Review Date
October 5, 2009

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Customer Service Rating
 1 of 5

Technical Expertise Rating
 1 of 5

I visit this shop:
Once a year

Reviewed by: VintageFolly ,  Cross Country Rider

Customer Service:
Golden Bear bikes is my closest Cannondale dealer, so I called them about a few parts, that should have been on hand. They took my call quickly, and the kid at the desk was uncertain, so he called the tech up to the phone. I was told that they had what I had in stock, so I made the trip. The first part was simple, an 8 speed Shimano freehub. When I got there, I was informed by the "tech" that you couldn't swap freehubs on the hubs, and that I would have to buy a new hub to do what I wanted. I told him that you certainly could, but he had never heard of such a thing, much less had anything in stock. Strike 1. Told him that I needed a dust bellows for a headshock, and that I had just called and was told it was in stock. Told them specifically which one I needed on the phone, and was told they had it. Of course, when he brought it out, it was the wrong one, and the Cannondale "tech" had no idea that there were a few different versions. Strike 2. Figured that rather than completely waste my trip, I would pick up some new cables for my Tandem. They carry and had in stock tandem bikes, so you would think they would have those. Wrong again. Strike 3.

Other Comments:
Bottom line, if you want to part with your hard earned cash, and buy a brand new bike from them, they might actually have what you are looking for. If, after your purchase, you need some sort of customer support from them, you are likely to be out of luck. The staff seems disinterested, and have absolutely no repair knowledge.

In the past, they seemed to know what they are doing, and could look up Cannondale specific parts, but as it stands now, unless I just caught them at a bad time, they have gone so far downhill I will never step foot in the shop again.