Patrick Burns

Review of Beacon Bicycles

Beacon is a nice local bike store for purchasing p...

Beacon is a nice local bike store for purchasing parts, tools accessories, etc. in a pinch. They also carry a nice selection of bikes, though I have never purchased on from them. I rate them 3 stars due to their sub-par service department (post Marco, who was the best). I recently spent over $350 dollars servicing a $3,000 bike. That's 10% of the bike's MSRP! I was very disappointed with the results. First, I am fairly certain that some of the parts (and therefore service) were not necessary. It felt more like a car dealership service experience, which I didn't anticipate in bike store. Second, I have doubts that the work was performed properly, or at all. My chain was replaced, though I do not believe it had reached its wear tolerance (I have a tool for this and last I check it was fine). A new chain is always nice so I didn't argue, and I knew I was getting close anyway. However, when I got the bike back and took it out riding I experienced sticking and slipping in my gear shift ( never a problem before). When I returned to the service department I was treated poorly and shuffled out of the store, rather than being treated with concern. I was told to adjust the nob at the shift triggers on handle bar. I was informed that controlled the speed at which the gears shift up and down the cassette. I later learned that this controls "indexing" which is the alignment of the chain over the range in the cassette. I'd expect the mechanic to know this. I had to completely re-tune the rear derailleur (thank you Park Tools for your videos). It now works perfectly, but it did cost me at least one hour of my time - not cool. While performing the work I notice that my gear shift cable was the same one that was on when I brought the bike in for service. I'm not sure, but it seems like that is something you'd replace in a "tune-up." Lastly, within just a few hours of riding, maybe six, my rear hydraulic disc break has become spongy and does not effectively stop the bike - kind of important for mountain biking! This is also a new phenomenon and one that should not be expected after paying a professional to replace disc pads and perform a line bleed. This in now one more repair that I need to investigate and fix subsequent to "servicing" performed by Beacon. I strongly advise against using Beacon servicing - don't waste your money. Do it yourself if you can, or find Marco if he is still out there servicing bikes.