasn’t around when he did the repair, he couldn’t consult with me. THAT’S WHY I ASKED FOR A CALL, AND GAVE CONTACT INFO. So, instead of consulting with me as he said he would, he put on a DIFFERENT SIZED WHEEL, a tire that was way more expensive than the original (orig $15-20). I wanted a call because I have extra wheels, and I wouldn’t have wanted a different size! And he came up with excuse after excuse: improved chainline, better tire, his sickness, his memory problems. Finally, he offered me $10 off the tire. Fine, whatever. Next I asked him why the brake hadn’t been fixed. He said: to stay under the estimate; besides, if I ride a bike this rusty, he said condescendingly, I shouldn’t care about that (1. bike is not that rusty. 2. he said he was happy to work on it. 3. read till the end!). So, he was suggesting I ride a bike that he’d tuned, with malfunctioning brakes, and suggested that I shouldn’t care. At that point I was done. I told him off. He offered to fix the brake, I told him he’d never touch my bikes again. I paid. I returned the tire, tube, wheel, and he gave my $ back. I ordered a freewheel removal tool and wrench from Amazon; it arrived a week or two later. THE FREEWHEEL CAME OFF SMOOTH AS SILK, with no extension on the wrench even. So, recap: Roger said he was happy to work on my lightly rusted bike (only thing seized was the brakeshoe nut), then threw it in my face as an excuse why he didn’t do the most important repair that I’d specifically asked for (the brake), and why I shouldn’t care about it (which is rude, and stupidly dangerous). He didn’t call me even though I’d asked for it. He told me the freewheel was seized, necessitating over $100 worth of wheel and tire, which was CLEARLY NOT TRUE and NOT REQUIRED. I wasn’t even going to write all of this, but when that freewheel came off easily, it became clear to me that there’s clearly something very wrong with that bike store. —breaker

2010-12-20 14:05:01   I must protest this unfair review because the writer has misrepresented many things. Also he was very angry and in a hurry. My solvents did not work to remove his freewheel, but perhaps they later worked their way in and allowed him to remove it. I had to replace his wheel and gave him the new freewheel for free because it was barely holding together. Had he said that he wanted me to use his used parts, I would have not taken the job. I was, for the whole of 2010, working short hours due to Crohn's disease flare up and that is the reason I worked on his extremely rusty bike. Normally I would not but I was taking all jobs due to my short hours, and was willing to work cheap on used bikes although normally I would not, because there is a good chance that working on such bikes is futile. That is why I said that I needed the money; because his bike was extremely rusty. I gave him free labor, half price on parts, etc. He claims that I did not fix the correct brake, but he is remembering wrong. I did what I was asked to do. I came in way under his estimate and when he was unhappy I refunded all his money. He did not say call him for permission to do anything. I told him I would call if it went over the estimate. I did $400 worth of work. It took six hours. Rust is dangerous and hard to fight. I told him in advance that he would need a new rear wheel and freewheel because any chain that has elongated to the degree his had will cause the freewheel to form pockets higher up on the teeth and so will not mesh with any new chain. He agreed to this. He came in and stormed into the rear of the store and took his bike because he did not like to wait 30 seconds for me to finish with the previous customer. I give people all the time they need and answer all their questions and his anger and threatening mein caused me a physical reaction that burned from my gut through to my spine due to my active Crohn's. His other messages and reviews display a similar attitude; very angry young fool who thinks the world should care about everything he thinks.

The fact that he wished to use one of his used tires was not explained. Again, I will not work on bikes with the used parts that others bring in. He needed a new wheel and I used a 700C because it is the modern size and the 27" he had been using is not available in fixed/flip flop hub format. He had been using a wheel that he had spaced from a multi speed hub, and his chain line was bad.

Another review he wrote indicates his mental state. He disliked the service at a wine bar because they did not ask him if he wanted a refill soon enough. Very unusual; most people are glad to not be bugged for refills too often. This place has only four tables and the bartender can certainly hear your request from the table. You don't even have to stand up.

Why do people write negative reviews? Do they believe that their anonymous ramblings are going to be taken seriously? Do they think that everyone is just hanging on to their every word? Do they wish to run someone out of business? I feel sorry for this youngster, David de Jong, because I think he has problems. But I want to point out how he misunderstood and to also point out that there are five years of good reviews above his. —rogerlevy

2011-04-11 19:53:19   This is really a user friendly bike shop. Roger, the owner, is fair and generous with his time and expertise. It's easy to get to and provides a pleasant, low key shopping experience. Two thumbs up!! —IraSrole

2011-06-08 20:37:58   Man, I just saw Roger again, and I really can't say enough good things about this guy. I've known him for over three years now, and every time I stop into his shop, he is kind, courteous, and more than ready to help out. His prices are more than fair, and I've never been disappointed by any work on my bike. Pray for Roger when he has surgery this September. Peace. —MattSnow