Review Date
August 12, 2008

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Customer Service Rating
 3 of 5

Technical Expertise Rating
 4 of 5

I visit this shop:
Every few months

Reviewed by: Eclectus ,  Weekend Warrior

Shop Summary:
Good variety of leading brands such as Cannondale, Trek, Specialized, Pearl Izumi.

This is an excellent shop for newbies and warm-season bike path cruisers, who need advisement on what to buy, and reliable bike maintenance and repair services.

The Pedaler has a wonderful Christmas program every year where they fix up donated bikes and give them to needy kids.

But there are downsides too.

The Pedaler not really a store for customers who know or are interested in learning the differences between a coil vs. an air spring suspension, XTR v. X-0, Dura-Ace v. Record v. Force (let alone Red). This isn't a place to go looking for a Siddi shoes, or a Campy-gruppo bike, or anything else from Italy. For example if your stock saddle is showing that it wasn't designed for 30 mile rides, they have a nice (not complete) variety of "budget conscious" Specializeds and a couple of Serfa models, but you aren't going to find Selle Italia or San Marco, fi'zi:k or Terry here.

Prices on things like upgrade components and accessories can often be higher than MSRP. Refusing to discount, I can understand for a small family-owned retailer. But charging MORE than the manufacturers suggest? I just don't get it.

This is particularly vexing for special order stuff, because it only takes a few mouse clicks to place an order, and there's no inventory cost for the shop owner to cover. The customer pays in advance, the good is delivered, the shop owner pays the distributor using the customer's money, not his/her own. In essence, the special order customer is doing the retailer a BIG FAVOR. There is no justification to respond by jacking up the price.

Elite Cyclery in Overland Park is proving that a Kansas LBS can compete with the national onlines on prices, while offering personal face-to-face service.

If you want to test ride several higher-tier bikes ($3000 and up) of different brands and models, it's a smart idea to spend a Saturday in Johnson County, visiting EC, Bikesource and Trek of KC. These shops do as good a job catering to serious cyclists as the Bicycle Pedaler does for people who are getting onto bikes for the first time since childhood and other casual riders.

Customer Service:
Varies with the season. Great in winter, often hard to find somebody to help you in summer.

Review Date
June 29, 2007

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Customer Service Rating
 5 of 5

Technical Expertise Rating
 5 of 5

I visit this shop:
Once a week

Reviewed by: just du it ,  Weekend Warrior

Shop Summary:
Great shop for road or mountain. They take the time to help you find what you need. They have a wide selection of bikes and accesories and can special order tons of stuff. They have a great service department, that can fix anything.

Customer Service:
Superb!