Cyclegear -

[HeatXfer]

not asking for every variation.. just something in my size.

Sounds like you need a boutique gear store...

 

[MidlifeThrottle]

Sounds like you need a boutique gear store...

If they stock something in my size that's not poor quality. Yep, that's what i need.

 

[RightCoastBias]

This.



And this. They serve a need, glad to have them around when I need them. And I never feel bad about sending a beginning rider on a budget to them, they have great service and pricing. BILT gear may not be the highest quality or very comfortable but it's cheap as hell and will keep you safe in a crash.

Yup.

Paid something like $50 for a BILT dual sport helmet. When I went head over bars into a pile of rocks, it did it's job and held up REALLY well.

 

[Cookie Monster]

I have mixed feelings about Cycle Gear. It was the first place I rode to when I bought my first motorcycle and had no gear, and the people there were very friendly and even let me exchange a leather jacket for a mesh one when I almost passed out wearing the leather jacket in the Texas heat.

On the other hand, their gloves were horrible and repeatedly fell apart on me (I guess I shouldn't complain about $25 gloves), getting any gear other than Bilt is hard because they just have horrible non-Bilt selections, and when I went to the San Jose shop I was completely ignored. I ended up just trying on a few non-Bilt items since no one was helping me, then went to Revzilla and bought everything. At least I got the Zilla cash and quick shipping and great CS.

The SF Cyclegear is great, though. I'll probably go there when I need more maintenance stuff. One side of my visor popped off on my HJC helmet before I was about to head home so I decided to stop by the Cyclegear in SF and the guy there just repaired it for free, and was extremely nice about letting me try on different gear and explaining differences in each choice, etc.

I think it all just depends on the location and who's working at that particular time.

 

[somesuch]

... is it just me or did this place turn into the harbor freight of motorcycles over the past few years. I used to enjoy going to that store, now I just cringe to see what they have replaced with SIDICI or BILT. They fail to carry a good selection of quality gear and peddle their store brands. Frank Thomas even makes their store gear look abysmal and that was not the best either. I wish they'd revert back to 8-10 years ago when they were actually decent. Even their sales now are terrible - save 20% on bilt or sedici..grrrreat. Hey but you can get a free worthless gift if you spend a bunch with them..


/rant

Not just you. Many feel the same way. The few good employees that they did have seem to have moved on. Locally, Zoom and RoadRider are a much better option now.

 

[MidlifeThrottle]

Yep, my complaint isn't the staff, they're great. Always have been and a reason I always go back. Seems like there was a reinvention of the store and the brands they carry that was not for the better (apparently mostly in my eyes).

I use Revzilla a lot but i try and give local stores business when it's more practical for me to do so - gear I need to try on. I don't mind paying more for this either (which is almost always the case). I don't like going into local stores, trying their stuff then ordering online. Kind of dirty imo.

 

[NTron3000]

Wait. Your complaining about them being out of stock? Every store on the planet is out of stock from time to time. Especially for a niche sport. My experience with Cycle Gear is they are exactly who they have always been. Frank Tomas now Bilt now Sedici... same pricepoint, zero difference. I certainly don't love them but I'm stoked they're there when I need something I suspect they have. But I don't 'expect' them to have exactly what I want every time. Especially apparel. But you want limited stock? Try any other motorcycle gear spot anywhere. Of course you do have to know the differences in the local stores... SF≠Hayward.

 

[corndog67]

Maybe it's just the local store then. Here's my recent experience. I went to buy new leathers. My choices were Dainese Secas, Alpinestars low end suit I didn't like or one of two Sedici suits. After finding some leathers online I went to buy new boots, SMX plus or Corse Outs was what I was looking at, no sizes even close to my size 10 feet (which you'd think would be very common to keep in stock) nor any color variations in the sizes they did have. Tons of Sedici boots though. I've spent 1000s in cyclegear over the years.

I buy tires there. And.........that's about it. Sometimes when Alpinestar gloves are on sale, I'll pick some up, sometimes when they have a large garbage can of old style gloves for a dollar a pair, my wife will get several pairs for gardening. She is using some Fox gloves right now for gardening, work just fine.

Every now and then, I'll cruise in there just to see what the fuck is up.

 

[unirr]

... is it just me or did this place turn into the harbor freight of motorcycles over the past few years. I used to enjoy going to that store, now I just cringe to see what they have replaced with SIDICI or BILT. They fail to carry a good selection of quality gear and peddle their store brands. Frank Thomas even makes their store gear look abysmal and that was not the best either. I wish they'd revert back to 8-10 years ago when they were actually decent. Even their sales now are terrible - save 20% on bilt or sedici..grrrreat. Hey but you can get a free worthless gift if you spend a bunch with them..


/rant

100% agreed and I find it sad. I've always wanted to give them my business and did when they carried quality gear/items at a good price. Then, as you said, they went Harbor and Freight style. Now, I only go there if I really have to and am in a tight spot. And then when you want a quality item, you have to wait on it to ship there from their catalog which is straight MSRP .. $400 item online cost $500 there + longer wait. No thanks

 

[kkel19]

+1 on customer service and also price match. Bought an alpine stars jacket and it was same price on revzilla

 

[gixxerjeff]

there's really nothing to complain about, just don't shop there if you don't like it. They've got a great selection of name brand helmets, tons of impulse and 'oh-yeah' stuff all over the store. Maintenance supplies, oil often on sale, filters, tubes, chain lube, cleaning supplies, electrical & mechanical repair supplies & components, batteries & chargers. Tools, tires, locks. Lots of off road/ moto-x garb & gear. And of course lots of affordable new rider gear.

Dave bertram is a barf sponsor and promotes motorcycling & racing nation wide. I have never gone into a cycle gear and not bought something. I wish they were still in richmond on mcdonald instead of that wig store that's there now. Not a "fan boy", just a regular customer.

^^^^^
this

 

[Maddevill]

For me, I bought a pair of BILT race boots at a huge discount. I like them WAY better than the last 3 A*s I've had. All my Aplinestar boots fell apart, it was pathetic. The Bilt ones seem well made and at the price I paid, I am super happy with them.

 

[revnort]

You're definitely not the the first to notice or comment on it.

I have always bought my helmets at Cycle gear as well as bike maintenance stuff like chain cleaner brushes etc.

Other than that I don't generally shop for gear there. I have come to terms with what they are now.

 

[Roadstergal]

I guess I am the exception to the rule based on the comments though.

Yup. We used to spend thousands of dollars a year there in parts and gear, both in-stock and special-order stuff. In the past three years, maybe $50 a year in oil. But they more than make up for that with new riders saying, "Wow, a helmet for $100! What a deal!" C'est la vie.

 

[Honey Badger]

If you want a good selection of track/race quality gear on the shelf in a variety of sizes - other than the Dainese D-Store (where the brand is obviously limited), it's going to be unlikely to find a shop that has more than a couple suits on hand. Suits are EXPENSIVE to keep in stock, and people who are bargain hunting are prone to trying on, then buying online...leaving the stores holding onto expensive gear that doesn't move. Just a fact in the modern age with discount "warehouse only" sellers out there.

As for Cycle Gear, while I personally wouldn't wear the gear, I have sent people there for gear. I'd rather see someone in used or BILT gear than no gear, and people on that kind of a budget do exist....that, and plenty of folks just don't want to spend the money on - just because I see a need for it doesn't mean they do. It's a free country, and Cycle Gear is a business and they're making money, which is the entire purpose of a business.

I have nothing against Cycle Gear, and still head there for a lot of little things or random bits/items that I need that day. I love that they're open 7 days a week, I can find my regular maintenance stuff in stock pretty much every time, and it's relatively convenient for me to hit one of them up if I need something before heading to the track for the weekend.

I don't go in there expecting to find or buy the majority of the gear I would wear, but some of their cheap under layers work great, their cheap oversuits work amazing, and if it only lasts a year or two, who cares, it was CHEAP.

 

[Roadstergal]

I have sent people there for gear.

If they're my friends, I'll recommend they delay riding and save up for some quality gear. $400 for a real helmet, compared to the price of the bike and the insurance and consumables? Put it in the budget. If cash is so tight, maybe that person will find that a cheap car or a bicycle + transit is a better option, eg.

If they're not my friends, sure, they can go wear BILT.

Cory Call posted a post-crash BILT helmet on FB - the thing was wadded up like a gum wrapper. No helmet will work in every crash, but the basic premise is to absorb force, not transmit it.

 

[mrzuzzo]

Cycle Gear is awesome.

My wife has no clue what moto brands are the "best" and she really likes her BILT leather jacket which was about 4X cheaper than competing brands and is holding up great.

I'm not a brand whore - some of the BILT stuff seems pretty decent.

That said, I was going to buy a pair of 40$ Sedici gloves and one of the seams ripped before I brought them to the counter. Ended up ordering a pair of leather gloves for $35 from Ural (they had a sale) and they've held up amazingly so far.

 

[Honey Badger]

If they're my friends, I'll recommend they delay riding and save up for some quality gear. $400 for a real helmet, compared to the price of the bike and the insurance and consumables? Put it in the budget. If cash is so tight, maybe that person will find that a cheap car or a bicycle + transit is a better option, eg.

If they're not my friends, sure, they can go wear BILT.

Cory Call posted a post-crash BILT helmet on FB - the thing was wadded up like a gum wrapper. No helmet will work in every crash, but the basic premise is to absorb force, not transmit it.

Ya, saw that - and to clarify, I would never suggest to anyone to wear a BILT helmet, I've seen them up close too often, and after what I put my Shoei through, guessing I wouldn't be here typing if it had been a lesser helmet - but, I have worked with a number of people over the years who have a $300 budget for gear. They already have a bike and are going to ride it. I will try to talk them into spending $200 on a good fitting, well rated helmet, and the rest to go to Cycle Gear or EBay to get them through the first few months until they can afford better and know what direction they want to go with their riding

Most of my friends are already riding, the few people in my life who have thought about taking up riding I've convinced them to invest in gear before they even buy a bike

 

[vizcarmb]

Frank thomas was one helluva baseball player. Oh your talking about motorcycle gear. You know sedici boots are just rebranded cortechs right? Dont be fooled with the branding cause you never know what you might get. Also,I go there cause i get a nice veterans discount on top of that too.

 

[planegray]

There's really nothing to complain about, just don't shop there if you don't like it. They've got a great selection of name brand helmets, tons of impulse and 'oh-yeah' stuff all over the store. Maintenance supplies, oil often on sale, filters, tubes, chain lube, cleaning supplies, electrical & mechanical repair supplies & components, batteries & chargers. Tools, tires, locks. Lots of off road/ moto-x garb & gear. And of course lots of affordable new rider gear.

Dave Bertram is a BARF sponsor and promotes motorcycling & racing nation wide. I have never gone into A Cycle Gear and not bought something. ........................................ Not a "Fan Boy", just a regular customer.

^^^^^
this

+2
I don't spend nearly as much there as I used to, but I guess that just means that I'm not one of the consumers that they are trying to attract